Waleed Zuaiter

Personal context

Summary

Waleed Zuaiter is a Palestinian-American actor and producer whose work includes Omar, Homeland, and Baghdad Central. He has described wanting people to know he is Palestinian and has spoken about pressure to identify as Jordanian or Lebanese instead; he also helped fund Omar largely through Palestinian investment, aiming to support Palestinian filmmakers and economic independence. Zuaiter has discussed Arab actors’ typecasting and the importance of telling Iraq’s story from an Iraqi perspective, and declined a role as an ISIS leader after feeling it would reinforce damaging portrayals. No public DEI roles, party affiliations, or campaign support are on record.