Youssef Kerkour is a Moroccan-British actor. He is best known for portraying Syrian refugee Sami in the comedy-drama series Home , a role for which he was nominated at the 2020 British Academy Television Awards.
Kerkour grew up in Rabat, Morocco. [1] His father was a Moroccan mathematics professor and his mother an English schoolteacher; they had met in France in the 1960s and moved together to Morocco. [2]
As a child, Kerkour loved to sing and dance, and idolised Bruce Lee after his father took him to a screening of the film Enter the Dragon . In his early teens, Kerkour took a school trip to Stratford-upon-Avon, England, the home town of William Shakespeare, and attended a production of Henry V; he credits this experience with inspiring his love of acting. [2]
Kerkour moved to the United States to study psychology at Bard College, but spent much of his time taking dance and acting classes instead. [2] He began pursuing an acting career at the encouragement of a university professor. [3] [2]
In 2001, Kerkour played The Visitor in a production of the Steve Martin play Picasso at the Lapin Agile. [4]
Unable to obtain a visa to remain in the United States, Kerkour moved to England and continued his acting career. He spent two years at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and five years with the Royal Shakespeare Company. [2]
Kerkour starred in the comedy-drama TV series Home , which debuted in March 2019 and lasted for two series. [1] In the series, he played Sami Ibrahim, a Syrian asylum seeker who moves in with a middle-class English family. The role was based on the experiences of real-ife Syrian refugee Hassan Akkad. Kerkour had not expected to be cast as Sami, since it was such a departure from the typecast violent characters he would usually play. [1] In 2020, he said:
"I spent my life playing terrorists. That's my USP, that's why I grew my beard. I'm a very big guy. I speak Arabic, so a big bearded Arabic man, there's really one kind of part, traditionally. [Playing] Sami is the first time somebody has taken the chance and given me something more." [1]
For his role as Sami, Kerkour was nominated for Best Male Comedy Performance at the 2020 British Academy Television Awards, losing the award to Jamie Demetriou (for Stath Lets Flats). [5]
In 2021, Kerkour starred in Ridley Scott film House of Gucci , playing the role of Iraqi Turkmen financier Nemir Kirdar. [6] He also appears in Scott's 2023 historical drama Napoleon, alongside Joaquin Phoenix. [7]
Kerkour is slated to appear in a film adaptation of The Alchemist , alongside Sebastian de Souza and Tom Hollander. [2]
As of July 2021 [update] , Kerkour was married, with a two-year-old daughter. He described himself as a "notorious coffee drinker" in the cafes of Soho. [2]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2004 | American Tale | Nate Collins | Short film |
2006 | Cross Eyed | Ernie | |
Infinite Justice | Drunk G.I. | ||
The Discipline of D.E. | Bartender / Drunkard / Cop | Short film | |
2010 | Idle-Hands | Achilles | Short film |
2011 | 360 | Policeman Phoenix (Morgue) | |
The Lighter | Boris | Short film | |
2013 | Hummingbird | Bouzanis | |
Side by Side | Dark Knight | ||
2017 | Lost in London | Winston the Bouncer | |
2018 | Another Day of Life | Farrusco | |
2019 | Close | Mr. Kabila | |
Hamsbury Book Club | George | Short film | |
2021 | Ron's Gone Wrong | Additional voice | |
House of Gucci | Nemir Kirdar | ||
Pirates | Uncle Ibbs | ||
2022 | A Bit of Light | Joseph | |
2023 | Matar | Jameel | |
Napoleon | Marshal Davout | ||
2024 | A Bit of Light | Joseph | |
TBA | The Actor | Black Jack / Ed / Defense Attorney / Bus driver | Post-production [8] [9] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | The Path to 9/11 | Red / Abouhalima | 2 episodes |
2007 | Holby City | Jalil Amara | Episode: "Someone to Watch Over Me" |
2013 | Royal Shakespeare Company: Richard II | Lord Willoughby | Television film |
2014 | Royal Shakespeare Company: Henry IV Part I | Westmoreland | |
Royal Shakespeare Company: Henry IV Part II | |||
Royal Shakespeare Company: The Two Gentlemen of Verona | Eglamour, Sir | ||
2016 | Marcella | Hassan El-Sayed | 2 episodes |
2017 | Doctors | Jamahl Habib | Episode: "It's Strange" |
Strike Back | Sabil Adiz | Episode: "Retribution: Part 1" | |
