Khalid Laith

Born in Bahrain, actor Khalid Laith spent much of his youth in London, where he became immersed in the theater scene and attended Central School of Speech and Drama. Laith found his first screen role in the British made-for-TV movie, "The Hamburg Cell," a largely fictionalized film about the terrorists behind the September 11th attacks. After guest spots on popular English TV dramas such as "The Inspector Lynley Mysteries" and "MI-5," Laith had more extended appearances on the venerable procedural series "The Bill" and the war-themed show "Occupation," which received numerous accolades, including a BAFTA Award for Best Drama Serial. Although Laith has sometimes been pigeonholed into stereotypical roles as a Middle Eastern bad guy, he seems intent on giving these portrayals more nuance, a point hit home by his work on "The Devil's Double," Lee Tamahori's lauded 2011 film about Saddam Hussein's ruthless son, Uday. In the movie, Laith plays Yassem Al-Helou, one of Uday's hedonistic assistants, allowing for a more dramatic and layered characterization. Determined to play more unusual parts, Laith joined the cast of the Middle Eastern-set horror movie "Djinn," directed by renowned American filmmaker Tobe Hooper. In addition to his film work, Laith also translates Arabic plays and writes his own music.