Mena Massoud is a Canadian actor, best known for his role of Aladdin in a live-action theatrical remake Aladdin (2019), also starring and . He began his on-screen acting career in 2011 with a guest appearance in an episode of the action, drama TV series Nikita. Mena then starred in TV series Poser, Combat Hospital, The 99, and a short movie What Happens Next, all in 2011. He is also known for his TV series roles of Jason in Cut to the Chase (2012), Jared Malik in Open Heart (2015), and Tarek Kassar in Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan (2018).
Mena has also appeared in movies such as Let’s Rap (2015) as John, Ordinary Days (2017) as Ollie Santons, and Run This Town (2019) as Kamal. He also appeared in the movie Strange But True as Chaz, and TV series Reprisal with the role of Ethan Hart. Mena Massoud has a social media fanbase consisting of more than 200k followers on Instagram and more than 30k followers on Twitter.
Sun Sign
Virgo
Residence
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Los Angeles, California, United States
Nationality
Education
Mena Massoud attended St. Brother André Catholic High School in Markham, Ontario, Canada.
After graduating, he enrolled at the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and studied neuroscience but quickly dropped out. Mena then attended Ryerson Theatre School in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Manager
Mena Massoud is represented by –
- ICM Partners (Talent Agent, Commercial) in Los Angeles, California, United States
- The Characters Talent Agency (Talent Agent) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- LINK Entertainment (Manager) in Los Angeles, California, United States
- Viewpoint (Publicist) in Beverly Hills, California, United States
- Myman Greenspan Fox Rosenberg Mobasser Younger & Light (Legal Representative) in Los Angeles, California, United States
Genre
Alternative/Indie
Instruments
Vocals
Distinctive Features
- Athletic physique
- Slicked back haircut
Brand Endorsements
Mena Massoud has endorsed brands such as –
- Evolving Vegan (2018)
- Genesis Cars (2019)
Religion
Coptic Christianity
Best Known For
- His role of Aladdin in the movie Aladdin (2019), Majid in a short comedy Masters in Crime (2018), and Ollie Santos in Ordinary Days (2017)
- Starring in TV series such as Poser (2011), The 99 (2011), Cut to the Chase (2012), Open Heart (2015), and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan (2018)
As a Singer
Mena Massoud made his debut musical performance with songs A Whole New World and One Jump Ahead in the movie Aladdin (2019) in which he also had the lead role.
First Film
Mena Massoud made his feature film debut as John in Let’s Rap in 2015.
First TV Show
Mena Massoud made his first TV show appearance as Al Qaeda #2 in an episode titled Covenant of the action-drama show, Nikita in 2011.
Personal Trainer
Mena was always very physically active and played during high school as a member of the Ontario Basketball Association. He also developed an interest for recreational horseback riding and passion for preserving nature, after which he decided to adopt a lifestyle.
In 2016, Mena’s personal trainer was Edi V., the founder of the brand Vegansthenics, that combines yoga and calisthenics. At that time, Mena combined base jumps, workouts for agility and speed, as well as plenty of to stay in shape.
Even after he got a big break in his acting career, Mena never gave up regular training at the gym. He was trained by Joanne Batten, known as JoJo, a personal trainer and UKBFF Masters Bikini Champion and certified . Mena has also shared multiple videos of his workouts via social media. Some of those were dips with added weight, flies, as well as , but also basic exercises such as push-ups and pull-ups.
Mena Massoud Favorite Things
- Activities – Riding Motorcycles,
- Actors – Will Smith, , , , Robin Williams
- Personal Quote – “Live. Love. Dream. Grow.”
- Season – Autumn
- Animal – Dog
- Place – Kyoto, Japan
- Drink – Coffee
- Coffee – Dark Horse Espresso
Source – , , , , , ,
Mena Massoud Facts
- His family emigrated from Egypt to Canada when he was 3 years old.
- He grew up in Markham, Ontario, and Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- Mena’s dad taught him what he calls an immigrant mentality, which was to never ask or expect favors from anyone and work hard for his dreams.
- Growing up, he was pressured into being an engineer or doctor by his family.
- His 1st play was at his elementary school where he played Peter Pan.
- In school, Mena was known for his impressions of comedians and Robin Williams.
- When he was 17 years old, his high school drama teacher helped him land his 1st talent agent.
- Mena claimed that while attending a class at college, he suddenly realized that he didn’t want to do that for the rest of his life. He stood up from the class, and soon applied for Ryerson Theatre School.
- After he got a degree from Ryerson Theatre School, Mena worked in restaurants just to afford the visa for the United States.
- When he moved to Los Angeles, California, United States, he had to sleep on a mattress in his friend’s closet.
- He was a voice actor for an action-adventure video game Watch Dogs 2, released in 2016.
- It took , the director of Aladdin, 4 months of constant looking and assessing over 2000 auditions to discover and choose Mena as the perfect actor for the lead role.
- Meeting Will Smith for the 1st time on set was very awkward for him. When Mena greeted him, he didn’t say who he was. Will didn’t recognize him at all and thought that he was one of the dancers.
- During the filming of Aladdin (2019), the whole cast was in a Jordan desert for 12 days. Mena felt at home there, as he could eat fava bean, falafel, hummus, baba ghanoush, and pickled vegetables, foods that are also part of the traditional Egyptian cuisine.
- Mena spent 2 entire days of filming diving 18 feet underwater and did a lot of parkour while filming Aladdin (2019).
- He still speaks fluent Arabic, despite leaving Egypt in around 1994.
- Mena started Evolving Vegan brand in 2018 after he realized that pollution, global warming, and human starvation can be stopped in the future.
- Follow him on , , and .
Featured Image by Mena Massoud / Instagram
Facts of Mena Massoud
- Gender Male
- full nameMena Massoud
- nicknamesMena
- birthplaceCairo, Egypt
- Date of Birth September 17, 1991
- Age 33 years 3 months
- Horoscope Virgo
- Lucky Number 10
- Lucky Stone Sapphire
- Lucky Color Green
- Best Match for Marriage Taurus, Capricorn
- ethnicity / ethnic backgroundEgyptian
- nationalityEgyptian
- net worth$2 million
- professionActor, Singer
- weight73 kg or 161 lbs
- height5 ft 8 in or 173 cm
- hair colorBlack
- eye colorDark Brown
- body type / buildAthletic
- high schoolSt. Brother André Catholic High School
- collegeUniversity of Toronto