Personal details
Born:
- Birthday: 1980-03-27
- Born Place: Jaffa, Palestine
Also Known As:
زياد بكري, זיאד בכרי
Ziad Bakri
Ziad Bakri is an acclaimed Palestinian actor, director, and filmmaker who has become a prominent figure in international cinema for his intense and nuanced performances. Born on March 27, 1980, in Haifa, he is a member of one of the most celebrated artistic families in the Arab world; he is the son of the iconic actor and director Mohammad Bakri and the brother of fellow actors Saleh and Adam Bakri. Ziad graduated from the Nissan Nativ Acting Studio in Tel Aviv in 2001 and furthered his expertise with a cinematography course in 2004, a dual background that often informs his deep understanding of visual storytelling and character placement. His career is marked by a transition from local Palestinian and Israeli productions to major global platforms. He first achieved significant international recognition for his role as the Syrian intelligence officer Nadim in the critically acclaimed French spy series The Bureau (Le Bureau des Légendes). This role showcased his ability to navigate complex, multilingual characters, leading to a steady stream of work in high-profile projects such as Julian Schnabel’s Miral (2010), the Netflix thriller The Weekend Away (2022), and the 2025 Netflix film The Sand Castle, where he starred alongside Nadine Labaki. In the 2026 film I Was a Stranger, he delivers a haunting performance as Fathi, a poet whose journey provides a lyrical yet tragic perspective on the refugee experience, a role he approached by drawing on his real-world observations of displacement and resilience. Beyond acting, Bakri has carved out a space as a filmmaker and screenwriter, known for works like the short film The Salt Fisherman. His acting philosophy is deeply personal, often stating that "every role is living inside you," and he is frequently drawn to narratives that explore the psychological weight of conflict and the strength of the human spirit. Following the passing of his father, Mohammad Bakri, in late 2025, Ziad and his brothers have continued to uphold the family's legacy of using cinema as a medium for both high art and social advocacy.
