Marwan Kenzari facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marwan Kenzari
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![]() Kenzari in 2013
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Born | The Hague, Netherlands
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16 January 1983
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 2008–present |
Marwan Kenzari (born January 16, 1983) is a Dutch actor. He started his acting journey in 2008. He became well-known for his role in the 2013 movie Wolf. For this role, he won a special award called the Golden Calf for Best Actor.
Since 2016, Marwan has often played villain characters in English movies. Some of these famous roles include Aladdin (2019), The Old Guard (2020), and Black Adam (2022). These movies helped him become famous all over the world.
Contents
Life and Acting Career
Early Life and First Steps
Marwan Kenzari was born on January 17, 1983, in The Hague, Netherlands. His family came from Tunisia. When he was a teenager, Marwan loved playing football. But then, a girl he was dating signed them up to try out for the Dutch version of the musical Chicago. This was his first step into acting!
In 2009, Marwan finished his studies at the Maastricht Academy of Dramatic Arts. After graduating, he joined a theater group called Toneelgroep Amsterdam. This group allowed him to travel and perform in big cities like Moscow, London, Vienna, and New York City.
Becoming a Star
Marwan started acting in Dutch movies and TV shows in 2008. In 2013, he won the Golden Calf for Best Actor award at the Netherlands Film Festival. He won it for his role in the movie Wolf. To play a kickboxer named Majid, he trained for more than a year. People really liked his acting in the movie. In 2014, Marwan also won a Shooting Stars Award at the Berlin International Film Festival.
In 2016, Marwan appeared in several English-language movies. These included Collide, Ben-Hur, and The Promise. These roles helped him get noticed by Hollywood.
In 2019, Marwan played the famous villain Jafar in Disney's live-action movie Aladdin. This role made him known around the world. Fans even gave him a fun nickname, "hot Jafar." In July 2020, Marwan was in The Old Guard, playing one of the main good guys. In 2021, he was chosen to play Ishmael Gregor / Sabbac in the 2022 movie Black Adam. He also played an officer named Raymond Westerling in the 2020 movie De Oost.
Personal Life
Marwan Kenzari is very good with languages! He can speak Arabic, Dutch, English, and French.
Filmography
Film Roles
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Denotes works that have not yet been released |
Year | Title | Role | Note |
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2008 | Katia's Sister | Giac | |
2009 | The Last Days of Emma Blank | Martin | |
2010 | Loft | Tom Fenneker | |
2011 | Rabat | Zakaria | |
2012 | Black Out | Youssef | |
2013 | Wolf | Majid Zamari | |
2014 | Hartenstraat | Daan | |
Accused | Det. Ron Leeflang | ||
Reckless | Rico | ||
Grab My Heart | Richard | ||
2016 | Collide | Matthias | |
Ben-Hur | Druses | ||
The Promise | Emre Ogan | ||
2017 | The Mummy | Malik | |
What Happened to Monday | Adrian Knowles | ||
Murder on the Orient Express | Pierre Michel | ||
2018 | The Angel | Ashraf Marwan | |
2019 | Aladdin | Jafar | |
Instinct | Idris | ||
2020 | The Old Guard | Joe (Yusuf Al-Kaysani) | |
De Oost | Raymond Westerling | ||
2022 | Black Adam | Ishmael Gregor / Sabbac, King Ahk-Ton | |
2023 | Ghosted | Marco | |
2024 | The Return | Antinous | |
TBA | The Old Guard 2 ![]() |
Joe | Post-production |
TBA | Any Other Night ![]() |
Max | Pre-production |
Television Roles
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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2008–2010 | Flikken Maastricht | Luca de Keyzer | 7 episodes |
2009 | Maite was hier | Vuc | TV movie |
2012 | Van God Los | Frank Hendrikx | 1 episode |
2012–2013 | Penoza | Mustafa | 8 episodes |
2025 | The Night Agent | Sami Saidi |
Awards and Nominations
Year | Ceremony | Award | Work | Result |
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2013 | Golden Calf Awards | Best Actor | Wolf | Won |
SUBTITLE European Film Festival | Angela Award | Won | ||
2014 | Rembrandt Awards | Best Dutch Actor | Nominated | |
Shooting Stars Awards | Shooting Star | Himself | Won | |
2019 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie: Villain | Aladdin | Nominated |
2020 | Golden Calf Awards | Best Actor | Instinct | Nominated |
See also
In Spanish: Marwan Kenzari para niños