Hani's movies

Born in Egypt in July 1977, Hani Salama grew up in Kuwait and went back to Egypt upon graduating from school to enrol in computer science at the Modern Academy in Cairo.

His break into Egyptian cinema came in 1997 when he saw an advertisement for new actors, and was eventually selected to play a part in veteran director Youssuf Shaheen's Al Maseer (The Fate), his debut.

Set in 12th century Arab-ruled Andalusia, the movie features the appointment of renowned philosopher Ibn Rushd (Averros) as grand judge, and his eventual exile due to his perceived liberal judgments.

Another hit for Salama was director Tarek Al Eryan's Al Assifa (The Storm), about life as a teenager during the first Gulf War, which proved to be popular with his female fans. In the movie, two brothers, Ali and Naji, find themselves on different sides of the war.

His first lead male role came in 2001 alongside Hala Shiha in Elsellem wel Te'ban (The Ladder and the Snake), a romantic drama about love, relationships and breakups, set in present day Cairo.

That year was relatively busy for Salama, when another movie starring the young Egyptian actor was released. Ashab Wala Business (Friends or Business) dealt with competition at work among good friends. In the movie, Salama worked with Lebanese actress Nour for the very first time, and also with Egyptian singer Mustafa Amar.

In 2003, Salama starred in Ezzay Tekhali Al-Banat Tehebak (How to Make Girls Love You), about a group of college students who get scholarships to study in Switzerland, alongside Somaya Khashab, Hend Sabry and Nour.

In the 2004 movie Enta Omry (You are my Life), Salama played a relatively new role as Youssuf, a husband and father who falls in love with a woman who helps him fight a cancer his family does not know about.

In his latest movie, Ouija, Salama again played a lead role in the mystery/horror movie.