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Sayed Badreya

Sayed Badreya

Actor · Born 1957-05-01 · Port Said, Egypt

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Biography

Egyptian-born film-maker and actor Sayed Badreya realized a childhood dream by winning roles in major Hollywood films such as The Insider, Three Kings, and Independence Day. Growing up in poverty in Port Said, Sayed Badreya's dreams of movie stardom looked as bleak as the prospect of peace in the Middle East. From the Six Day War in '67 through the Yom Kippur War in '73, his only escape from the world he knew was the movie theater, where films transported him to a magical land. But it was here that he determined he was destined to be a part of that magic. After attending New York University film school, and then moving to Hollywood, Sayed first worked in the film industry as an assistant to actor/director Anthony Perkins, and then with director James Cameron on True Lies. His mission - to make movies that told the Arabic- American story, since it had yet to be told - led to the creation of his own production company, Zoom In Focus. Under this banner, he directed and produced the documentary, Saving Egyptian Film Classics as well as The Interrogation, which won Best Creative Short Film at New York International Film Festival. He also produced and starred in Hesham Issawi's short,…

Movies & TV Shows

  1. Iron Man (2008) — Abu Bakaar
  2. Independence Day (1996) — Arab Pilot
  3. The Dictator (2012) — Omar
  4. Lost (2004) — Mr. Jarrah
  5. True Lies (1994) — Arab Terrorist (uncredited)
  6. You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008) — Hamdi
  7. Stargate (1994) — Arabic Interpreter
  8. Shallow Hal (2001) — Doctor Sayed
  9. Movie 43 (2013) — Large Man (segment "Truth or Dare")
  10. Seinfeld (1989) — Foreign Man
  11. Three Kings (1999) — Iraqi Tank Major
  12. The Insider (1999) — Hezbollah Head Gunman
  13. The Nanny (1993) — Guard
  14. Kingpin (1996) — Fatima
  15. Stuck on You (2003) — Assisting Surgeon
  16. Alias (2001) — Vendor
  17. The Three Stooges (2012) — Orderly
  18. Vanguard (2020) — Abati
  19. The West Wing (1999) — Fatah Official
  20. Soul Plane (2004) — Middle Eastern Passenger
  21. Numb3rs (2005) — Sayed Malik
  22. The Unit (2006) — Afghan Commander
  23. The Practice (1997) — Adman Fajiz
  24. WondLa (2024) — Bartender (voice)
  25. Apple & Onion (2018) — Falafel (voice)
  26. Just Like a Woman (2013) — Tarek
  27. Backyard (2009) — El Sultán
  28. The Princess & the Marine (2001) — Chauffeur
  29. Rise of the Conqueror (2026) — Kay Khusrau
  30. The Space Between (2011) — Imam
  31. Cargo (2011) — Sayed
  32. Intimate Stranger (1991) — Clerk
  33. AmericanEast (2008) — Mustafa Marzouke
  34. Mirage (1995) — Sayed
  35. Hotshot (1987) — Mohamed
  36. The Taking of Flight 847: The Uli Derickson Story (1988) — Skull & Crossbones
  37. Boiling Pot (2015) — Anwar Seif
  38. I Am That Man (2019) — Harry
  39. Hello Beautiful (2025)
  40. Jellyfish and Lobster (2023) — Mido

Directed

  1. Witness to a Rape (2020) — Director