---
name: "Nadim Sawalha"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/nadim-sawalha"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "1 January 1935"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 5
average_fi1m_score: 75
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 5
updated: "2026-09-20T05:47:29.156349+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Nadim Sawalha

Actor. Born 1 January 1935 in Madaba, Jordan.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 1 January 1935, Madaba, Jordan
- **Active:** 1973–1990
- **Average Fi1m score:** 75, as actor, over 5 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1970s 72 (2), 1980s 73 (2), 1990s 84 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 74 to 67 across 3 titles
- **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 4 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 0 of 1 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Adventure 3, Comedy 3, Action 2, Thriller 2, Drama 1, Romance 1
- **Screen time:** 8 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $409m across 4 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadim_Sawalha, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q979285, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0768022/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/2980

## Biography

Nadim Sawalha is a Jordanian-British actor. Born in Madaba, Jordan, he moved to the United Kingdom in the early 1950s to study drama. He became one of the first actors of Arabic background to work with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal Court Theatre and the National Theatre.

Sawalha has appeared in over 100 film and television roles since the 1960s. His credits include *A Touch of Class* (1973), *The Return of the Pink Panther* (1975), *The Spy Who Loved Me* (1977), *Young Sherlock Holmes* (1985), *The Living Daylights* (1987), *Syriana* (2005) and *The Nativity Story* (2006). He played the lead in the Jordanian film *Captain Abu Raed* (2007). He is the father of actresses Nadia Sawalha and Julia Sawalha, and brother of comedian Nabil Sawalha.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (5)

- *House of Cards* (1990), Fi1m 84, as Bank Manager — [page](https://film.one/tv/house-of-cards.md)
- *Ishtar* (1987), Fi1m 72, as Rug Shop Owner / Camel Seller — [page](https://film.one/film/ishtar.md)
- *The Living Daylights* (1987), Fi1m 74, as Chief of Security, Tangier — [page](https://film.one/film/the-living-daylights.md)
- *The Spy Who Loved Me* (1977), Fi1m 77, as Aziz Fekkesh — [page](https://film.one/film/the-spy-who-loved-me.md)
- *A Touch of Class* (1973), Fi1m 66, as Night Hotel Manager — [page](https://film.one/film/a-touch-of-class.md)

## Complete filmography (84)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Tel Aviv on Fire* (2018), as Bassam
- *The Rendezvous* (2016), Actor
- *Histoires de l'âge d'or islamique* (2013), as Storyteller
- *Postcode* (2011), as Sidney
- *West Is West* (2010), Actor
- *Journey to Mecca* (2009), as Ibn Mustapha
- *House of Saddam* (2008), series, as King Hussein of Jordan
- *Captain Abu Raed* (2008), as Abu Raed
- *Whatever Lola wants* (2007), as Adham
- *Diana: Last Days of a Princess* (2007), as Mohamed Al Fayed
- *The Nativity Story* (2006), as Melchior
- *Robin Hood* (2006), series, Actor
- *Syriana* (2005), as Emir Hamed Al-Subaai
- *The Fever* (2004), as The Priest
- *New Tricks* (2004), series, as Mr. Mazood
- *Lawrence of Arabia, the battle for the Arab world* (2003), series, as Narrator
- *Moses* (2002), as Moses
- *The Last Cavalier* (2002), series, Actor
- *Murphy's Law* (2001), series, as Mohammed Khan
- *Arabian Nights* (2000), series, as Judge Zadic
- *Justice in Wonderland* (2000), as Mohammed Al Fayed
- *Animated Epics: Don Quixote* (2000), as Narrator
- *Cleopatra* (1999), series, as Mardian
- *The Avengers* (1998), as World Council of Ministers
- *Tangier Cop* (1997), as Joseph Charhadi
- *Joseph* (1995), as Ishmaelite
- *Dangerfield* (1995), series, as Dr. Shaaban Hamada
- *Lie Down with Lions* (1994), as Kerim
- *Abraham* (1993), as Regu
- *Abraham* (1993), series, as Regu
- *The Hawk* (1993), as Bahnu
- *Remember* (1993), as Amjad
- *Son of the Pink Panther* (1993), as Lugash agent
- *The Big Battalions* (1992), series, as Ahmed
- *Blue Heaven* (1992), series, as Prem
- *Company Business* (1991), as Faisal
- *House of Cards* (1990), series, as Bank Manager — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/house-of-cards.md)
- *The Care of Time* (1990), Actor
- *A Casualty of War* (1989), as Jaloud
- *Streets of Yesterday* (1989), Actor
- *Pascali's Island* (1988), as Pasha
- *Lionheart* (1987), as Selim
- *The Living Daylights* (1987), as Chief of Security, Tangier — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/the-living-daylights.md)
- *Ishtar* (1987), as Rug Shop Owner / Camel Seller — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/ishtar.md)
- *Knights & Emeralds* (1986), as Bindu
- *Half Moon Street* (1986), as Karim Hatami
- *Lord Mountbatten: The Last Viceroy* (1986), series, as Liaquat Ali Khan
- *Lovejoy* (1986), series, as Uncle Said
- *The Alamut Ambush* (1986), as Major Razzak
- *Young Sherlock Holmes* (1985), as Khasek - Lower Nile Tavern Owner
- *Harem* (1985), Actor
- *Lytton's Diary* (1985), series, as Hamil
- *Misunderstood* (1983), as Ahmed
- *Who Pulled the Plug?* (1981), as Kahlifa bin Hircham al Saba
- *Bergerac* (1981), series, as Zaki Mansoor
- *Sorry, I'm A Stranger Here Myself* (1981), series, as Mumtaz
- *Sphinx* (1981), as Gamal
- *The Awakening* (1980), as Dr. El Sadek
- *Minder* (1979), series, as Sardi
- *Tales of the Unexpected* (1979), series, as Zayid Halim
- *The Knowledge* (1979), as Arab Man
- *Return of the Saint* (1978), series, as Rahaman
- *The Professionals* (1977), series, as Sheikh Achmeia, Arab Diplomat, Doad
- *The Spy Who Loved Me* (1977), as Aziz Fekkesh — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/film/the-spy-who-loved-me.md)
- *Are You Being Served? The Movie* (1977), as The Emir's Interpreter
- *Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger* (1977), as Hassan
- *Sweeney!* (1977), as Chairman of the Oil Producers Conference
- *Open All Hours* (1976), series, as Mr Albert Gupta
- *Space: 1999* (1975), series, as Zoran
- *The Wind and the Lion* (1975), as Sherif of Wazan
- *The Return of the Pink Panther* (1975), as Museum Guide
- *The Sweeney* (1975), series, as Capt. Shebbeq — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-sweeney.md)
- *Vampira* (1974), as Airline Representative
- *Callan* (1974), as Padilla
- *Napoleon and Love* (1974), series, as Interpreter
- *Vérité* (1973), as Gosh
- *Yellow Dog* (1973), as Arab Pilot
- *Shaft in Africa* (1973), as Zubair
- *A Touch of Class* (1973), as Night Hotel Manager — Fi1m 66, [page](https://film.one/film/a-touch-of-class.md)
- *The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes* (1971), series, as Arab Servant
- *Thirty-Minute Theatre* (1965), series, as Gardener
- *Danger Man* (1960), series, as Nikolaou, Head Waiter (uncredited)
- *Ali and the Camel* (1960), Actor
- *Armchair Theatre* (1956), series, as Gosh

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© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/nadim-sawalha