Haithem Badrani

Haithem Badrani (born July 1, 1969) is an Iraqi-American actor, producer, and screenwriter. He has appeared in numerous movies and television series, such as ‘The Bridge,’ ‘From Scratch,’ ‘Breaking Tradition,’ ‘Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story,’ ‘SEAL Team’ (T.V. Series.), ‘Boomers’ (T.V. Series.), and ‘Diary of a Spy.’ He co-starred in the Academy Award-winning movie ‘Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk.’
Badrani has written three screenplays addressing societal issues, including ‘Barbed Fences,’ ‘S-Class,’ and ‘Canada.’
==Early life and education==
Badrani was born and raised in Basra, Iraq. At age 5, he turned to American Westerns and T.V. series, finding inspiration in actors like John Wayne and Lee Majors from "The Six Million Dollar Man."
Badrani was running away from the Iraqi secret police because he was an activist in an uprising that the Iraqi Armed Forces eventually crushed, and the Iraqi authorities wanted him, so he had to run away or die by hanging. He headed to the border, knowing U.S. Armed forces were stationed there even after the ceasefire between Iraq and the U.S.
Badrani volunteered to hand himself to the U.S. Armed Forces as a refugee. Then, he was sent to a refugee camp in the Saudi Arabian desert and stayed there until he finally immigrated to the United States of America in August 1994.
Following Badrani's immigration to the United States, he obtained U.S. citizenship. He pursued his acting career and attended various studios in Nashville, Tennessee. 2010, he relocated to Los Angeles, enrolling in the Stella Adler Acting School in Hollywood. As a fluent Arabic speaker, he underwent accent reduction and dialect training at Los Angeles City College.
==Career==
Badrani started his acting career in Nashville, debuting in 2002 as a waiter in "High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story." His breakthrough came in 2004 when he portrayed Prince Traiq in Dreamworks Pictures' "Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story."
Subsequently, Badrani continued establishing his presence in the industry, actively participating in various local independent films and accumulating a portfolio of over 30 productions.
Among his noteworthy contributions are roles in productions such as ‘The Bridge,’ ‘From Scratch,’ ‘Breaking Tradition,’ ‘SEAL Team’ (T.V. Series.), ‘Boomers’ (T.V. Series.), and ‘Diary of a Spy.’ Notably, Badrani caught the attention of acclaimed director Ang Lee, leading to his appearance in the Academy Award-winning film "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk" in 2015.
As a screenwriter, Badrani has written three screenplays that address societal issues across the frameworks of war, societal stereotypes, and mistaken identity. In "Barbed Fences," a war drama based on a true story, he pays homage to the 32 thousand Iraqi victims who faced human rights violations during their refuge in Saudi Arabia. "S-Class" is an action, crime drama, and thriller that explores societal stereotypes against Muslims in America through the journey of an Iraqi actor aiming to showcase his heritage. Meanwhile, "Canada" is an action drama that unfolds a narrative where an Iraqi-American man is mistakenly identified as a foreign terrorist upon his arrival at Vancouver airport.
Badrani is a licensed realtor in California, United States.
==Filmography==
Year	Title 	Credit
2003	High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story 	Waiter
2005	Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story	Prince Traiq
2006	Wag On 	Habib
2006	Samaritan 	Taxi Driver
2007	The Captive 	Interrogator
2009	Prologue 	Amadeo
2011	Biladi 	Father
2012	No Bullet Soldier 	Mazen
2013	Painkiller 	Prisoner
2013	Alien Rising 	Yemen Leader
2014	Hog’s Tooth 	Abdullah
2014	The Initiation 	Akbar
2014	Daily Bread 	Mousa
2014	The Winter Room 	Wheeler
2015	Desert Bloom 	Nadeem
2015	Jane’s Baby 	Store Owner
2015	Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk 	Iraqi Father
2016	Madre 	Rokmud
2017	Life of Homer 	Cameraman
2018	Stones 	Mr. Wafik
2018	The Day That 	Mosque-Goer
2019	Shako Mako 	Butcher
2020	False Colors 	General Savas Demir
2020	SEAL Team 	ANP Captain
2022	Diary of a Spy 	Mousa
2022	From Scratch 	Amir
2023	The Bridge 	Ahmed Ahmadi
 	Breaking Tradition 	Mr. Abdul Khan
 	Target Jeremy 	Bedouin, Sniper
===Screenwriter===
* Barbed Fences
* S-Class
* Canada
==In the media==
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==References==
==External links==
* Personal website
* Haithem Badrani on IMDb
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* Haithem Badrani on YouTube
Category:1969 births
Category:Iraqi actors
Category:Producers
Category:Screenwriters
Category:Grossmont College alumni
Category:Iraqi American