Mena Massoud facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mena Massoud
مینا مسعود
Massoud in 2019
Born	Mena Mansour Massoud (1991-09-17) September 17, 1991 (age 33) Cairo, Egypt
Nationality	Canadian
Alma mater	Ryerson University
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2011–present
Signature

Mena Mansour Massoud (Arabic: مينا منصور مسعود; born September 17, 1991) is a Canadian actor who was born in Egypt. He became famous for playing the main character in the Disney fantasy movie Aladdin (2019). This role earned him nominations for a Teen Choice Award and other honors.

Massoud has also appeared in TV shows like Open Heart (2015), Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan (2018), and Reprisal (2019). He starred in the Netflix movie The Royal Treatment (2022) and the horror film The Sacrifice Game (2023). He also helped produce The Sacrifice Game.

Early Life and Education

Mena Mansour Massoud was born on September 17, 1991, in Cairo, Egypt. His parents, Gorgit and Mansour Massoud, were Coptic Orthodox Christians. He has two older sisters, Marian and Margaret, who both work in the medical field.

Moving to Canada

When Mena was three years old, his family moved to Canada. His parents wanted to create a better life for their family. They felt things were becoming a bit unsafe in Egypt at the time. They settled in Toronto. Mena still feels very connected to his Egyptian culture.

School and Acting Dreams

Mena went to St. Brother André Catholic High School. There, he was the leader of the improv team, which is a group that performs unscripted scenes. He first went to the University of Toronto to study neuroscience. He thought about becoming a doctor or a psychologist. However, he decided to try out for theater schools instead. Mena then moved to Ryerson University to study acting. He graduated from their theater program in 2014.

Acting Career

Mena Massoud started acting in 2011. He had small roles in TV shows like Nikita and Combat Hospital. His very first role was playing a terrorist. This made him want to find roles that did not show negative ideas about people based on their background.

Early TV and Film Roles

In 2015, he played Jared Malik in the Canadian TV show Open Heart. In 2017, he starred as Ollie Santos in the movie Ordinary Days. This film was shown at the Atlantic International University. In 2018, he had a repeating role as Tarek Kassar in the Amazon Prime series Jack Ryan.

Becoming Aladdin

In 2019, Massoud played the main character in Disney's live-action movie Aladdin. This movie was based on the popular animated film. Aladdin was a huge success, earning over $1 billion worldwide. Mena received nominations for his role. His portrayal of Aladdin helped show a more positive image of an Arab character in Hollywood.

Recent Projects

After Aladdin, Mena continued to work on different projects. In 2019, he played Ethan Hart in the Hulu series Reprisal. He also appeared in the thriller film Strange but True and the drama film Run This Town.

In 2022, he starred in the Netflix movie The Royal Treatment with Laura Marano. He also appeared in the horror film The Sacrifice Game in 2023, where he was also an executive producer. In 2023, he became the host of Evolving Vegan, a Canadian TV show about vegan food. This show is based on his own cookbook. He is also expected to play Aladdin again in a future sequel. In 2025, he starred in the romance drama film Wish You Were Here.

Other Ventures

In September 2019, Mena Massoud became an ambassador for Egypt's Ministry of Migration. This was for their "Speak Egyptian" program. The goal was to help Egyptians living abroad keep their Egyptian identity.

Helping Diverse Artists

Later in 2019, he started the Ethnically Diverse Artists Foundation. This is a non-profit group that helps Canadian artists from different backgrounds. It helps them start their careers by finding mentors, training, and support. Mena wants to help make sure that roles in the entertainment industry are given fairly to everyone, no matter their background.

Dharma Gin

In February 2022, Massoud announced his new gin, Dharma Indian Dry Gin. He created it with Emily Shah and Prashant Shah. He described it as a spirit inspired by ancient Indian practices.

Artistic Style

Mena Massoud enjoys Egyptian comedy movies. He has said that his Egyptian background has influenced his comedy style. He grew up watching famous Egyptian comedians. He learned from how they used not just words, but also body language and facial expressions to make people laugh. He believes this gives his comedy roles a unique flavor.

Massoud also looks up to actor Robin Williams. He said that Robin Williams had the biggest impact on him. He especially admired Williams' role in Mrs. Doubtfire, calling it a very well-rounded and underrated performance.

Personal Life

In 2024, Mena Massoud announced that he is engaged to actress Emily Shah.

Mena Massoud is a vegan. He created a cookbook, a TV series, and a community called Evolving Vegan, all focused on vegan living.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Mena Massoud para niños