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Stardom is a mission, and today more than ever, celebrities of Arab descent are paving their way to the top in Hollywood and beyond. Who are the stars that one wouldn’t think have Arab roots? From models to actors and singers, there are some that you might know, but some others will definitely surprise you!
Shakira
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The half-Colombian, half-Lebanese singer has never failed to show off the Lebanese roots she gets from her father through what she presents, be it her Arabic song “Ojos Asi” or her belly dancing.
Salma Hayek
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The half-Lebanese, half-Mexican actress has roots in the Lebanese village of Baabdat and found in cinema a way to connect with this side of her heritage. In fact, she co-produced in 2015 the animated film ‘The Prophet’ based on the great Gibran Khalil Gibran’s famed book.
Gigi and Bella Hadid
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The Hadid sisters might have inherited their modelling skills from their Dutch mother, but their father passed down to them his Palestinian roots. In fact, they couldn’t be any prouder of this heritage.
Rami Malek
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The American-Egyptian actor kick started his career in 2004 in an episode of ‘Gilmore Girls’ and 15 years later, found himself on a stage winning an Oscar for his role as Freddy Mercury in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. Although he was a struggling actor at the beginning of his journey, his roles in ‘Night at the Museum’, ’24’, ‘The Pacific’ and ‘Mr Robot’ greatly contributed to his career.
Mika
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The British singer gets his Lebanese roots from his mother. He’s actually known for encouraging Arab singers to be successful with their roots as he was.
Teri Hatcher
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This fact might surprise you, but we couldn’t keep it out of this list. In fact, the ‘Desperate Housewives’ actress’ mother is half-Syrian. However, she never tackled the topic of her Arab heritage in any of her interviews.
Jerry Seinfeld
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Did you know that this world-renowned comedian is half-Syrian? Well, we didn’t! Truth is that his mother’s family comes from Aleppo, Syria and when his grandparents immigrated to the United States, their nationality was declared as Turkish because Syria was part of the Ottoman Empire back then.
Wentworth Miller
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Who knew that the ‘Prison Break’ star comes from a mix of heritages? Not only is his father of mixed African, American, Jamaican, German and English ancestry, but also his mother is a mix of Rusyn, Swedish, French, Dutch, Syrian and Lebanese roots.
Ariana Grande
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In a 2014 tweet, the former Disney star and now singer said that she found out that her grandparents are Greek and part North-African. Whether she has Algerian, Tunisian or Moroccan ancestry, she’s got an Arab side.
Article Written by Mirella Haddad
