Dhafer L'Abidine Tunisian Actor Born 1972 in El Menzah

Early life

Dhafer L'Abidine was born on 26 November 1972 in El Menzah, Tunisia. His name appears in several spellings in print, including Dhaffer L'Abidine and Zafer El-Abedin. He trained as an actor in the United Kingdom, graduating from the Birmingham School of Acting, and began his professional career there.

Career

His first work was on British television. He had parts in Sky One's Dream Team, the BBC drama Spooks and ITV's The Bill, and later appeared in series including Casualty and Benidorm. On the big screen, his earliest listed credit is Children of Men (2006), a role that remains one of the titles he is best known for. In the same year came The Stone Merchant (2006), and in 2009 he appeared in Dowaha.

Alongside his British work he became widely known in Tunisia as Dali in the television series Maktoub, which ran for four seasons. That led to roles in productions across the Arab world, among them Egyptian, Emirati and Lebanese dramas such as Taht Elsaytara, Halawet el Donia and Arous Beirut. He also presented the programme Prince of Poets in 2007.

Several international features followed in 2010. He appeared in Sex and the City 2, which counts among his best-known titles, as well as in the films Centurion and Late December. In 2013 he played Uriah the Hittite in the television series The Bible, and in 2016 he took part in A Hologram for the King. Further television work included the miniseries The Looming Tower for Hulu in 2018 and the second season of the Netflix series Finding Ola in 2024.

More recently his filmography includes A Nose and Three Eyes (2024), Palestine 36 (2025) and Snakes and Ladders: Children's Games (2025). Records list thirteen screen credits for him in total, running from 2006 to 2025. He has also worked behind the camera, being credited as director of the films Ghodwa (2021) and Sophia (2025), the latter being the most recent title on record.

Recognition

In 2017 the magazine Sayidaty voted him Best Actor in the Arab World. In 2018 he received the Best Arab Actor award at the Murex d'Or for his performance in Halawet El Donia. For his role in Ghodwa he was named best actor at the Rotterdam Arab Film Festival. Also in 2018, he served on the jury of the 40th Cairo International Film Festival, which was led by the Danish director Bille August.

Public roles

Beyond acting and directing, L'Abidine has presented television programmes and has worked in many countries, moving between productions in Tunisia, the United Kingdom, Egypt and other Arab states, as well as in American and international films. His Instagram account had about 4.1 million followers when last recorded in October 2026.