The Biography

Ashraf Barhom – Arab-Israeli actor of Palestinian Christian descent, born 8 January 1979 in Tarshiha (now Ma'alot-Tarshiha), Galilee, Israel. Graduated from the University of Haifa with a B.A. in Theatre and Arts in 1999. His most notable film roles include Abu-Karem in Paradise Now (2005, nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film), Colonel Faris Al-Ghazi in The Kingdom (2007, opposite Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Garner), Ammonius in Agora (2009), Ozal in Clash of the Titans (2010), Cassius in Coriolanus (2011, directed by Ralph Fiennes), General Bandari in 300: Rise of an Empire (2014), and Abu Farha in Farha (2021). He also appeared in The Syrian Bride (2004), Lebanon (2009), Zaytoun (2012), and The Idol (2015). On television he is best known for Jamal Al-Fayeed in the FX series Tyrant (2014–2016, 25 episodes), and more recently Doeg in House of David (2025). He won Best Actor at the Malmö Arab Film Festival and the Tiburon Film Festival for his role in The Curve (2015).