Fares Fares | |
|---|---|
 Fares at the2025 Cannes Film Festival | |
| Born | (1973-04-29)29 April 1973 (age 52) Beirut, Lebanon |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Spouse | Clara Hallencreutz (m.)[1][2] |
| Relatives | Josef Fares (brother) Roy Fares (cousin) |
Fares Fares (Swedish pronunciation:[ˈfǎːrɛsˈfǎːrɛs]ⓘ; born 29 April 1973) is a Swedish actor, producer, and director.[3][4] He is known for his collaborations with directorTarik Saleh, as well as his roles in notable shows such asChernobyl andThe Wheel of Time. Fares has received various accolades, including aGuldbagge Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and twoRobert Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
Fares was born on 29 April 1973 inBeirut,Lebanon to a family ofAssyrian origin. His younger brother is directorJosef Fares, and he has four sisters. In 1987, when Fares was 14 years old, his family moved to Sweden, residing inÖrebro.[5] They moved to escape theLebanese Civil War and chose Sweden because they had relatives who had already lived there.[6] Fares says he learned Swedish within three months of living in Sweden.[6]
From the age of 15, Fares acted in a local theater group in Örebro.[5] When he was 19, he attended drama school inMölnlycke nearGothenburg, Sweden.[5] He spent six years working in the Theatre Tamauer.
Fares has played major parts in films directed by his brother,Josef Fares. He debuted inJalla! Jalla! (2000) andKopps (2003). He starred inBang Bang Orangutang (2005) andKill Your Darlings (2006).
In 2010, Fares starred in the Swedish crime thrillerEasy Money withJoel Kinnaman.[6] The film was critically acclaimed and was picked up for American distribution byHarvey Weinstein.[6]
In 2012, Fares made his Hollywood debut in theDenzel Washington movieSafe House.[7] He played American CIA officer Hakim inZero Dark Thirty (2012).[8][9] Fares had a role inChild 44 (2014) withTom Hardy andGary Oldman.[4][10] Fares played Senator Vaspar in theStar Wars franchise movieRogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016).
ForThe Keeper of Lost Causes (2013), which was set inDenmark, Fares learned to speakDanish in two months.[4] TheKeeper of Lost Causes was Denmark's top film of 2013.[11] The film is based on a novel byJussi Adler-Olsen It is the first of ten features based on hisDepartment Q novels.[12] Fares andNikolaj Lie Kaas appeared in the first four films, produced byZentropa.[12]
Fares is partially known for his long-standing collaborative relationship with directorTarik Saleh, most famously starring in his Cairo trilogy, consisting ofThe Nile Hilton Incident (2017),Boy from Heaven (2022), andEagles of the Republic (2025).[13][14] Each film examines and criticizes the political corruption within Egypt at different levels during different periods, with Fares' characters at the center of pivotal events or circumstances. He has also had minor roles in the director's other filmsThe Contractor (2022) andMetropia (2009),[13] as well as various music videos he's directed forLykke Li.
In 2020, Fares made his producing debut with the miniseriesPartisan. A few years later, in 2023, he made his directorial debut withA Day and a Half, aNetflix original film which was loosely inspired by a real story.[15]
In 2014, Fares portrayed Fauzi Nadal in the TV showTyrant on theFX Network.[16]Tyrant was renewed for a second season, which began airing in the summer of 2015,[17] and a third season in summer 2016. From 2018 to 2019, Fares appeared in the twoHBO seriesWestworld andChernobyl. He portrayed the ForsakenIshamael inThe Wheel of Time in 2021, 2023 and 2025. In 2024, he appeared in the recurring role of Ruggiero inNetflix'sThe Decameron.
Fares has stated that he spends time inStockholm[22] and Los Angeles.[4]
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Network | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Leende guldbruna ögon | Roshan | Emiliano Goessens, Anna Hylander | SVT1 | ||
| 2008 | Maria Wern – Främmande fågel | Jonathan Sauma | Erik Leijonborg | TV4 | ||
| 2014–2016 | Tyrant | Fauzi Nadal | Gideon Raff | FX | Main role; 19 episodes | |
| 2018 | Westworld | Antoine Costa | Various directors | HBO | Main role; season 2 | |
| Deep State | Gabriel | Robert Connolly | FOX | Guest appearance; Episode "Old Habits" | ||
| 2019 | Chernobyl | Bacho | Johan Renck | HBO | Miniseries; Episode "The Happiness of All Mankind" | |
| 2020 | Partisan | Johnny | Amir Chamdin | Viaplay | Main role; season 1, 5 episodes | |
| 2021–2025 | The Wheel of Time | Ishamael / Ba'alzamon | Various directors | Amazon Prime Video | Main role; 10 episodes | |
| 2024 | The Decameron | Ruggiero | Andrew DeYoung, Anya Adams | Netflix | Miniseries; recurring role, 2 episodes | |
| 2025 | We Come In Peace | Elias | Jens Jonsson, Mani Maserrat | TV4 | Miniseries; main role |
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | A Way Out | Leo Caruso (voice) | Josef Fares | Main role, alsomotion capture | |
| 2021 | It Takes Two | Leo Caruso (voice) | Josef Fares | Cameo appearance | |
| 2025 | Split Fiction | Leo Caruso (voice) | Josef Fares | Cameo appearance |