Bounty Hunters | Youssef | 3 episodes | |
2018 | Jack Ryan | Mr. Sadik | Episode: "End of Honor" |
Nightflyers | Hartley Suczek | 3 episodes | |
2019 | Criminal: UK | Jay Muthassin | Episode: "Jay" |
Gavin & Stacey | Emlyn | Episode: "A Special Christmas" | |
2019–2020 | Home | Sami | 12 episodes |
2020 | Dracula | Olgaren | Episode: "Blood Vessel" |
Sex Education | Nathan | Episode #2.5 | |
Baghdad Central | Karl | 6 episodes | |
Cursed | Pellam | 3 episodes | |
Worzel Gummidge | Farmer Brawn | Episode: "Saucy Nancy" | |
2021 | 0121 | Mr. Simmons | Miniseries |
Domina | Maecenas | 3 episodes | |
Stay Close | Fester | 6 episodes | |
2022 | Murder, They Hope | Bob | Episode: "A Midsummer Night's Scream" |
Doctor Who: The Seventh Doctor Adventures | Agrandir (voice) | Episode: "London Orbital" | |
2023 | Man Like Mobeen | Megalodon | 4 episodes |
Significant Other | Sam | 6 episodes [10] | |
Death in Paradise | Dave Chadwick | Episode: "Christmas Special" |
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
2003 | Conflict: Desert Storm II | US Foley, US Sgt. Arnold |
2004 | Street Racing Syndicate | Voice |
2020 | Assassin's Creed Valhalla | French Militant |
2021 | Assassin's Creed Valhalla – The Siege of Paris | Voice |
2023 | Saltsea Chronicles | Jayantha / Miquel / QA (voice) |
2024 | Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown | Orod / Deserter / Erlik (voice) |
Albert Finney was an English actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked in the theatre before attaining fame for movie acting during the early 1960s, debuting with The Entertainer (1960), directed by Tony Richardson, who had previously directed him in theatre. He maintained a successful career in theatre, movies and television.
Sir Thomas Daniel Courtenay is an English actor. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he achieved prominence in the 1960s as part of actors of the British New Wave. Courtenay received numerous accolades including three BAFTA Awards, a Golden Globe Award, the Silver Bear, and the Volpi Cup for Best Actor as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, two Tony Awards, and a Emmy Award. He was knighted for his services to cinema and theatre in the 2001 New Year Honours.
Sir Ian Holm Cuthbert was an English actor. After graduating from RADA and beginning his career on the British stage as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he became a successful and prolific performer on television and in film. He received numerous accolades including two BAFTA Awards and a Tony Award, along with nominations for an Academy Award. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1998 for services to drama.
Clare Julia Hawes, known professionally as Keeley Hawes, is an English actress. After beginning her career in a number of literary adaptations, including Our Mutual Friend (1998) and Tipping the Velvet (2002), Hawes rose to fame for her portrayal of Zoe Reynolds in the BBC series Spooks (2002–2004), followed by her co-lead performance as DI Alex Drake in Ashes to Ashes (2008–2010). She is also known for her roles in Jed Mercurio's Line of Duty as DI Lindsay Denton (2014–2016) and in BBC One drama Bodyguard (2018) in which she played Home Secretary Julia Montague. Hawes is a three-time BAFTA TV Award nominee, having been nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress for her roles as Lindsay Denton and Julia Montague, and a British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Dorothy Wick in the drama Mrs Wilson.
Sophia Myles (;) is an English actress. She is best known in film for portraying Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward in Thunderbirds (2004), Isolde in Tristan & Isolde (2006), Darcy in Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014), Erika in Underworld (2003) and Underworld: Evolution (2006) and Freya in Outlander (2008).
Mahershala Ali is an American actor. He has received multiple accolades, including two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2019, and in 2020, The New York Times ranked him among the 25 greatest actors of the 21st century.
Picasso at the Lapin Agile is a full-length play written by American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician Steve Martin in 1993.
