Dina Shihabi is one actress who made it to the biggest stage in the show business, coming from a place where people do not usually associate her gender with exploits in the entertainment world. Since she attained enviable heights in Hollywood, she has become an inspiration to other people not just in her home country but all over the world where there are faced with challenges going forward just because of who they are, where they come from, and the direction they face while playing.
This is not a Zen piece. Here are all the facts you need to know about Shihabi.
1. Dina Shihabi was born in Saudi Arabia
Dina Shihabi was born in Riyadh Saudi Arabia. Her father is half-Saudi, half-Norwegian, while her mother is half-Palestinian, half-German, and Haitian. Dina was largely raised in Beirut and Dubai. The television was her babysitter as she grew up watching films.
Dina picked interest in dancing and when turned 11, she became a member of a modern professional dance team after taking lessons from a certain dancing queen known as Sharmilla Kamte at the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre Chaloub Studio.
While in Dubai she attended three schools namely; Al Mawakeb School, Emirates International School, and Dubai American Academy. She participated in various school plays and one of her teachers, Nancy Mock encouraged her to pursue acting as a career job.
Dina Shihabi will be 30 years old by September 22, 2019. She was born in 1989.
2. She moved to New York at the age of 18
Dina Shihabi moved to a big rich town at the age of 18 with her father’s consent. It was not an easy relocation but it was necessary for her career advancement. Her breakthrough in Hollywood did not happen at the snap of a finger.
For two years, she studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, before moving to the Juilliard School in 2001. Dina also did a graduate acting program at NYU Tisch School for Arts, however, she was supposed to possess a Bachelor’s degree as a requirement before her admission, but NYU waived the B.A requirement for her and she graduated with her MFA in 2014.
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Dina made history by becoming the first woman from middle-east to be accepted at the Juilliard and NYU Graduate Acting programs.
3. Dina Shihabi made her acting debut in 2011
While she was at the Tisch School, she appeared in the film “David” as Aisha in a minor role. Her full industry breakthrough did not come until later in 2014 when she appeared in the romantic comedy film “Amira & Sam” as Amira Jafari.
The film tells a story of a young girl (Amira) an illegal immigrant from Iraq, who was busted for selling bootlegged films in a corner in New York and has no place to stay after her father’s death save for her uncle’s house Bassam.
It was in her uncle’s house that she found love in the eyes of Sam, a soldier who served in the Afghanistan and Iraqi wars. While it was clear she loves Sam, she had to deal with trust issues because her brother was killed by an American bomb in the war Sam fought. The film received positive reviews enough to convince Dina that she was on the right track.
She also appeared in the films “Cigarette Soup” and “Cul-de-Sac” which happens to be a short film. Dina landed the role Hanin Suleiman in the political web series “Jack Ryan”.
In 2019, she was in the comedy-drama web series “Ramy” and she joined the main cast for the 2020 science fiction web series “Altered Carbon”.
In January 2020, “Archive 81”, a horror movie developed by Rebecca Sonnenshine who also exec produced. Shihabi played the role of Melody Pendras, a documentarian presumed to be missing on earth but trapped in the Otherworld since 1994. She featured in all eight episodes of the well-received series.
The second season is expected to be announced as the podcast that inspired the show is three-season.
4. She has a decent net worth
Dina Shihabi has a growing net worth. From a little corner in Riyadh Saudi Arabia down to the streets in Dubai, and across the Atlantic Ocean to America, Dina is fulfilling her dream of becoming an actress. But passion is a passion and doesn’t pay bills. How much is her net worth?
Dina has a net worth of 3 million dollars (don’t quote us).
She is still young in the acting business and hopefully, she will have that big breakout role that will make her an A-list actress.
5. Dina Shihabi is not married
All that beauty and Dina is not married? Men in Hollywood must be blind, but love is blind itself. The actor is currently single as she has not disclosed getting involved romantically with anyone in or outside Hollywood. She is thirty, there is no rush.
Image Source: Abouther
