Rosaline Elbay


Rosaline Elbay is an Egyptian actress and writer. She is best known for her roles as Amani on Hulu/A24 Films series Ramy and as Sara on MBC Masr series :ar:قابيل |Qabeel.

Early life

Born in Cairo to Turkish-Egyptian parents. She read Classics at Oxford University and completed a master's in Colonial History. She then studied at the Actors Studio New York City with Elizabeth Kemp and obtained her MFA in Acting from LAMDA.

Career

In 2018 Elbay starred in :ar:تراب الماس |Diamond Dust, the feature-film adaptation of Ahmed Mourad's :ar:تراب الماس |bestselling novel, and Fork & Knife, which premiered at the 2018 El Gouna Film Festival. She also appeared in the music video for "Fakra" by Massar Egbari, an Egyptian band that rose to prominence during the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, as the love interest of lead singer Hany Dakkak.
Since 2019, Elbay has starred as Amani in Hulu/A24 Films series Ramy, Ramy Youssef's eponymous Golden Globe and Peabody Award-winning show which follows a first-generation American Muslim on a spiritual journey in his politically divided New Jersey neighbourhood. The series premiered at the 2019 South by Southwest Film Festival and holds an approval rating of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. Season 2, co-starring Mahershala Ali, premiered in May 2020.
Also in 2019, Elbay received critical acclaim for her MENA region television debut as Sara, the partner of protagonist Tarek, on MBC Masr's :ar:قابيل |Qabeel, and won the Al-Wafd Critics’ Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Elbay hosted the opening ceremony of the 2019 El Gouna Film Festival, during which she wore a dress made of recycled plastic that was hand-worked by refugee women sponsored by the UNHCR. She has since continued advocating for the organisation, participating in the first MENA-region round table on The Role of Art and Culture in Addressing Displacement.
The Cairo International Film Festival appointed Elbay as its face for young filmmakers during its 40th and 41st Editions. Her screenplay, “Garlic”, was developed at the Festival’s TV Development Workshop.
Elbay was set to star in MBC Masr’s 2020 series Luebat Al-Nesyan, directed by . However, she left the show mid-filming for health reasons and her role was reshot with :ar:أسماء_جلال|Asmaa Galal.

Awards and nominations

Elbay was awarded the 2019 Al-Wafd Critics' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Qabeel.

Filmography

Film

Television