May Calamawy is an Egyptian-Palestinian descent American actress. She’s best recognized for starring in Ramy (2019–) and Moon Knight (2022).
Other notable acting projects she’s involved in are The Long Road Home (2017), FBI and Madame Secretary (2018), and The Brave (2017).
Contents
Career
May Calamawy initially started her acting career in various short movies, even though her first movie was a big-screen movie entitled Yesterday (2006).
Starting from there, this Scorpio actress then expanded her wings to act in a lot of short movies, such as Temperance (2007), Santa Claus in Baghdad (2008), Hassad Al Möta (2011), and A Genie Called Gin (2012).
After getting done with college, May then tried to be a participant in the New York Arab American Comedy Festival.
Her career breakthrough began in 2013 when she became the main star of a supernatural horror movie, Djinn.
In 2017, she appeared in various television series, such as The Long Road Home, The Brave, and also Madam Secretary.
One year later, in 2018, May became a guest star actress for FBI, a crime television series that aired on CBS.
That career, then was followed by her appearance in the Hulu comedy-drama series entitled Ramy (2019).
After that, May continued her career by acting in the movie Together Together (2021) and the Disney+ series, Moon Knight (2022).
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Profile
- Real Name: May Calamawy
- Stage Name: May Calamawy
- Nickname: May
- Birthday: October 28, 1986
- Birthplace: Bahrain
- Zodiac Sign: Scorpio
- Nationality: Egyptian-Palestinian
- Religion: –
- Profession: Actress
- Education: Emerson College
- Hobbies: –
- Facebook: –
- Twitter: @maycalamawy
- Instagram: @calamawy
- TikTok: –
- YouTube: –
Height, Weight, & Physical Appearance
- Height: 170 cm (5’7″)
- Weight: 50 Kg (110 lbs)
- Blood Type: –
- Hair Color: Dark brown
- Eye Color: Dark brown
- Body Measurements: 34-25-35 (Bust -34, Waist -25, and Hips -35 inches)
- Shoe Size: 8 (US)
- Dress Size: –
Family
- Father: Mohamed Calamawy
- Mother: –
- Brother: Tamer El Calamawy
- Sister: –
Boyfriend & Dating History
May Calamawy has never revealed any relationship she’s been possibly involved in. May most likely wants to keep her personal and dating life private.
Net Worth
Multiple online sources estimated May’s net worth to be between $2 million and $3 million. She seemed to earn her income mainly through working as an actress.
Facts
- May has Palestinian descent from her mother.
- Her mother came from Jordan.
- Her father is an Egyptian.
- May lives in Doha, Qatar, and even Houston in Texas.
- She is bilingual.
- She is able to speak English and Arabic.
- May has alopecia areata, a bald spot because of a health condition, and first received that condition when she was just 12 years old.
- May completed high school in her birth country, Bahrain.
- She moved to Massachusetts to go to college because her father wanted her to.
- May has joined William Esper Studio in New York City,
- Her ideal type is…
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Movies
- Together Together (2021), as Carly
- Saeed (2019), as Sue (short movie)
- 1 Out of 30 (2019), as Fatimah (short movie)
- Passerby (2019), as Saba (short movie)
- The Bed (2019), as woman (short movie)
- Djinn (2013), as Aisha
- Moi aussi je t’aime (2013), as supporting actress (short movie)
- A Genie Called Gin (2012), as Lucy (short movie)
- Paradise Falls (2011), as Jenny (short movie)
- Hassad Al Möta (2011), as Tunnel Zombie (short movie)
- Santa Claus in Baghdad (2008), as Hala (short movie)
- Temperance (2007), as Leila (short movie)
- Thursday (2006), as Kelly Spencer
TV Series
- Moon Knight (Disney + | 2022), as Layla El-Faouly
- Ramy (Hulu | 2019-present), as Dena Hassan
- FBI (CBS | 2018), as Nita Kayali
- BKPI (2017), as Ameena
- The Long Road Home (NBC | 2017), as Faiza
- The Brave (NBC | 2017), as Mina Bayoud
- Madam Secretary (CBS | 2017), as Mona Alsnany
- Checking In (2011), as Raya
Quotes
“I am grateful to my family and friends for keeping me grounded.”
