Tahar Rahim is a man with a recognizable face. The French actor has appeared in many of the films that make such a mark on the entertainment industry, and it’s why his fans are so into his work. He’s also been in the business for a long time, which makes it hard to forget his face. The only thing that many of his fans don’t know is much about his life. They know his work, they recognize his talent, but they don’t know much about who he is and where he came from. The French actor has led a fascinating life, and it’s worth getting to know a little bit about.
1. He’s Almost 40
Tahar Rahim is a man who was born in the very early 80s. His birthday is July 4, 1981, which means on Independence Day in the U.S., he will celebrate his 40th birthday in 2021. It’s a big birthday year, and it’s one we imagine he’s excited to celebrate.
2. He’s Married
He met his wife, French actress Leila Bekhit back in 2007. They worked together on a project called “The Prophecy,” and it seems they didn’t bother to look back after that. They were wed in 2010, and since they’ve had two children. Their son was born in 2017 and their daughter was born in 2020.
3. He’s from France
Rahim was born and raised in France. He’s from a small town called Belfort, but his family did not originally come from France. In fact, his family actually immigrated from Algeria from a small town called Oran. One fun fact is that while he is both French and Algerian, so is his wife. Her family is also from Algeria and later came to France.
4. He Didn’t Love College
Some do, some don’t; some do it because it’s the option that they feel they have to choose. He chose college, but he spent years bored. He first studied subjects such as sports and then computer science. He was bored. It did nothing for him. He then decided to enroll at the Paul Valery University of Montpellier and study the art of film. That was a different situation for him. He loved it, and he made it work.
5. His Life is a Documentary
The one thing that many people don’t know about Rahim is that his time in film school was actually turned into a documentary. It’s called “Tahar, student,” and it was on a French television channel as long ago as 2006.
6. He Worked to Make Ends Meet
During his time in Paris, he was hoping to land a job as an actor. He did everything he could to get to auditions, to find work, to be discovered. However, he had to make money in the process, so he worked a few odd jobs. He was a nightclub employee on busy nights, and he found work at a factory during the week when the club wasn’t open.
7. He Took on A Controversial Role
In 2020, filming of his new movie “The Serpent,” was interrupted because of a global pandemic. In the film, which had to be paused for five months and then filmed not in the original location in Thailand but a lot closer to home in a small town, is about the life of Charles Sobhraj, a real-life murderer who killed at least 10 people backpacking through Asia. He took on the role of the killer, but he sees the killer as an animal and not a real person.
8. This Role Was Hard on Him
His coworkers describe him as a very dynamic and outgoing kind of guy with a quick smile and a lot of energy, but playing the Serpent meant he had to be quiet, still, and only move when necessary. The killer never smiled, and he’s everything a person wants to avoid being in life. When he played the role of this man, he had to go to the gym on a regular basis and try to work off the energy that the character provided because it was such a dark energy. His costars barely recognized him as this character.
9. He Comes From a Large Family
Something so many of his fans don’t realize is that he comes from a large family. Now, large is a relative term. Some people believe anything other than a family of four is a big family, but this is a man who comes from a family of 10 siblings. Yes, you heard that correctly; he is the youngest of ten kids in his own family.
10. His Work Ethic is Second to None
One thing that has always been said about the actor is that he’s got the most amazing work ethic. That he is willing to work, to work hard, to work harder, and to do anything it takes to make sure the job is done not only correctly, but better than anyone would have imagined. That’s something to look up to.
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