René Ifrah

Born

1972-01-02

Birthplace

Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, West Germany [now Germany]

Biography

René David Ifrah (born January 2, 1972, in Frankfurt am Main) is a German-American actor. René David Ifrah grew up in Frankfurt am Main, Sicily, and later in Brooklyn. After returning to Germany in the early 1990s, he began his acting career, completing his training at the LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York, as well as taking private acting lessons in Los Angeles. He landed his first roles in series such as *Praxis Bülowbogen* and *Mensch, Pia!*. Ifrah garnered significant attention in 2003 for his role in the drama film *September*, directed by Max Färberböck, which screened at the Cannes International Film Festival. This was followed by appearances in international productions such as *Hart's War* (released in Germany as *Das Tribunal*), alongside Bruce Willis, and *Beyond the Sea*, starring Kevin Spacey. For his lead role in the drama *Grüße aus Kaschmir*, he was nominated for the German Film Promotion Award and, in 2005, was awarded the Adolf Grimme Prize. On German television, Ifrah has appeared in numerous films and series, including *Kommissarin Lucas*, *Donna Leon*, *Die Pastorin*, several films in the ZDF *Katie Fforde* series, and *SOKO Leipzig*. He also achieved international recognition for his recurring role as the jihadist Bibi Hamed in the US series *Homeland*. His roles are frequently characterized by their international scope and culturally complex nature.