May Calamawy

May El Calamawy, (Arabic: مي القلماوي; born October 28, 1986) is an Egyptian-Palestinian actress living in the United States since 2015. She is known for her roles as Dena Hassan in the American TV series Ramy and Layla El-Faouly in Moon Knight.

Filmography

Movies

• 2006 — Thursday — Kelly Spencer
• 2007 — Temperance — Leila
• 2008 — Santa Claus in Baghdad — Still
• 2011 — Hassad Al Möta — Tunnel Zombie
• 2011 — Paradise Falls — Jenny
• 2012 — A Genie Called Gin — Lucy
• 2013 — Djinn — Aisha
• 2013 — Moi aussi je t'aime
• 2019 — The Bed — Woman
• 2019 — Passerby — Saba
• 2019 — 1 Out of 30 — Fatimah
• 2019 — Saeed — Sue
• 2021 — Together Together — Carly
• 2021 — Meet Cute — Girl

Television

• 2011 — Checking In — Raya
• 2017 — Madam Secretary — Mona Alsnany
• 2017 — The Brave — Mina Bayoud
• 2017 — The Long Road Home — Faiza
• 2017 — BKPI — Ameena
• 2018 — FBI — Nita Kayali
• 2019–present — Ramy — Dena Hassan
• 2022 — Moon Knight — Layla El-Faouly

video games

• 2020 — NBA 2K21 — Ellie Malik — Voice

May Calamawy was born in Bahrain on October 28, 1986. The daughter of an Egyptian father and a mother of Palestinian and Jordanian descent, Calamawy grew up in a multicultural environment and spent her childhood mainly in Bahrain. The talented actress, whose interest in acting was shaped at an early age, moved to the United States after her high school education.

After studying theater and acting at Emerson College in Boston, he deepened his studies at the prestigious William Esper Studio in New York and put his art on a professional basis.

Calamawy, who started her career in front of the camera with various short films, had her first feature film experience with the supernatural horror film "Djinn" (2013), directed by Tobe Hooper and shot in the United Arab Emirates. He took his first notable steps in the television world with guest roles in series such as "The Brave" and "Madame Secretary".

But the first big breakthrough that truly brought him to prominence in the industry and made him widely known was Hulu's comedy-drama series "Ramy" (2019-present), which received critical acclaim and won a Golden Globe. Her performance in this series, where she played the character of Ramy Youssef's sister Dena Hassan; It received critical acclaim for reflecting a young Middle Eastern-American woman's search for identity, cultural expectations, and the challenges of modern life in a sincere and humorous manner.

The project that turned May Calamawy into a global star and gave her a real explosion in her career was the popular 2022 Disney + series "Moon Knight", in which she stepped into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). She played the character of the stubborn and brave archaeologist Layla El-Faouly in this fantasy action series, in which she shared the leading roles with Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke.

The actress, who took on the identity of "Scarlet Scarab" at the turning points of the series and made history as the first Arab superhero on Marvel screens; He gained a huge fan base around the world with his success in physical action scenes, charisma and the emotional depth he brought to the character.

Before and after the international fame brought by the "Moon Knight" series, he also appeared in independent films such as "Together Together" (2021), proving his versatility in the drama and comedy genres. May Calamawy, who has become one of the most sought-after names in Hollywood and crowned her rising career momentum with huge budget productions such as legendary director Ridley Scott's epic sequel "Gladiator II" (2024); He continues to produce as one of the most remarkable talents of today's cinema and television world, with his determined stance and strong performances, bringing the cultural heritage from his roots to modern cinema.

Productions in which he took part

He took part in a total of 28 productions; 12 of the most well-known are listed.

• FBI (2018) — Nita Kayali
• Madam Secretary (2014) — Mona Alsnany
• Lee Cronin's The Mummy (2026) — Detective Dalia Zaki
• Marvel Moon Girl and the giant dinosaur (2023) — Fawzia (voice)
• Moon Knight (2022) — Layla El-Faouly
• Gladiator II (2024) — Macrinus' Companion (uncredited)
• Ramy (2019) — Dena
• The Long Road Home (2017) — Faiza
• With You (2021) — Carly
• Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Moon Knight (2022) — Self - Layla El-Faouly
• Mercenary: An Extraction Series — Priscilla Ragab
• The Actor (2025)

Production and imprint information was taken from TMDB.