Hisham Tawfiq

Hisham Tawfiq
Tawfiq in 2023
Born	(1970-05-17) May 17, 1970 (age 55) New York City, New York
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2002-present
Television	The Blacklist
Spouse	Spirit Tawfiq

Hisham Tawfiq (born May 17, 1970) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Dembe Zuma in NBC's The Blacklist .

Early life

Born in New York City, Tawfiq discovered his love of the arts while performing the poem "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou in high school. Tawfiq studied at the Negro Ensemble Company, known for educating actors such as Denzel Washington and Ossie Davis. He also studied with coach Susan Batson.

Prior to pursuing a full acting career, Tawfiq served in the U.S. Marines, deployed during Operation Desert Storm. ^[1] From 1994 to 1996, Tawfiq worked as a corrections officer in the Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, New York. ^[2] While pursuing his acting career, Tawfiq also served as a firefighter for 20 years with the New York City Fire Department. ^[3]

Career

Tawfiq performed with The Arkansas Repertory Theatre in Intimate Apparel and played Walter Lee Younger in a production of A Raisin in the Sun , which Tawfiq has said to be his dream role. ^[4]

Tawfiq starred in the BET film Gun Hill as Capt. Sanford, commander of a counter-crime task force. On television, Tawfiq has appeared in Lights Out , Law & Order spin-offs Special Victims Unit and Criminal Intent , Kings , Golden Boy , 30 Rock , and the 2013 NBC remake of Ironside .

Tawfiq played Dembe in NBC's The Blacklist . Starting with season 3, he was promoted to series regular.

Filmography

Film

Year	Film	Role	Notes
2009	Notorious	Fatigue Guy
2010	Say Grace Before Drowning	Chris
2010	Counterfeit	Malik
2010	Contact Zone	Prince
2010	Five Minarets in New York	High Rolla
2011	Crazy Beats Strong Every Time	Kofi
2013	Dead Man Down	Jamaican Mike
2014	Gun Hill	Capt. Sanford
2017	Dope Fiend	Prince
2018	Skate Kitchen	Lawrence
2018	Jinn	Imam Khalid
2020	To Live and Die in Bed-Stuy	Big Ed
2021	Maya and Her Lover	Father

Television

Year	Series	Role	Notes
2007–2021	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Firefighter #1/FDNY Vestry/Jules	3 episodes
2009	Kings	Serviceman Walter	5 episodes
2010	Law & Order: Criminal Intent	Scaryman	Episode: "Lost Children of the Blood" (S9 Ep11)
2011	Lights Out	Jo Jo Reade
2012	30 Rock	African Dictator	2 episodes
2013	Golden Boy	Father Steven Truitt
2013	Ironside	Cop	1 episode
2013–2023	The Blacklist	Dembe Zuma	Recurring Role (Seasons 1–2) Main Cast (Seasons 3–10)
2021	Harlem	Dr. Obinna Tseggai	Episode: "Once Upon a Time in Harlem"
2024	The Equalizer (2021 TV series)	Sameer Bentang	1 episode

Theater

Year	Piece	Role	Notes
	A Raisin in the Sun	Walter Lee Younger
	Intimate Apparel	George Armstrong
	A Soldiers Play	Henson
	Offspring	Kyle
	Bow Wow Club	Sal
	Shaka Zulu	Shaka

References

1. "'The Blacklist' star Hisham Tawfiq has gone from the Marines and the FDNY to full-time acting". New York Daily News . Retrieved July 25, 2016.
2. "New Yorkers dreaming of stardom pick up extra jobs while working towards fame" . Retrieved August 2, 2015.
3. "Blacklist actor Hisham Tawfiq is retiring from the FDNY after 20 years on the squad". Entertainment Weekly. July 17, 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
4. Hill, Jack W. (20 January 2011). "THEATER: Rep's Raisin in the Sun stars Little Rock native". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved 29 April 2016.

External links

• Hisham Tawfiq at IMDb