Bassel Khaiat

Bassel Khaiat (Arabic: باسل خياط, born 29 August, 1977 in Damascus, Syria) is a Syrian actor, working in theatre, television, and film. 
== Early life ==
Khaiat was born in Damascus, Syria, and has a brother named Mohammed. Khaiat started acting at eight years old. He applied for admission at the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts (Damascus)|Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts, but was rejected. He reapplied the following year, was accepted, and graduated in 1999, the same year as Kosai Khauli and Sulafa Memar.
He was an athletic child and grew up in a supportive environment for the arts. His father was a big fan of the movies and his mother came from a musical family. 
Khaiat had a difficult upbringing, forcing him to work from a young age. He has described the death of his father as one of the most difficult experiences he has had to endure.
== Career ==
Khaiat has acted in France, Egypt, Beirut, Jordan, Kuwait and Syria. He is part of a group of Syrian actors who dominate Arab television series, along with Khauli, Taim Hasan, and Maxim Khalil, forming a regional Rat Pack|rat pack. 
Khaiat's entry into television was a Syrian television show in 1992, :ar:كان_ياما_كان_(مسلسل_سوري)|Once Upon a Time. In 2000, his portrayal of Amer in the show :ar:أسرار_المدينة_(مسلسل)|Secrets of the City, by Hisham Sharbatji, won over audiences. He received critical acclaim in 2004 for his role in the series :ar:أحلام_كبيرة_(مسلسل)|Big Dreams, by Hatem Ali, followed by successful television series, such as prominent Syrian shows :ar:ربيع_قرطبة_(مسلسل)|Spring of Cordoba, :ar:على_حافة_الهاوية_(مسلسل)|On the Brink, :ar:أبو_خليل_القباني_(مسلسل)|Abu Khalil Al-Qabbani, and :ar:عشق_النساء_(مسلسل)|Women's Love.
In 2004, he was featured in the movie The Gate of Sun|The Gate of Sun, which was shown at the Cannes Film Festival. 
He broke into Egyptian television through his series :ar:نيران_صديقة_(مسلسل)|Niran Siddiq, broadcast during Ramadan, in which he portrayed Muammar Gaddafi. He attracted Egyptain audiences and directors through his portrayal of psychologically complex roles in other Ramadan series :ar:طريقي_(مسلسل)|My Way alongside famed singer Sherine, who is he is a fan of, :ar:الميزان_(مسلسل)|Al-Mezan, :ar:30_يوم_(مسلسل)|30 Days, and :ar:الرحلة_(مسلسل)|The Journey. 
In 2018, he was featured in Tango, broadcast internationally on Netflix. The same year, he won a Distinctive International Arab Festivals Awards#2018|Distinctive International Arab Festivals Award for his work.
In 2019, he served as a judge for the Sharjah International Film Festival for Children.
In 2021, as part of MBC Group|MBC's 30th anniversary celebration, Khaiat and other superstars from the Arab world such as Yousra, Nasser Al Qasabi, Amina Khalil, Dhaffer L'Abidine, Asser Yassin, and Somaya El Khashab, appeared in a a four-segment episode of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. He was profiled in GQ magazine by Nasri Atallah in 2021.
== Personal life ==
Khaiat was engaged for over two years to Tunisia|Tunisian artist Hend Sabry.
In 2020, he, along with many Syrian actors, was embroiled with the Syrian Artists Syndicate, after the president, actor Zuhair Ramadan, made several remarks stating that some actors had called for killing of the Syrian people. Khaiat issued a statement that his dismissal from the Syndicate was because of statements made without evidence, that he would reschedule payments to the Syndicate, and that artists have the right to know what they are paying for and what they will get in return.
He is married to Nahed Zaidan, with whom he has a son, Shams, and a daughter, Isabelle. His favorite actor is Daniel Day-Lewis.
Category:Syrian actors
Category:Syrian people
Category:1977 births