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Egyptian-Palestinian actress From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
May El Calamawy[1][2] (Arabic: مي القلماوي,[5] Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [mˤɑjj (el) ʔælæmæːwiː], born October 28, 1986)[2][3][4] is an Egyptian-Palestinian actress[4][1][6][7] who has worked and resided in the United States since 2015.[8][2][4] She is known for her roles in the American television series Ramy as Dena Hassan,[9] and Moon Knight as Layla El-Faouly.[6]
May Calamawy | |
---|---|
مي القلماوي | |
Born | October 28, 1986[3][4] |
Alma mater | Emerson College (BA) |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 2006–present |
Notable work |
Calamawy was born on October 28, 1986, in Bahrain to an Egyptian father who worked as a banker,[2] and a Palestinian-Jordanian mother.[2][4] She has an older brother.[10] Raised mostly in Bahrain, she also spent six years living between Doha, Qatar, and Houston, Texas, before she was twelve years old.[7][4][2] Calamawy speaks English and Arabic.[2]
She was inspired to become an actress after watching the 1992 film Death Becomes Her when she was a child.[4][11]
Calamawy completed high school in Bahrain,[2] and at 17 she moved to Boston, Massachusetts, to study industrial design,[12] because her father wanted her to.[2] She then lived in Dubai for five years before moving back to the United States to pursue an acting career.[8]
She applied to Emerson College and told her parents, "If I get in, I'm going."[2] She was accepted and earned a B.A. in theatre studies.[7] Calamawy has also studied at the William Esper Studio in New York City.[7]
Calamawy started her career acting in short films and used to be credited with her full name, May El Calamawy.[2][1] She later changed it to May Calamawy.[13] After attending college, she participated in the New York Arab American Comedy Festival.[2] From 2009 to 2014, she was dividing her time between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, acting in shorts and a TV pilot.[2]
Her first major film role was in Tobe Hooper's 2013 film Djinn, the first horror film to be produced in the United Arab Emirates.[2]
In 2017, she had a recurring role in the National Geographic miniseries The Long Road Home and guest-starring roles in The Brave and Madam Secretary.[13] The following year, she guest-starred in the CBS crime drama television series FBI.[13]
In October 2018, it was announced that she would have a recurring role in the Hulu comedy-drama series Ramy, playing Ramy's sister, Dena Hassan.[13] In 2020, she had a voice role as Ellie Malik in the video game NBA 2K21.[14]
In 2021, she appeared in the comedy film Together Together, with Ed Helms and Patti Harrison.[9] In January of the same year, it was announced she would appear in the Disney+ miniseries Moon Knight, which premiered on March 30, 2022,[9][15] where Calamawy portrayed Layla El-Faouly, an Egyptian archeologist and estranged wife of Marc Spector (portrayed by Oscar Isaac).[16] Layla was the first Egyptian and the first Arab character and superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.[17][18]
In July 2022, it was announced that she would join the voice cast of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur as a guest star. The show premiered on Disney Channel and Disney+ in 2023.[19] In October 2022, she was announced in the cast of Duke Johnson's upcoming thriller, The Actor.[20][21][22]
In May 2023, Calamawy joined the cast of Ridley Scott's Gladiator II.[23]
Calamawy was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease alopecia areata at the age of 22.[7] Her alopecia was incorporated into the storyline of her character Dena Hassan in Ramy during the show's second season.[7][10]
Since 2015, Calamawy has resided in the United States.[10]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | Thursday | Kelly Spencer | |
2007 | Temperance | Leila | Short |
2008 | Santa Claus in Baghdad | Hala | Short |
2011 | Hassad Al Möta | Tunnel Zombie | Short |
Paradise Falls | Jenny | Short | |
2012 | A Genie Called Gin | Lucy | Short |
2013 | Djinn | Aisha | |
Moi aussi je t'aime | Short | ||
2017 | Passerby | Saba | Short |
2019 | The Bed | Woman | Short |
Saeed | Sue | Short | |
1 Out of 30 | Fatimah | Short | |
2021 | Together Together | Carly | |
Meet Cute | Girl | Short | |
2024 | Gladiator II | ||
TBA | The Actor | Post-Production | |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2011 | Checking In | Raya | Episode: "Sneak Peek" |
2017 | Madam Secretary | Mona Alsnany | Episode: "Off The Record" |
The Brave | Mina Bayoud | Episode: "It's All Personal" | |
The Long Road Home | Faiza | National Geographic miniseries | |
BKPI | Ameena | Episode: "Mister Flasher" | |
2018 | FBI | Nita Kayali | Episode: "Green Birds" |
2019–present | Ramy | Dena Hassan | Main role |
2022 | Moon Knight | Layla El-Faouly | Main role |
Marvel Studios: Assembled | Herself | Episode: "Assembled: The Making of Moon Knight" | |
2023 | Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur | Fawzia (voice) | Episode: "Goodnight, Moon Girl" |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2020 | NBA 2K21 | Ellie Malik | Voice role |