Faysal Ahmed

Faysal Ahmed (Somali: Faysal Axmed; born 11 July 1985) is a Somali–American actor from Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Faysal Ahmed
Born (1985-07-11) 11 July 1985
Yemen
NationalitySomali, American
OccupationActor
Years active2010–present
StyleDrama, action, adventure
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)

Early life

Ahmed was born one of nine children in 1985 in Yemen. Although his family is originally from Somalia, he grew up in Yemen. His family hails from the Osman Mahamoud sub clan of the larger Majeerteen-Daarod. In 1999 he moved, along with his mother and some of his siblings, to the United States at the age of 14.[1]

Career

In a professional capacity, Ahmed served as a Youth Program Coordinator at the Bedlam Theater in Minneapolis. He worked there on plays and poetry. He has also participated in an enrollment push for MNsure, a health insurance program in Minnesota.[2]

In 2013, Ahmed appeared in the film Captain Phillips. He played Najee, a ship hijacker.

Ahmed and three other actors were picked from among more than 700 participants at a 2011 casting call at the Brian Coyle Community Center in Cedar-Riverside, Minneapolis. According to the search casting director, Debbie DeLisi, the four were selected because they were "the chosen ones, that anointed group that stuck out."[3]

In early 2014, he revealed that he was going to Los Angeles by the spring season in order to continue his acting career.[4] In 2016 he partook in A Stray, directed by Musa Syeed.[5]


Filmography

References
  1. "Throwback Thursday : Somali Actors in 'Captain Phillips' Jumped in Ocean After Being Cast: 'It Was Exciting'". Archived from the original on 2016-05-01. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  2. Tim Lammers. "MN sure hits 96 percent of enrollment goal as deadline looms". Rick Kupchella's - BringMeTheNews.com.
  3. Seavert, Lindsey (October 8, 2013). "4 Mpls. men co-star in Tom Hanks film 'Captain Phillips'". KARE. Gannett Company. Archived from the original on October 9, 2013. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
  4. Los Angeles Times (6 February 2014). "Barkhad Abdi, pirate leader in 'Captain Phillips,' treasures his nomination". Los Angeles Times.
  5. "An Interview with a STRay's Musa Syeed, Barkhad Abdirahman, & Faysal Ahmed". 18 March 2016.
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