
Sayed Badreya
Actor · b. 1957 · Port Said, Egypt
Egyptian-born film-maker and actor Sayed Badreya realized a childhood dream by winning roles in major Hollywood films such as The Insider, Three Kings, and Independence Day. Growing up in poverty in Port Said, Sayed Badreya's dreams of movie stardom looked as bleak as the prospect of peace in the Middle East. From the Six Day War in '67 through the Yom Kippur War in '73, his only escape from the world he knew was the movie theater, where films transported him to a magical land. But it was here that he determined he was destined to be a part of that magic. After attending New York University film school, and then moving to Hollywood, Sayed first worked in the film industry as an assistant to actor/director Anthony Perkins, and then with director James Cameron on True Lies. His mission - to make movies that told the Arabic- American story, since it had yet to be told - led to the creation of his own production company, Zoom In Focus. Under this banner, he directed and produced the documentary, Saving Egyptian Film Classics as well as The Interrogation, which won Best Creative Short Film at New York International Film Festival. He also produced and starred in Hesham Issawi's short, T for Terrorist, which was awarded Best Short Film at the Boston International Film Festival and the San Francisco World Film Festival. In 2007, he played his first leading role in the English language motion picture American East, a film that he also co-wrote. 2008 was Sayed Badreya's breakout year. He captivated audiences as Abu Bakaar, the villainous arms dealer who kidnaps Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in the summer's blockbuster Iron Man. Also that year, Sayed played the comedic Palestinian cab driver opposite Adam Sandler in You Don't Mess with the Zohan. This summer, Sayed can be seen in Paramount Pictures' feature film El traspatio aka Backyard, directed by Oscar-nominated Carlos Carrera in which he plays a serial killer opposite Ana de la Reguera. Sayed can also be seen this summer in Movie 43, where he plays opposite Halle Berry. Additional forthcoming films include The Three Stooges, his fifth film with the Farrelly brothers; The Dictator, playing Sascha Baron Cohen's father as the original Dictator, and Just Like a Woman, with Oscar nominated director Rachid Bouchareb. Also, Sayed is going to a new frontier in the new video game Uncharted 3, playing Ramses the Great Pirate Captain. Most recently he completed his second leading role in the New York independent feature, Cargo, about human traffickers, directed by Yan Vizinberg. And he just finished co-starring opposite Oscar-nominated actress Melissa Leo in film The Space Between, directed by Travis Fine. Sayed has also worked as an actor, Arabic dialect coach, and Islamic technical advisor on Path to 9/11, a $40 million mini-series about the events leading up to 9/11 produced by ABC/Touchstone. Sayed's efforts to bring attention to Arab-Americans in the motion picture industry have received much coverage over the years on radio, television, and in major publications around the world, such as The New York Times, GQ, NPR, ABC's "Politically Incorrect" with Bill Maher, BBC's "Panorama," CNN, "Fox Report with Shepard Smith", The Hollywood Reporter and Egypt Today.
Movies24
Movie7.7ActionScience FictionAfter being held captive in an Afghan cave, billionaire engineer Tony Stark creates a unique weaponized suit of armor to fight evil.
Iron Man
2008 · 28K votes
Movie6.2ComedyThe heroic story of a dictator who risks his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed.
The Dictator
2012 · 6.6K votes
Movie6.9ActionAdventureStrange phenomena surface around the globe. The skies ignite. Terror races through the world's major cities. As these extraordinary events unfold, it becomes increasingly clear that a force of incredible magnitude has arrived. Its mission: total annihilation over the Fourth of July weekend. The last hope to stop the destruction is an unlikely group of people united by fate and unimaginable circumstances.
Independence Day
1996 · 10K votes
Movie7.0ActionAdventureAn interstellar teleportation device, found in Egypt, leads to a planet with humans resembling ancient Egyptians who worship the god Ra.
Stargate
1994 · 4K votes
Movie7.1ActionThrillerA fearless, globe-trotting, terrorist-battling secret agent has his life turned upside down when he discovers his wife might be having an affair with a used car salesman while terrorists smuggle nuclear war heads into the United States.
True Lies
1994 · 4.8K votes
Movie5.7ComedyActionAn Israeli counterterrorism soldier with a secretly fabulous ambition to become a Manhattan hairstylist. Zohan's desire runs so deep that he'll do anything -- including faking his own death and going head-to-head with an Arab cab driver -- to make his dreams come true.
