French actor Tahar Rahim gained recognition for his role in the 2009 French movie A Prophet, winning both the César Award for Best Actor and Most Promising Actor. He later appeared as FBI agent Ali Soufan in the miniseries The Looming Tower and played Judas in the film Mary Magdalene.
Early Life & Education
Born in Belfort, France to a family originally from Oran, Algeria, Tahar Rahim studied at the Lycée Condorcet of Belfort and obtained his Baccalauréat. He initially pursued sports and later switched to computer science courses.
Following two consecutive years of tediousness spent studying in Strasbourg and Marseille, Rahim made the decision to pursue his true passion and enrolled in film studies at Paul Valéry University in Montpellier.
His journey as a film student was captured in a documentary titled “Tahar, student” by fellow Belfortain Cyril Mennegun, which aired on the French TV channel France 5 in 2006.
After that, in 2005, Rahim relocated to Paris and enrolled in drama classes at the Laboratoire de l’Acteur with Hélène Zidi-Chéruy. To support himself, he worked in a factory during the week and at a nightclub on weekends.
Tahar Rahim’s Acting Career
Tahar Rahim experienced a rapid ascent to fame in modern French film thanks to his remarkable portrayal of Malik in Jacques Audiard’s exceptional prison drama, A Prophet (2009).
The film debuted at the Cannes Film Festival, where it earned the Grand Prix, and went on to receive the Prix Louis Delluc and nine César Awards, including Best Actor and Most Promising Actor for Rahim.
After a supporting role in the historical drama The Eagle (2011), Rahim starred in the period war films Free Men (2011) and Love and Bruises (2011), both of which premiered at major film festivals. Love and Bruises was Rahim’s first leading role in a non-European film.
Tahar Rahim remained committed to collaborating with renowned directors, taking on a leading role in the 2013 drama, The Past, by Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi.
He starred alongside Berenice Bejo and Ali Mosaffa, and the film received both the Best Actress award (for Bejo) and the Ecumenical Jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
He also appeared in another critically acclaimed film, Grand Central (2013), directed by Rebecca Zlotowski and co-starring Léa Seydoux. For his performance, Rahim was nominated for Best Actor at the Lumières Awards.
In 2013, Tahar Rahim appeared alongside Gilles Lellouche in the crime thriller The Informant, directed by Julien Leclercq. The following year, he took on a challenging lead role in The Cut, a drama about the Armenian genocide directed by Fatih Akin.
The film also starred Simon Akbarian, Hindi Zahra, and Arsinée Khanjian, and was screened in the Golden Lion competition at the Venice Film Festival.
Tahar Rahim started to transition into English-language films when Lone Scherfig chose him to be part of the cast for The Kindness of Strangers (2019), alongside Zoe Kazan, Esben Smed, Andrea Riseborough, Caleb Landry Jones, and Bill Nighy.
Despite premiering at the Berlin Film Festival, the film was met with negative reviews. Tahar Rahim’s powerful performance in The Mauritanian (2021), in which he starred alongside Jodie Foster, Shailene Woodley, and Benedict Cumberbatch.
The movie received widespread praise and earned him Best Actor nominations from the Golden Globes and BAFTA Awards. The film, which was only released in select theaters, made $7.5 million in box office sales.
Ridley Scott handpicked Tahar Rahim to join forces with Joaquin Phoenix once again for the role of Paul Barras in the highly anticipated film Napoleon (2023), which boasts a massive budget of $200 million.
Additionally, Rahim made his debut in a Marvel movie as Ezekiel Sims in Madame Web (2024), directed by S.J. Clarkson. He joined a talented cast including Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O’Connor, and Isabella Merced.
In 2024, Tahar Rahim returned to his roots in French cinema by accepting the challenging part of Charles Aznavour, a singer, songwriter, and actor, in the musical biography film “Monsieur Aznavour.” The movie was written and directed by Mehdi Idir and Grand Corps Malade and starred Soufiane Guerrab and Bastien Bouillon.
Personal Life
Tahar Rahim and Leïla Bekhti have been happily married since 2007. Both French actors tied the knot after meeting on the set of A Prophet in 2007. They are now proud parents of four children.
Net Worth
Tahar Rahim is rapidly appending English titles to the extensive catalog of projects in which he features, such as the recently premiered Netflix limited series The Serpent, in which he portrays notorious murderer Charles Sobhraj.
Given Rahim’s unwavering dedication to embodying complex roles, it is hardly shocking that he boasts a net worth of $4 million.
