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Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Gender

Male

Birthday

1954-11-07

Place of Birth

Aleppo, Syria

Bassam Kousa

Biography

A prominent film and television actor in the Arab world, Bassam Kousa is known for his unconventional roles and his willingness to push the boundaries. Born in Aleppo, Syria on November 7, 1963, Kousa broke into the public consciousness with a string of prominent roles in Syrian TV shows such as ‘Ayyam Shamiyah’. One of his most popular roles was on ‘Bab Al Hara’, one of the most-watched TV shows in the Arab region. Although he only appeared in the first season of the show, his character, Idaghshiri, became instantly identifiable to an audience stretching from Gaza to the Arabian Gulf. Kousa has also acted in a number of feature films, including Usama Muhammad’s ‘The Box of Life’, which was screened at the 2002 Cannes Festival winning the Un Certain Regard award. In 2010, Kousa won the prestigious Adonia award, Syria’s version of the Emmys, for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his role in ‘Wara’a al Shams’. In the show, Kousa plays a man struggling with autism, a controversial role that has raised eyebrows in a traditionally conservative region. A passionate supporter of the Arab film industry, Kousa has called for a shift in perceptions in the Arab world, with a number of people still considering acting as an ‘immoral’ profession. He has said that in order to change perceptions, cultural establishments in the public and private sectors should cooperate to raise awareness on art as a form of entertainment and enlightenment. During a recent visit to Amman, he was honoured by the Royal Film Commission, who screened three of his films.

Known for

Bab Al-Hara

Bab Al-Hara

A modern classic of Arab television. A social drama set in the 1920s in Damascus- It highlights Damascene life, noble values, and ancient customs and traditions represented by the people of Harat al-Dabeh who fled to Harat al-Salihiyah after the French bombed Harat al-Dabeh. The events take place after the gold is stolen from the house of the cloth merchant Abu Ibrahim, and the guard Abu al-Samu is killed. The men of the neighborhood try to find the thief.

They Asked Me

They Asked Me

They Asked Me is an entertainment program and contains a variety of useful paragraphs and provides information and facts in a fun and interesting narrative way, presented in the nineties of the last century, which is presented by the distinguished media Sherif Alami, They Asked Me is a well-known and distinctive program in Jordan, ancient and modern, and it has a great herbal "

People of Love

People of Love

The series revolves around failed love stories as a result of a compelling circumstance or because of a social or financial problem or a problem related to religion so that the audience develops a state of sympathy with the series characters In each episode the series presents a separate station from the other detailing a glowing love relationship that was extinguished by various circumstances

Al Zeer Salem

Al Zeer Salem

Chronicling the Basus War between two Arabian tribes and their allies, the drama follows the emergence of renowned Arab figure, Al Zeer Salem.

The Four Seasons

The Four Seasons

Damascus in the late 1990s. Kareem and Nabila are raising five very different daughters — each with her own personality, ambitions and complications — alongside a scene-stealing aunt Jamila. Every episode centres on a family issue that brings everyone together to argue, laugh and muddle through. Warm, witty and deeply rooted in Syrian daily life, it remains one of the most beloved family comedies in Syrian television history. Stars Jamal Suleiman and Khaled Taja.

Al-Hout

Al-Hout

A drama series that tells the story of the coastal environment during the era of the French mandate in Syria, especially the environment of fishermen in light of the exploitation and greed of some people and the bitter struggle of others against the French occupier.

Al Khawali

Al Khawali

The story of Nassar Ibn Oraibi, a fighter against injustice, that sheds light on the life in the Damascus neighborhood and the role of one woman who becomes responsible for the house and her four daughters in light of her husband's absence during the Hajj.

Spotlight

Spotlight

Spotlight, a Syrian social series, presents separate stories in various drama and comedy episodes of public life, and critically sheds light on political differences in Syria. The series has been airing since 2001 and consists of 15 parts

Behind Bars

Behind Bars

Naji Saeed is a ruthless Damascus businessman who built his empire by climbing over everyone beneath him. When Nader — desperate and naive — walks into his orbit seeking money, he finds there's no clean way back out. A Syrian social drama that traces how class, greed and moral compromise trap people in invisible prisons long before any actual bars appear. Starring Bassam Kousa, Bassem Yakhour and Sulafa Mimar. Directed by Allaith Hajjo.

Layali Al-Salehiya

Layali Al-Salehiya

A man entrusts Abu Al Makhraz with a huge sum of money and disappears. When Abu Al Makhraz dies, his family finds themselves pitted against his relatives.

The Hero

The Hero

After risking his life to pull a teenager from the clutches of a fatal fire, a middle-aged man becomes a local hero – only to find himself amidst an inevitable power battle against a cunning thug.

Asr Aljonoon

Asr Aljonoon

Mona and Zainab deal with different types of social pressure as one runs away to avoid an arranged marriage, and the other decides to raise a lost boy.

The Age of Shame

The Age of Shame

Having spent most of her 20s taking care of her sick mother and her family's household, a sexually repressed woman elopes and has to face the hypocrisies of middle eastern society.

Steelyard banknote

Steelyard banknote

The events of the series take place inside (Al-Hal Market) in the capital (Damascus), highlighting the conditions of the Syrians, through the story of the (Noman Al-Zeer) family and the events and problems they are exposed to.

Law, However

Law, However

The series explores the difficult circumstances faced by people from diverse backgrounds and professions, including a university professor, a new journalist, a low-income employee, and others. The central character is the general manager of a large, responsible construction company, where the potential for illicit gain is significant. He is a fickle man, a master of manipulation, who feigns honor and morality because he respects the law out of sheer fear of it—the core premise of the show. The series unfolds in a satirical, socially relevant, and humorous style, relying on witty situations to elicit a smile.