Iyad Hajjaj

Born

1970-05-09

Birthplace

Rafah, Gaza

Biography

Iyad Hajjaj is a Palestinian-American actor, director, producer, and filmmaker born on May 9 in the 1970s, in Rafah, Gaza. He grew up among twelve brothers and sisters in one of the largest families in his city, and started acting as a teenager in his home country. He is a SAG-AFTRA member based in Los Angeles, a former rehabilitation specialist at Stanford University, and the founder of Missing Peace Pictures, Inc. and president of the non-profit I Came for Peace. He won the Best Supporting Actor Award at the 168th Film Festival (2012) for Refuge, and produced, directed, and starred in the multi-award-winning film Dreams I Never Had (2018) alongside Malcolm McDowell and Robin Givens. He is also developing the home-invasion thriller Ten and a Half Minutes, based on a true story, and recently toured his short film My Foot is in Heaven (2026), which tells the story of a father whose daughter is wounded in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza. His most notable film credits include The Hunt (2020, as Backpack Refugee), Escape Room (2017, as Ammon), A Private War (2018, as an Iraqi Captain), The Wizard (2016, starring Jon Voight), Thunder Run (2016, directed by Simon West), Call Me King (2016, as an Arab Warlord), The Mummy Resurrected (2014), The Dictator (2012, uncredited), Appointment with Death (1988), and Rambo III (1988, uncredited). On television he is best known for his recurring role as Uncle Rasheed in Ms. Marvel (2022, Disney+), with additional credits in NCIS: Origins (2025), Will & Grace (1998 & 2018), Black Monday (2019, Showtime), SEAL Team (2017), Shooter (2016), Madam Secretary (2016), Transparent (2014, Amazon), The Brink (2015, HBO), Agent X (TNT), Touch (2012, Fox), and Tosh.0 (2009). He also serves as an Arabic coach and cultural consultant on numerous productions, and teaches Palestinian Dabke dance to acting groups in California.