Mena Massoud

Mena Massoud (Arabic: مينا مسعود‎; born 17 September 1991) is an Egyptian-Canadian actor[2] who is known for starring as the titular character in the Disney fantasy film Aladdin (2019). He also starred as Jared Malik in the Canadian-drama series Open Heart (2015), Tarek Kassar in the Amazon Prime series Jack Ryan (2018), and currently stars as Ethan Hart in the Hulu series Reprisal (2019).

Mena Massoud
مینا مسعود
Massoud in 2019
Born (1991-09-17) 17 September 1991[1]
Cairo, Egypt
NationalityEgyptian-Canadian
OccupationActor
Years active2011–present
Notable work
Aladdin (2019 film)
Home townMarkham, Ontario, Canada[1]
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
AwardsFull list

Early life

Massoud was born in Cairo, Egypt to Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Christian parents. He has two older sisters.[3] He and his family emigrated to Canada when he was three years old.[4] Massoud stated, "we're Coptic Christian. And my parents just felt like things were getting a little too dangerous when I was growing up. And they wanted to create a better life for their family. So they decided to emigrate."[5] Massoud grew up in Markham, Ontario,[1] where he attended St. Brother André Catholic High School.[5][6] He is a vegan.[7]

Career
Massoud in 2019

Massoud began acting in 2011, guest appearing on the television series Nikita and Combat Hospital.[8] In 2015, he was cast as Jared Malik in the Canadian-drama series Open Heart, which was cancelled after one season. In 2017, he starred as Ollie Santos in the film Ordinary Days.[9] In 2018, he had a recurring role as Tarek Kassar in the Amazon Prime original series Jack Ryan.

In 2019, Massoud portrayed the titular character in Disney's fantasy-adventure film Aladdin, which is a live-action adaption of the animated film of the same name.[1] For his performance, he received a Teen Choice Award nomination.[10] In the same year, he was cast in the main role of Ethan Hart in the Hulu original series Reprisal.[11] Also in 2019, he appeared as Chaz in the thriller film Strange but True, and starred as Kamal in the drama film Run This Town.[12]

Filmography
Film roles
Year Title Role
2015 Let's Rap John
2017 Ordinary Days Ollie Santos
2019 Aladdin Aladdin
2019 Strange but True Chaz
2020 Run This Town Kamal
2020 Lamya's Poem Rumi (voice)
Television roles
Year Title Role Notes
2011 Nikita Al Qaeda No. 2 1 episode
2011 Poser Bretten Thomason Recurring role, 6 episodes
2011 Combat Hospital Salman Zawab 1 episode
2011 The 99 Hafiz the Preserver / Dave / Saad Main voice role
2012 Cut to the Chase Jason Recurring role, 7 episodes
2012 King Malik Atassi 1 episode
2015 Open Heart Jared Malik Main role
2017 Saving Hope Justin Srinivasan 1 episode
2018 Jack Ryan Tarek Kassar Recurring role (season 1)
2019 Reprisal Ethan Hart Main role
Video game roles
Year Title Role Notes
2016 Watch Dogs 2 Various voices Voice role

Awards and nominations
Year Awards Category Nominated work Result Ref
2019 Teen Choice Awards Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy Movie Actor Aladdin Nominated [10]
GQ Men of the Year Awards Breakthrough Talent Himself Won [13]
National Film & TV Awards Best Actor Aladdin Nominated [14]
Best Newcomer Nominated

References
  1. "7 Things You Need to Know About Aladdin's Mena Massoud". E!. July 15, 2017. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  2. Omar, Eslam (May 29, 2019). "Aladdin's Egyptian actor Mena Massoud under fire over interview with Israeli outlet". Ahram Online. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  3. "Mena Massoud on the making of 'Aladdin', starring opposite Will Smith", ABC News, May 24, 2019, retrieved June 25, 2019
  4. "Aladdin Breakout Star Mena Massoud: 'People Who Look Like Me Struggle to Get Roles'". People. May 24, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  5. "Mena Massoud On Being 'Aladdin'", NPR, May 26, 2019, retrieved July 1, 2019
  6. "'I followed my dream': Canadian Aladdin star Mena Massoud's magic carpet ride to stardom", CBC News, May 24, 2019, retrieved June 25, 2019
  7. "Disney's Vegan 'Aladdin' Actor Mena Massoud Launches Plant-Based Food Travel Show 'Evolving Vegan'", LIVEKINDLY, October 8, 2018, retrieved June 25, 2019
  8. "Who is Mena Massoud? Meet Disney's new Aladdin". Entertainment Weekly. July 15, 2017. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  9. Barrett, Brandon. "Ordinary Days, three different ways at WFF Dec. 2". Pique. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  10. Moreau, Jordan (June 19, 2019). "'Avengers: Endgame,' 'Riverdale,' 'Aladdin' Top 2019 Teen Choice Award Nominations". Variety. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  11. Petski, Denise (August 8, 2018). "Mena Massoud Joins Hulu's Femme Fatale Pilot 'Reprisal' From Warren Littlefield & A+E Studios". Deadline. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  12. N'Duka, Amanda (March 26, 2018). "Ben Platt, Nina Dobrev, Mena Massoud & Damian Lewis To Star In 'Run This Town'". Deadline. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  13. "Mena Massoud is GQ's Breakthrough Talent". GQ. October 6, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  14. Wakeling, Naomi (October 21, 2019). "Nominations for the 2nd annual National Film & TV Awards are announced". National Film Academy. Archived from the original on October 22, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
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