Mourad Zaoui (born 23 April 1980) is a Moroccan actor.

Biography

Mourad Zaoui was born in the Aïn Sebaâ district of Casablanca, Morocco on 23 April 1980. He is the oldest of two sons born to Mostapha and Khadija Zaoui.

After earning his bachelor's degree in business communication at the Lycée Elbilia in Casablanca in 1999, he moved to New York to study English at Queens College. It was there that he discovered his passion for theatre and cinema.

In 2002, however, Zaoui’s father was diagnosed with lung cancer, whereupon Zaoui returned to Morocco to care for his father and take over his family’s shoe manufacturing business. After his father’s death in 2004, Zaoui decided to pursue his dream of becoming an actor.

In 2005, at the age of 25, Zaoui was cast as the lead role in his first feature film, Wake Up Morocco. His first film role proved to be a difficult experience, as Zaoui suffered from injuries from a motorcycle accident right before filming, as well as an appendicitis attack during filming. Despite these initial hurdles, Zaoui persevered in his acting career, moving on to being cast in more than 40 film and television projects in Morocco and around the world.

When he is not acting, Zaoui enjoys surfing, fashion, motor sports, and martial arts.