Robert Sheehan is an Irish actor. He is best known for television roles such as Nathan Young in Misfits, Darren Treacy in Love/Hate, and Klaus Hargreeves in The Umbrella Academy, as well as film roles such as Tom Natsworthy in Mortal Engines and Simon Lewis in The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.
Liza Lapira is an American actress. She played Kianna in the 2008 film 21, Special Agent Michelle Lee in the CBS police procedural series NCIS and Ivy, Topher Brink's assistant in Dollhouse. Lapira has also co-starred in the short-lived sitcoms Traffic Light, Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, Super Fun Night and 9JKL. As of 2021, she currently stars in CBS's The Equalizer. She also voiced Disgust in the Pixar animated film Inside Out 2.
Anthony Robert McMillan, known professionally as Robbie Coltrane, was a Scottish actor. He gained worldwide recognition in the 2000s for playing Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter film series. He was appointed an OBE in the 2006 New Year Honours by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to drama. In 1990, Coltrane received the Evening Standard British Film Award – Peter Sellers Award for Comedy. In 2011, he was honoured for his "outstanding contribution" to film at the British Academy Scotland Awards.
The Briar Street Theatre is a theatre located in Chicago, Illinois, and is home to the long-running Blue Man Group. Originally the carriage house for the Marshall Field and Company horses, the space was purchased by Walter Topel and reconstructed into a theater. The Briar Street Theatre is most notably associated with the Blue Man Group act, which began performing at the Briar Street Theatre in 1997 and, as of January 31st, 2024, is still performing there.
Simon Paul Adams, known professionally as Paul Ritter, was an English actor. He had roles in films including Son of Rambow (2007), Quantum of Solace (2008), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009), The Eagle (2011), and Operation Mincemeat (2021), as well as television programmes including Friday Night Dinner (2011–2020), Vera (2011–2013), The Hollow Crown (2012), The Last Kingdom (2015), Chernobyl (2019), Belgravia (2020) and Resistance.
Adam Douglas Driver is an American actor. Recognized for his collaborations with auteur filmmakers, he is the recipient of various accolades, including nominations for two Academy Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award.
Janty Yates is a British costume designer for film and television. In 2001, she won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for Gladiator (2000). She has also received nominations for BAFTA Awards, Satellite Awards, and Saturn Awards. She is a frequent collaborator with English director Ridley Scott, having worked with him fourteen times as of 2021.
Au Lapin Agile is a 1905 oil on canvas painting by Pablo Picasso. It depicts the interior of the Lapin Agile, a famous cabaret club in the Montmartre area of Paris. The composition was produced during Picasso's Rose Period and includes a self-portrait of the artist who frequented the club in his youth. The painting is listed as one of the most expensive paintings after achieving a price of $40.7 million at Sotheby's auction on 27 November 1989. It is housed in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Home is a British comedy-drama television series created and written by Rufus Jones that aired for two seasons, premiering on 5 March 2019, and airing its last episode on 11 March 2020. In May 2021, Channel 4 confirmed that they would not broadcast another series, with Rufus Jones saying the series may be revived in the future on another platform.
Criminal: UK is a British police procedural television anthology series created by George Kay and Jim Field Smith, starring Katherine Kelly, Lee Ingleby, Mark Stanley, Rochenda Sandall and Shubham Saraf as the highly trained members of a special interrogative division of the Metropolitan Police. Netflix released the first series of three episodes on 20 September 2019 and a second series of four episodes on 16 September 2020.
House of Gucci is a 2021 American biographical crime drama film directed by Ridley Scott, based on the 2001 book The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed by Sara Gay Forden. The film follows Patrizia Reggiani and Maurizio Gucci, as their romance transforms into a fight for control of the Italian fashion brand Gucci. Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons, Jack Huston, Salma Hayek, and Al Pacino also star.
Niamh Algar is an Irish actress. She is known for winning Best Actress in a Leading Role - TV Drama at the 2020 IFTA Film & Drama Awards for her performance in The Virtues. Other roles include MotherFatherSon, Raised by Wolves and Pure. In 2021, she appeared in Wrath of Man and Censor. For her role in Calm with Horses, she was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.