“I thought I’d be the person who would exercise daily during the lockdown, but that hasn’t been the case at all. I’ve certainly been less judgemental and gentler with myself than I would usually be though.”
“People from the Middle East ARE funny. The Arabic language leans into sarcasm heavily and especially Egyptians are just funny and fun people, and that’s something people don’t know about us.”
“As an Arab woman you struggle between wanting to go with your instincts and be “wild” (as Clarissa Pinkola Estes would say), and maintain your “reputation” within your society as decided through its interpretation of religion.”
“If my heart isn’t fully invested in something I don’t waste energy on it.”
“I’m getting more and more interested in creating stories from scratch. I have a lot to learn, but would love to produce and direct my own work one day.”
“I love finding different ways to move whether it’s working out or dancing, taking walks in nature, playing the piano and have been taking Spanish classes for nearly 5 months. I was so focused on acting and building a career for the last 5 years and now finally have the mental capacity to discover and invest in other interests.”
“I want roles that allow me to serve the greater good by representing marginalized groups, that force me to grow and learn something new, whether it’s historical or a new language or a skill.”
“I come from an upbringing that made me take as little space as possible and so I want roles that empower me as a woman to express myself fully. I also just want to have fun, collaborate with people I enjoy and grow around, and continue to connect with viewers.”
“My mom passing away when I was 25 was a pivotal moment.”
“Another [pivotal moment] was when I was 28 and living in Dubai. It had been a few years since my mom passed away, and I made the decision to leave and go back to the States to study acting again and actually pursue it. That was a pivotal moment because I was in a serious relationship at the time, and I left a lot behind in Dubai.”
“At 28, it was pretty scary because everyone around me was more in the settling down phase of their life than trying new things. There’s no guarantee with acting—in art in general. Had there been the opportunity to pursue it in the Middle East, in Dubai specifically, I would’ve stayed. But there wasn’t, so I left, went to school, and things started to happen quite fast. That was probably the best decision that I’ve made.”
“You know how big this is to an Arab family—family means everything to me. So if I can have them somewhere, I will. In the beginning it was like, “See, Dad, I’m doing it.” Now it’s no longer that. It’s more, “I’m so excited to share this with you,” because it is so novel.”
“Because of a lot of the indoctrination we go through as Arab children, I thought I was going to have four kids and a husband by a certain point. As I’ve grown, I think all of those things are wonderful, and I do want them, but I know I need to focus on my career first. Maybe that’s a bit different, but it’s better than I would’ve expected.”
“Even if I wasn’t certain I could act on it, to tell myself, “I hear you, and I trust that. I’m taking note of this.” Somewhere along my upbringing, I wasn’t taught to really focus on that part of me. So I would doubt myself a lot and look outside for a lot of external validation. But the more we nurture that side of us, the more it grows.”
“I meditate and pray. I’ve also gotten into tea ceremonies. I took a class and love them. I’ll either serve people or do it alone. It’s really a meditative experience that forces me to have a moment with myself and sit with it.”
“So much of what I read is more like self-help about being a woman.”
“I am less interested in fast fashion, more interested in thrifting.”
“I like to be comfortable. My clothes are loose. If I had a season I could wear all year round, it would be fall. I think that’s my style: Comfort is key.”
“I love being home. Now that I have a dog, Leo, I have to walk him—this was not something I thought of when I was like, “I want a dog!” Some of the longer walks have been really enjoyable.”
“A lot of the friends who’ve known me have told me, “You need to trust yourself more.””
“I do love chocolate. I put it in the freezer, and then let it just melt in my mouth.”
“I love to get people plants—not flowers, plants. They last longer. It depends on the person. If they’re busy, I’ll pick the plant that doesn’t need a lot of attention.”
“I’m a Scorpio. Scorpios, we can get deep so fast. But my rising is an Aquarius, and I feel like it pulls me out of the deep waters. My focus will jump somewhere else really quick; I’ll get bored. My moon is a Virgo. I like this stuff, but I don’t know a lot about it.”
Maya Calamawy is an exotic, special, and irresistible individual. She definitely has a lot of magnetic charm that makes people fall in love with her even more!