Personal details
Born:
- Birthday: 1977-03-01
- Born Place: Galilee, Palestine
Also Known As:
صالح بكري
Saleh Bakri
Saleh Bakri is an internationally acclaimed Palestinian actor whose career is defined by powerful, understated performances and a steadfast commitment to Palestinian cultural narrative. Born on March 1, 1977, in Jaffa (or the Galilee region, according to different records), he is the son of the legendary actor and director Mohammad Bakri and comes from a family of artists, including his brothers Ziad, Adam, and Mahmood. Bakri initially began his career on the stage after studying at the Bet-Tsvi school, but he rose to international prominence in 2007 with his breakout role as the trumpet-playing Haled in the award-winning film The Band's Visit. This debut earned him an Ophir Award for Best Supporting Actor and established him as a leading figure in both Middle Eastern and global cinema. Over the last two decades, Bakri has become a mainstay of independent and auteur-driven film, frequently collaborating with director Annemarie Jacir in landmark Palestinian works such as Salt of This Sea, When I Saw You, and Wajib, where he starred alongside his father. His filmography is notably diverse, ranging from the lead role in the Italian neo-noir Salvo—which won the Critics' Week Grand Prize at Cannes—to the North African drama The Source and the 2022 critical darling The Blue Caftan. In 2026, he continues his streak of high-profile social dramas with a role in Brandt Andersen’s I Was a Stranger, playing a character named Alaa who is part of the film's harrowing exploration of the refugee crisis.
