Ramy Youssef | |
---|---|
Born |
New York City,
New York, U.S. | March 26, 1991
Occupations |
|
Years active | 2009–present |
Notable work |
Ramy Youssef ( Arabic: رامي يوسف, Egyptian Arabic: [ˈɾɑːmi ˈjuːsɪf]; born March 26, 1991) [1] [2] is an American stand-up comedian, actor, screenwriter, and director. He is known for his role as Ramy Hassan on the Hulu comedy series Ramy (2019–2022), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy and a Peabody Award in 2020. He was also nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards: Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.
Ramy Youssef was born in 1991 [3] in the Queens borough of New York City, to Egyptian parents, [4] and raised in Rutherford, New Jersey. [5] Ten years after emigrating from Egypt, his father became a manager at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. [6] He was raised in a Muslim household, observing Islamic holidays, and Youssef remains a practicing Muslim. [7] [8]
Youssef attended Rutherford High School. In high school, he and his friend Steve Way appeared on their high school television program. [9] [5] He went on to study political science and economics at Rutgers University, Newark, but he left before graduating to enroll at William Esper Studio to focus on acting. [10] [11]
Youssef speaks Arabic and English. [12] His maternal grandfather was a French and Arabic interpreter at the United Nations. [12]
Youssef made his acting debut on the Nick at Nite sitcom See Dad Run in which he had a main role. During the run of the show, Youssef shadowed the writers' room, an experience Youssef would bring to his own show in 2019. [5]
In 2017, Youssef appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert where he performed his stand-up routine. [5]
His television series Ramy debuted on Hulu on April 19, 2019, with 10 episodes. [13] The show, in which Youssef plays the title character, tells the story of a millennial Muslim who is a first-generation American born to immigrant parents in the United States. [14] [15] Soon after its first season debuted, Hulu renewed it for a second season. [16] He received a Golden Globe in January 2020 for this role, and was also nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards, as both an actor and director. [17]
In June 2019, Youssef starred in his first HBO stand-up comedy special, Ramy Youssef: Feelings. [18]
Along with Mo Amer, Youssef is the co-creator of Mo, an American comedy-drama streaming television series that premiered on August 24, 2022, on Netflix. [19]
After the debut of Ramy, Youssef signed an overall television production deal with A24. As of December 2019, he had two shows in development, one for Apple TV+ and one for Netflix. [20]
In 2021, he was nominated for another Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Television Series Musical or Comedy for Ramy. [10] [21] [22]
In a February 2024 interview, Youssef told Vanity Fair that his art has often taken him to Palestine, including to perform stand-up comedy in 2014 and in the third season of Ramy. [12]
In 2023, Youssef toured his comedy show "More Feelings" and announced that proceeds from the final 12 nights would raise funds for Gaza through American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA). [23] His "More Feelings" Palestine-fundraising show on December 8, 2023, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) drew headlines, when celebrities including Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez attended. [23]
On March 30, 2024, Youssef hosted Saturday Night Live. [24]
Youssef has been married to a visual artist from Saudi Arabia since 2022. [25] [26] He met his wife through May Calamawy, his co-star in Ramy. [25] He is private about his personal life, and has chosen not to disclose his wife's personal details publicly. [25] [27]
In October 2023, he signed an open letter calling for a ceasefire in Gaza during the Israeli invasion of Gaza. [28] Youssef also wore an "Artists for Ceasefire" pin at the 2024 Academy Awards, [29] and called for the release of hostages and a permanent ceasefire in Gaza when he hosted Saturday Night Live on 30 March 2024. [24]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2018 | Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot | Drinker | |
2023 | Poor Things | Max McCandles | |
Wish | Safi | Voice |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2012–2014 | See Dad Run | Kevin Kostner | Main role |
2015 | Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn | Ty | Episode: "Unhappy Campers" |
2017 | Mr. Robot | Samar Swailem | Recurring role |
2019–2022 | Ramy | Ramy Hassan | Lead role; also creator, writer, director, and executive producer |
2022 | Mo | — | Co-creator |
2023 | The Bear | — | Director; episode "Honeydew" |
2024 | Saturday Night Live | Host | Episode "Ramy Youssef/ Travis Scott" |
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
2019 | Ramy Youssef: Feelings | Himself, writer and executive producer |
2024 | Ramy Youssef: More Feelings |
Youssef, 28 [as of April 18, 2019]
He made certain that he properly introduced me to his then fiancée, and now wife, who came to hang out