You Don't Mess with the Zohan
2008 · 4.2K votes
Movie5.9HistoryActionIn the 14th-century, as the Silk Road crumbles and rival factions tear the land apart, fearless warrior Timur emerges from exile. Stripped of everything, he fights to unite the fractured kingdoms, using strategy and sheer will to carve an empire from chaos. Undefeated in battle and widely regarded as one of history’s greatest military leaders and tacticians, not to mention one of its most brutal, Timur would found the Timurid Empire, which ruled over modern-day Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asia.
Rise of the Conqueror
2026 · 26 votes
Movie6.6ActionComedyA group of American soldiers stationed in Iraq at the end of the Gulf War find a map they believe will take them to a huge cache of stolen Kuwaiti gold hidden near their base, and they embark on a secret mission that's destined to change everything.
Three Kings
1999 · 2.4K votes
Movie6.2ComedyDramaAfter taking his dying father's advice, Hal dates only the embodiments of female physical perfection. But that all changes after Hal has an unexpected run-in with self-help guru Tony Robbins. Intrigued by Hal's shallowness, Robbins hypnotizes him into seeing the beauty that exists even in the least physically appealing women. Hal soon falls for Rosemary, but he doesn't realize that his gorgeous girlfriend is actually a 300-pound-not-so-hottie.
Shallow Hal
2001 · 3.3K votes
Movie4.7ComedyA series of interconnected short films are the backdrop for a maniac screenwriter who pitches insane storylines featuring some of Hollywood's biggest and brightest. In some countries, like the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, the structure differs. Instead of a pitch, the films are connected by a group of three teenagers searching for the most banned film in the world, Movie 43, which will ultimately lead to the destruction of civilization.
Movie 43
2013 · 2.6K votes
Movie7.5DramaThrillerA research chemist comes under personal and professional attack when he decides to appear in a 60 Minutes exposé on Big Tobacco.
The Insider
1999 · 2.2K votes
Movie5.5ComedyFollowing a ridiculously awful flight that leads to his pet's death, Nashawn Wade files a lawsuit against the airline, and wins a multimillion-dollar settlement. Determined to create a better flying experience, Nashawn starts his own airline, one that caters to an African-American clientele. Going into business with a tricked-out plane piloted by the smooth Capt. Mack, the airline hits a snag when it has to deal with the family of Elvis Hunkee.
Soul Plane
2004 · 522 votes
Movie6.4ActionAdventureCovert security company Vanguard is the last hope of survival for an accountant after he is targeted by the world's deadliest mercenary organization.
Movie5.8ComedyLeft on the doorstep of an orphanage run by nuns, three newborn knuckleheads grow up to be finger-poking, nyuk-nyuking janitors named Larry, Curly and Moe. When they learn that financial problems will soon force the only home they've ever known to close, the trio sets out to raise $830,000 in one month. Out in the world for the very first time, the three innocent bumblers become embroiled in a murder plot and find stardom on a TV reality show.
The Three Stooges
2012 · 675 votes
Movie5.4ComedyIn Martha's Vineyard, Mass., conjoined twins Walt and Bob Tenor make the best of their handicap by being the fastest grill cooks in town. While outgoing Walt hopes to one day become a famous actor, shy Bob prefers to stay out of the spotlight. When a fading Hollywood actress, Cher, decides to get her show "Honey and the Beaze" cancelled, she hires Walt -- and his brotherly appendage -- as her costars. But their addition surprisingly achieves the opposite.
Stuck on You
2003 · 750 votes
Movie6.5ComedyAfter bowler Roy Munson swindles the wrong crowd and is left with a hook for a hand, he settles into impoverished obscurity. That is, until he uncovers the next big thing: an Amish kid named Ishmael. So, the corrupt and the hopelessly naive hit the circuit intent on settling an old score with Big Ern.
Kingpin
1996 · 1K votes
- Movie6.8TV MovieThriller
This made-for-television film documents the takeover of the TWA airliner in flight from Athens to Rome in 1985. The focus is on the flight attendant, Uli Derickson, whose courage and hope helped save all but one of the passengers on the plane. The movie chronicles the first 2 days and the aftermath.
The Taking of Flight 847: The Uli Derickson Story
1988 · 7 votes
Movie6.7DramaRomanceBased on a true story, American Marine Jason Johnson is sent on assignment to the Emirate of Bahrain. While there, he meets and falls in love with a spirited, lovely young woman, Meriam, without realizing she is really a member of the Bahraini Royal Family. Meriam, who does not wish to consent to an arranged marriage, knows her love affair with Jason is dangerous, as he is a Mormon Christian and she a Muslim. Her parents would never consent to their match, and so Meriam and Jason race against time to escape Bahrain and make it to the United States, where they can marry. If Meriam is sent back, however, her life may be in jeopardy.
