Who is Amir El Masry? Meet the First Ever Egyptian to Make the BAFTA Breakthrough List
One name has been making international headlines in the past couple of days, the rising Egyptian star, Amir El Masry. First it was for his latest HBO show going live, and now it’s for being selected by The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) as one of the 2020 BAFTA Breakthrough participants, becoming the first star of Egyptian origin to join this list after a long repertoire of total 24 international works since 2013.
Amir El Masry is chosen among the talents that have recently appeared on the scene in the United Kingdom, especially after his role in the new film Limbo, which will compete at the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF). The BAFTA Breakthrough Brits showcases and supports the next generation of British creative talent in film, TV and games.
The Egyptian-British award-winning actor was born in Cairo and raised in London. He worked with salient stars such as Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie, Olivia Colman, and Woody Harrelson. He also has remarkable roles in successful Egyptian movies like Ramadan Mabrouk Abul-Alamein Hamouda, and El-Talatah Yishtaghaloonha.
Shortly after graduating from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), Amir started his acting career with Jon Stewart’s debut feature Rosewater (2014). He has since starred in various critically acclaimed projects, establishing himself as an emerging British talent.
His breakout role came in early 2016 in the critically acclaimed mini-series The Night Manager, alongside Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie and Olivia Colman. In 2017, El-Masry took part in Woody Harrelson’s American film Lost in London, and the critically acclaimed BAFTA nominated mini-series The State. Later on, Amir portrayed the character of Ibrahim in the TV series Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, which is nominated for three Primetime Emmys awards. He also took part in the BAFTA TV Award nominated series, Informer.
Among his most prominent works, is the lead role in The Arabian Warrior, which is the first American/Saudi feature-length film. His participation in Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker is one of his most prominent cinematic steps.
