Soumaya Akaaboune

Soumaya Akaaboune (born 16 February 1974) is a Moroccan actress.

Soumaya Akaaboune
Born (1974-02-16) February 16, 1974
Tangier
NationalityMoroccan
OccupationActress, comedian
Years active1987-present

Biography

Born and raised in Tangier, Morocco, Akaaboune's mother was a stylist and costume designer while her father was an art lover. She described her childhood home as a sanctuary for artists and those in need. At the age of 14, Akaaboune was spotted by the choreographer Maurice Bejart, who invited her to join his dance troupe. She accepted and trained for eight hours a day, a period in which she said she was the happiest of her life.[1] Akaaboune toured Europe, dancing in Paris, then Spain and London. During her time in London, she turned her attention to theater, performing in several musicals.[2] She snapped her Achilles tendon in 1989, ending her dancing career.[3] In London, Akaaboune met Sandra Bernhard, who invited her to perform on her show "Up All Night" and later the Broadway show "I Am Still Here Damn It".[2]

Akaaboune trained in acting at the Loft Studio. In 2010, she starred opposite Matt Damon in the film Green Zone.[2] Akaaboune had roles in the romantic comedy Playing for Keeps in 2012 and the biopic Lovelace in 2013.[4] She was one of the five housewives profiled on the 2013 French show Les Vraies Housewives.[5] Between 2015 and 2016, Akaaboune starred as Fettouma in the popular soap opera Wadii, directed by Yassine Ferhanne. Her character is a bourgeois woman who refuses to accept injustice, and the show received 7 million views per episode.[2] In 2019, she played Marcelle in the TV series The Spy.[6]

Akaaboune met the film producer Peter Rodger in 1999. The pair subsequently married and had a son, Jazz. Akaaboune was the stepmother of Elliot Rodger, the perpetrator of the 2014 Isla Vista killings.[4] The two had a strained relationship, and Rodger had also planned to murder Akaaboune.[7] She returned to Morocco at the end of 2014.[8] Akaaboune speaks French, Arabic, English and Spanish.[2]

Filmography
Films
  • 1987 : Dernier été à Tanger
  • 1999 : Esther
  • 2010 : When the Voices Fade (short film) : Leila
  • 2010 : Green Zone : Sanaa
  • 2012 : Playing for Keeps : Aracelli
  • 2013 : Lovelace
  • 2013 : Djinn
  • 2017 : Catch the Wind : Madame Saïni
  • 2017 : Looking for Oum Kulthum
Television
  • 2013 : Les Vraies Housewives
  • 2015-2016 : Waadi : Fettouma
  • 2017-2018 : Rdat L'walida : Faty Kenani
  • 2019 : EZZAIMA
  • 2019 : The Spy : Marcelle
  • 2020 : Bab Al Bahar : Zineb

References
  1. "Soumaya Akaaboune". Visage du Maroc (in French). Archived from the original on 24 January 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  2. "Un thé avec Soumaya Akaaboune". Les Eco (in French). 8 July 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  3. "Soumaya Akaaboune Actress" (PDF). Harcourt Paris. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  4. Idato, Michael (25 May 2014). "Alleged gunman Elliot Rodger, 22, lived a life of privilege". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  5. "Claude's Corner: Meet The Ladies Of Les Vraies Housewives!". iReal Housewives. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  6. Davies, Alex (7 September 2019). "The Spy on Netflix ending explained: What happened at the end?". Daily Express. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  7. Allen, Nick (27 May 2014). "'Virgin killer' Elliot Rodger planned to murder his family". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  8. Guisser, Salima (9 August 2015). "Soumaya Akaaboune : Un prochain personnage dans un autre style". Aujourdhui Le Maroc (in French). Retrieved 14 November 2020.
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