The Princess & the Marine
2001 · 28 votes
Movie5.5DramaTV MovieTwo women get on the highway heading to Santa Fe. Marilyn dreams of winning a contest held by a famous belly dancing company, while her friend, Mona, has a darker secret.
Just Like a Woman
2013 · 40 votes
Movie6.6DramaMontine McLeod, a world-weary flight attendant, and Omar Hassan, a prematurely wise 10-year-old Pakastani-American boy connect with one another amidst the chaos of September 11, 2001. When Montine discovers the boy's direct personal link to the terrorist attacks, she instinctively embarks on an unsanctioned cross-country road trip to help Omar discover his uncertain future.
The Space Between
2011 · 17 votes
Movie8.0DramaCrimeStruggling to come to terms with the break-up of his marriage and his reintegration into civilian life, former Navy SEAL John Beckett contemplates returning to what he knows best, war. When a close friend is brutally murdered in a racially motivated attack, Beckett calls upon his specialized military skills to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice. Has he found a new sense of purpose, or will this be his last mission?
I Am That Man
2019 · 2 votes
Movie4.4DramaThe story of an American soccer player trying to make it big who turns to Pele, the greatest soccer player of all time, for guidance.
Hotshot
1987 · 7 votes
Movie3.6ActionThrillerMatteo Juarez is a retired detective hired by a local businessman to follow his wife Jennifer. She has a split personality and seems to be putting herself in danger without knowing it.
Mirage
1995 · 7 votes
Movie6.4ThrillerCrimeOfficer Blanca Bravo arrives in Juarez, Mexico — a grim nexus of corporate colonialism and sexual tourism — to investigate a rash of killings targeting female migrant workers. But with no help from the locals, bringing the responsible parties to justice becomes a frustrating exercise. As Bravo rails against indifference and local corruption, she finds herself on a collision course with Mickey Santos, a Mexican mogul with a taste for young prostitutes.
Series10
TV8.2ComedyA stand-up comedian and his three offbeat friends weather the pitfalls and payoffs of life in New York City in the '90s. It's a show about nothing.
Seinfeld
1989 · 2.5K votes
TV8.3DramaThe West Wing provides a glimpse into presidential politics in the nation's capital as it tells the stories of the members of a fictional presidential administration. These interesting characters have humor and dedication that touches the heart while the politics that they discuss touch on everyday life.
The West Wing
1999 · 614 votes
TV8.0MysteryAction & AdventureStripped of everything, the survivors of a horrific plane crash must work together to stay alive. But the island holds many secrets.
Lost
2004 · 5.4K votes
TV7.6DramaA provocative legal drama focused on young associates at a bare-bones Boston firm and their scrappy boss, Bobby Donnell. The show's forte is its storylines about “people who walk a moral tightrope.”
The Practice
1997 · 114 votes
TV7.0CrimeDramaInspired by actual cases and experiences, Numb3rs depicts the confluence of police work and mathematics in solving crime as an FBI agent recruits his mathematical genius brother to help solve a wide range of challenging crimes in Los Angeles from a very different perspective.
Numb3rs
2005 · 455 votes
TV8.1ComedyFamilyThat flashy girl from Flushing with the heart of an angel (and the voice of a slighty more nasal angel). The comic misadventures of the sweet and sassy Fran Fine, her sophisticated employer, Broadway producer Mr. Sheffield, his boisterous brood and his wisecracking staff.
The Nanny
1993 · 1.3K votes
TV7.4Action & AdventureDramaA covert team of special forces operatives risk their lives on undercover missions around the globe, while their wives maintain the homefront, protecting their husbands' secrets.
The Unit
2006 · 229 votes
TV6.6AnimationComedyIn a world of talking food, best mates Apple and Onion fumble through city life, tackling ordinary problems by extraordinary means.
Apple & Onion
2018 · 45 votes
TV6.8Action & AdventureDramaSydney Bristow, an agent who has been tricked to believe she is working for the U.S. government, is actually working for a criminal organization named the Alliance of Twelve. Upon learning this, Sydney becomes a double agent for the real CIA.
Alias
2001 · 730 votes
TV7.4AnimationSci-Fi & FantasyForced to flee her underground sanctuary for Earth’s surface, Eva discovers a world unlike anything she expected. As she journeys across perilous terrain and unknown civilizations, Eva searches to answer the ultimate question: Is she the last human?
WondLa
2024 · 103 votes