Basel Khayyat
Bassel Khaiat is one of the most distinguished actors in the Arab world, whose outstanding talent and remarkable depiction of challenging roles, especially complex ones, won him rave reviews by critics and audiences alike across the Arab world. Bassel made his first foray into acting at the age of eight through the children's theatre. In pursuit of his passion for acting, he studied Acting at the Higher Institute of Theatrical Arts, to embark on his journey on stage after his graduation. Bassel's immense talent drove him to expand his horizons and star in TV drama. He landed his first role in a TV drama in Kan Ya Ma Kan, which was followed by a number of successful serial dramas. In 2000, he starred in Asrar al-Madina (2000) by director Hisham Sharbatji, where his spontaneous performance caught the attention of audiences and critics alike. In 2004, Bassel's performance in Ahlam kabira TV series by director Hatem Ali won him rave reviews. He then took part in a number of successful TV series, including Rabee' Qortoba (2003), Ealaa Hafat Alhawia (2007) and Abu Khalil Alqabani (2010, and Eshq Alnisaa' (2015).
After demonstrating a noteworthy talent in Syria, Bassel then set his eyes on Egyptian drama, landing in his first Egyptian TV series Neeran Sadeeqa (2013). His exceptional performance as Qazzaf drew the attention of several TV directors in Egypt, which prompted his name to star in more Egyptian TV dramas, playing psychologically complex roles that highlighted his unprecedented talent. These include: Tariqi (2015), Al Mizan (2016), 30 Youm (2018) and Al Rehla (2018). In 30 Youm, Bassel played the complex character of Sameh/Tawfeeq that made several critics dub him "the Joker" for his fantastic performance as a villain that touched the audiences. He also played another challenging complex character in Al Rehla, the thing that emphasized Bassel's intensive and deep study of the characters he plays. His most recent works include the thriller Al Nahat, where he played three different characters, and Ahd El Dam, where he brilliantly played the character of Selim Fayyad the young man who finds himself chased by a drug dealer who seeks to hire him as a hitman or he would lose his entire family forever. Bassel is also taking part in the new serial drama Alam Kamel that will be released soon on one of the VOD platforms. Furthermore, his upcoming TV drama Zel is slated to premiere on TV in Ramadan 2021. On the other hand, Bassel took part in a number of films, including: Bab El Shams by director Yousry Nasrallah that screened at Cannes Film Festival and was selected among the 10 best movies for 2004 by Time magazine. He also starred in El-shayatin: El-Awdah film (2007), which is based on Mahmoud Salem's renowned book series The 13 Devils, and the musical film Selena by director Hatem Ali.
