| Nadim Sawalha | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1935-09-08) 8 September 1935 (age 89) Madaba, Emirate of Transjordan (present-day Jordan) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1964–present |
| Spouse |
Roberta Lane (m. 1961) |
| Children | 3, including Nadia and Julia Sawalha |
| Relatives | Nabil Sawalha (brother) |
Nadim Joakim Sawalha (Arabic: نديم صوالحة) (born 8 September 1935) is a Jordanian-British actor, the father of actresses Nadia and Julia Sawalha. He appeared in two Bond films, The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and The Living Daylights (1987).
Background
Sawalha was born in Madaba, Jordan, in 1935 and moved to Britain in the early 1950s, to study drama. His daughter Julia revealed on her episode of Who Do You Think You Are? that even he is uncertain of his birth date, but it is thought to be around 7 to 9 September.
Acting career
Nadim Sawalha has made over 100 appearances in film and television, in a career spanning more than 40 years.
Personal life
Sawalha is married to Roberta Mary Lane, and has three daughters, Nadia, Julia and Dina. His brother is comedian Nabil Sawalha.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Yellow Dog | An Arab pilot | |
| A Touch of Class | Night Hotel Manager | ||
| 1974 | Callan | Padilla | |
| The Bunny Caper | Abdur | aka Sex Play | |
| Gold | A member of the Syndicate | ||
| Vampira | An airline representative | ||
| 1975 | The Wind and the Lion | The Sherif of Wazan | |
| The Return of the Pink Panther | Museum guide | ||
| 1977 | Are You Being Served? | The Emir's Interpreter | |
| Sweeney! | Chairman of the Oil Producers' Conference | ||
| Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger | Hassan | ||
| The Spy Who Loved Me | Aziz Fekkesh | ||
| 1980 | The Awakening | Dr El Sadek | |
| 1981 | Göta kanal eller Vem drog ur proppen? | Sheikh Kahlifa bin Hirscham al Saba | |
| 1985 | Young Sherlock Holmes | Egyptian tavern owner | |
| 1987 | The Living Daylights | Tangier police chief | |
| 1991 | Company Business | Faisal | |
| 2005 | Syriana | Emir Hamad Al-Subaai | |
| 2006 | The Nativity Story | Melchior | |
| 2007 | Whatever Lola Wants | Adham | |
| 2008 | Captain Abu Raed | Abu Raed | |
| 2010 | West Is West | Pir Naseem | |
| 2015 | The Rendezvous | Professor Al Ahmad | |
| 2018 | Tel Aviv on Fire | Bassem |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Space: 1999 | Zoran | Episode: The Immunity Syndrome |
| The Sweeney | Captain Shebbeq | Episode: Visiting Fireman | |
| Survivors | Amul | Episodes: Lights of London parts 1 & 2 | |
| 1977 | The Professionals | Sheikh Achmeia | Episode: Long Shot |
| 1978 | The Professionals | Arab Diplomat | Episode: First Night |
| 1979 | The Knowledge | Arab Man | |
| Minder | Sardi | Episode: A Tethered Goat in Series 1 | |
| 1981 | Juliet Bravo | Mr. Hamid | Episode: The Third Man |
| 1981 to 1982 | Sorry, I'm A Stranger Here Myself | Mumtaz | |
| 1984 | Bergerac | Zaki Mansoor | Episode: A Touch Of Eastern Promise Season 3 Ep.6 |
| 1985 | Open All Hours | Mr.Gupta | Episode: Horse-Trading |
| 1988 | Tales of the Unexpected | Zayid | Episode (9/8): The Finger of Suspicion |
| 1990 | House of Cards | Bank Manager | Episode 1 |
| 1993-2006 | The Bill | Multiple | Episode: Part of the Family (1993) Mr. Said Episode: Nice Boy (1996) Hussein Bakri |
| 1995-1998 | Dangerfield | Dr. Shaaban Hamada | |
| 2000 | Arabian Nights | Judge Zadic | |
| 2002 | The Last Cavalier | ||
| 2003 | Lawrence of Arabia: The Battle for the Arab World | Narrator | PBS |
| 2007 | Diana: Last Days of a Princess | Mohammed Al-Fayed | docudrama |
| 2007 | Robin Hood | Bassam | Episode: We Are Robin Hood |
| 2008 | House of Saddam | King Hussein | |
| 2011 | The Hour | Naguib Hafiz | Episode #1.2 |
Other roles
- He played the part of Omar Badri in BBC's 'CDX' computer game.
- In the 2018 BBC Radio 4 miniseries A Tale of Two Cities: Aleppo and London, he played the role of "Dr. Mahmoud".
References
- "The Arab Talks To....Nadim Sawalha". Archived from the original on 21 September 2010. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
- Participant: Julia Sawalha (25 October 2006). "Episode page on BBC website". Who Do You Think You Are?. Series 3. Episode 8. London, England. Event occurs at 1:10. BBC. BBC One.
- Who Do You Think You Are?; Event occurs at 22:00
- "Nadia Sawalha: My family values". 18 April 2014.
- BBC Radio 4 - Drama, A Tale of Two Cities: Aleppo and London