The Most Famous
ACTORS from Tunisia
This page contains a list of the greatest Tunisian Actors. The pantheon dataset contains 13,578 Actors, 5 of which were born in Tunisia. This makes Tunisia the birth place of the 66th most number of Actors behind Malaysia, and Dominican Republic.
Top 6
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Tunisian Actors of all time. This list of famous Tunisian Actors is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Claudia Cardinale (b. 1938)
With an HPI of 75.21, Claudia Cardinale is the most famous Tunisian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 68 different languages on wikipedia.
Claude Joséphine Rose Cardinale Cavaliere di Gran Croce dell'OMRI (French: [klod ʒozefin ʁoz kaʁdinal]; born 15 April 1938), known as Claudia Cardinale (Italian: [ˈklaudja kardiˈnaːle]), is a Tunisian-Italian actress. Born and raised in La Goulette, a neighbourhood of Tunis, Cardinale won the "Most Beautiful Italian Girl in Tunisia" competition in 1957, the prize being a trip to Italy, which quickly led to film contracts, due above all to the involvement of Franco Cristaldi, who acted as her mentor for a number of years and later married her. After making her debut in a minor role with the Egyptian star Omar Sharif in Goha (1958), Cardinale became one of the best-known actresses in Italy with roles in films such as Rocco and His Brothers (1960), Girl with a Suitcase (1961), Cartouche (1962), The Leopard (1963), and Fellini's 8½ (1963). From 1963, Cardinale appeared in The Pink Panther opposite David Niven. She went on to appear in the Hollywood films Blindfold (1965), Lost Command (1966), The Professionals (1966), Don't Make Waves (1967) with Tony Curtis, The Hell with Heroes (1968), and the Sergio Leone Western Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), a joint US-Italian production, in which she was praised for her role as a former prostitute opposite Jason Robards, Charles Bronson, and Henry Fonda. Jaded with the Hollywood film industry and not wanting to become a cliché, Cardinale returned to Italian and French cinema, and garnered the David di Donatello for Best Actress award for her roles in Il giorno della civetta (1968) and as a prostitute alongside Alberto Sordi in A Girl in Australia (1971). In 1974, Cardinale met director Pasquale Squitieri, who would become her partner, and she frequently featured in his films, including I guappi (1974), Corleone (1978) and Claretta (1984), the last of which won her the Nastro d'Argento Award for Best Actress. In 1982, she starred in Werner Herzog's Fitzcarraldo as the love interest of Klaus Kinski, who raises the funds to buy a steamship in Peru. In 2010, Cardinale received the Best Actress Award at the 47th Antalya "Golden Orange" International Film Festival for her performance as an elderly Italian woman who takes in a young Turkish exchange student in Signora Enrica. Outspoken on women's rights causes over the years, Cardinale has been a UNESCO goodwill ambassador for the Defence of Women's Rights since March 2000. In February 2011, the Los Angeles Times Magazine named Cardinale among the 50 most beautiful women in film history.
2. Sandra Milo (1933 - 2024)
With an HPI of 61.30, Sandra Milo is the 2nd most famous Tunisian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 28 different languages.
Sandra Milo (born Salvatrice Elena Greco; 11 March 1933 – 29 January 2024) was an Italian actress, television personality, author, and musician. She won a Nastro d'Argento for Best Supporting Actress for each of her roles in Federico Fellini's 8½ and Juliet of the Spirits.
3. Abdellatif Kechiche (b. 1960)
With an HPI of 54.61, Abdellatif Kechiche is the 3rd most famous Tunisian Actor. His biography has been translated into 37 different languages.
Abdellatif Kechiche (French: [abdɛlatif keʃiʃ]; Arabic: عبد اللطيف كشيش, born 7 December 1960), also known as Abdel Kechiche, is a Tunisian-French film director, screenwriter and actor. He made his directorial debut in 2000 with La Faute à Voltaire, which he also wrote. Known for his naturalistic style, he has been awarded several times at the César Awards and won the Palme d’Or at the 2013 Cannes film festival for his film Blue Is the Warmest Colour.
4. Abdelmajid Lakhal (1939 - 2014)
With an HPI of 52.59, Abdelmajid Lakhal is the 4th most famous Tunisian Actor. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.
Abdelmajid Lakhal (November 29, 1939 – September 27, 2014) was a Tunisian theatre and film actor and theatre director. He was considered to be a professional and versatile interpreter. Recently, he performed classical pieces (Carlo Goldoni, Anton Chekhov) translated into Arabic, at the Municipal theatre of Tunis, which were well received. He was known on Arab Television for acting in many telefilms.
5. Hend Sabry (b. 1979)
With an HPI of 38.33, Hend Sabry is the 5th most famous Tunisian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Hend Sabry (Egyptian Arabic: هند صبرى, born 20 November 1979 Kebli, Tunisia) is a Tunisian and Egyptian actress and producer. She lives in Cairo, Egypt.
6. Poorna Jagannathan (b. 1972)
With an HPI of 36.02, Poorna Jagannathan is the 6th most famous Tunisian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.
Poorna Jagannathan ( POR-nə JAH-gə-NAH-thən; born December 22, 1972) is an American producer and actress of Indian descent. She is known for her portrayal of Safar Khan in the HBO drama miniseries The Night Of, as well as for her role as Nalini Vishwakumar in the Netflix teen comedy series Never Have I Ever (created by Mindy Kaling). Jagannathan also co-conceived, produced, and acted in the play Nirbhaya, which was considered "one of the most powerful and urgent pieces of human rights theatre ever made," and is regarded as a critical moment in India's history of women's empowerment. Jagannathan was named among the "Top 100 Most Impactful Asians" in America in 2021 and 2022 by Goldhouse. People magazine featured her in their 2024 “The Beautiful Issue” while Verve magazine named her among the top 50 most powerful women in India in 2014.
People
Pantheon has 6 people classified as Tunisian actors born between 1933 and 1979. Of these 6, 4 (66.67%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Tunisian actors include Claudia Cardinale, Abdellatif Kechiche, and Hend Sabry. The most famous deceased Tunisian actors include Sandra Milo, and Abdelmajid Lakhal. As of April 2024, 1 new Tunisian actors have been added to Pantheon including Hend Sabry.
Living Tunisian Actors
Go to all Rankings
Claudia Cardinale
1938 - Present
HPI: 75.21
Abdellatif Kechiche
1960 - Present
HPI: 54.61
Hend Sabry
1979 - Present
HPI: 38.33
Poorna Jagannathan
1972 - Present
HPI: 36.02
