Mena Mansour Massoud (; born September 17, 1991) is an Egyptian-born Canadian actor. He made his film debut in the 2017 Canadian dramatic thriller Ordinary Days. His breakthrough came with playing the title character in the Disney fantasy film Aladdin (2019), which earned him nominations for a Teen Choice Award and two National Film & TV Awards.
Massoud also had roles in the Canadian drama series Open Heart (2015), the Amazon Prime series Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan (2018) and the Hulu series Reprisal (2019). He starred in the Netflix film The Royal Treatment (2022) and the horror film The Sacrifice Game (2023), the latter of which he also executive produced.
Massoud attended St. Brother André Catholic High School, where he was the head of the improv team. He later attended the University of Toronto with a major in neuroscience, in the pursuit of becoming a doctor or psychologist. He did not finish this degree, and instead auditioned for theatre schools. Massoud eventually transferred to Ryerson University for their theatre performance program, which he graduated from in 2014.
In 2015, he was cast as Jared Malik in the Canadian-drama series Open Heart, which was cancelled after one season. In 2017, he starred as Ollie Santos in the film Ordinary Days, which premiered at the Atlantic International University. In 2018, he had a recurring role as Tarek Kassar in the Amazon Prime original series Jack Ryan.
In 2019, Massoud portrayed the titular character in Disney's fantasy-adventure film Aladdin, which is a live-action adaption of the animated film of the same name. The film was a critical and commercial success, passing $1 billion in the global box office, and he received nominations for a Teen Choice Award and two National Film & TV Award nominations. In the months following the film's release, Massoud said that "I haven’t had a single audition since Aladdin came out".
In January 2021, it was announced that Massoud would star in the Egyptian film Fe Ez El-Dohr. In January 2022, he starred in the Netflix film The Royal Treatment alongside Laura Marano. He was announced to star in the horror film The Sacrifice Game, which was released in 2023; he also served as an executive producer for the film.
In 2023, Massoud announced via Instagram that he is producing the film The Last King, an Iranian adaptation of Stephen King. He is slated to reprise the role of Aladdin in an upcoming sequel.
In the same year he debuted as host of Evolving Vegan, a Canadian television series about vegan cuisine based in part on his own vegan cookbook of the same name.Noel Ransome, "Mena Massoud carves out his own path with ‘Evolving Vegan’ after post-’Aladdin’ slump". Toronto Star, March 31, 2023.
Massoud starred opposite Isabelle Fuhrman in director Julia Stiles' romance drama film Wish You Were Here, released on January 17, 2025.
In February 2022, Massoud announced the release of his new gin, Dharma Indian Dry Gin, via an Instagram post. He created the gin alongside Emily Shah and Prashant Shah, describing it as "the world’s first & only spirit inspired by Ayurvedic practice" and "an expression of culture, willpower, and history."
Massoud takes inspiration from Robin Williams. In an interview with The Hudsucker, he stated that Robin Williams was the actor who impacted him the most, saying "He was an incredibly well-rounded actor but I grew up on his role in Mrs. Doubtfire. That role by itself is very well-rounded and he goes through an amazing journey in that movie. I think it’s very underrated."
Massoud is a vegan, and the creator of the cookbook, TV series and community with the name Evolving Vegan.
/ref> Also in 2019, he played Ethan Hart in the Hulu original series Reprisal, Chaz in the thriller film Strange but True, and Kamal in the drama film Run This Town.
Other ventures
Artistry
Personal life
Filmography
Film
2017 Ordinary Days Ollie Santos 2019 Aladdin Aladdin Strange but True Chaz 2020 Run This Town Kamal 2021 Lamya's Poem Rumi (voice) 2022 The Royal Treatment Prince Thomas Hotel for the Holidays Luke 2023 The Sacrifice Game Jude Butterfly Tale Patrick (voice) 2025 Wish You Were Here Adam TBA Tecie Post-production
Television
2011 Nikita Al Qaeda No. 2 1 episode Poser Bretten Thomason Recurring role Combat Hospital Salman Zawab 1 episode The 99 Hafiz the Preserver / Dave / Saad Main role 2012 Cut to the Chase Jason Recurring role King Malik Atassi 1 episode 2015 Open Heart Jared Malik Main role 2017 Saving Hope Justin Srinivasan 1 episode 2018 Jack Ryan Tarek Kassar Recurring role 2019 Reprisal Ethan Hart Main role 2021 Salim 1 episode 2023 History of the World, Part II Egyptian Diplomat 1 episode 2023 Evolving Vegan Host
Video games
2016 Watch Dogs 2 Various voices
Awards and nominations
2019 Teen Choice Awards Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy Movie Actor Aladdin GQ Men of the Year Awards Breakthrough Talent Himself National Film & TV Awards Best Actor Aladdin Best Newcomer 2020 Goodreads Choice Awards Best Food & Cookbooks Evolving Vegan 2024 Canadian Screen Awards Best Host in a Lifetyle Program or Series Evolving Vegan Connie Thiessen, "Canadian Screen Awards nominations by network". Broadcast Dialogue, March 6, 2024.
External links
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