Mena Massoud is an Egyptian-born Canadian actor renowned for portraying the protagonist Aladdin in Disney's musical fantasy film Aladdin in 2019. He shared the screen alongside Will Smith, who played Genie, and Naomi Scott, who played Sultan's daughter Jasmine.

Massoud Was Born in Egypt and Raised in Canada

Massoud was born on September 17, 1991, in Cairo, Egypt, to Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Christian parents. The actor also has two older sisters in his family.

When he was three and half years old, he and his family emigrated to Toronto, Canada, and spent the rest of his early life.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Mena Massoud (@menamassoud)

Speaking to NPR's Susan Davis in May 2019, Massoud stated that he was still very close to his Egyptian culture and birthplace.

He further revealed that the whole idea to emigrate from Egypt to Canada was because his parents thought things were getting dangerous, and they wanted to create a better life for their family.

We're - we're Coptic Christian. And my parents just felt like things were getting a little too dangerous when I was growing up. And they wanted to create a better life for their family. So they decided to immigrate.

Growing up in Markham, Ontario, the Run This Town actor studied at St. Brother André Catholic High School.

Massoud graduated from the Ryerson University and has a Bachelor's Degree in Theater and Acting.

He Is Allegedly Single

The Aladdin star is allegedly single at present. He has not dropped any hints of having a girlfriend or wife so far, either in his interviews or social media accounts.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Mena Massoud (@menamassoud)

But he reportedly dated Carly Sellen sometime before July 2017.

Massoud was also rumored to be gay on the internet, but the news is just baseless and holds no truth.

He Started His Career in the Early 2010s

Massoud made his onscreen debut in 2011 when he made a guest appearance as a member of Al-Qaeda on The CW series, Nikita.

The same year he also appeared in a few other television series, including Combat Hospital, Poser, and The 99. In the series The 99, he played a prominent role of Hafiz the Preserver, appearing in 25 episodes. 

Following that, he was cast in notable projects alongside renowned actors. He shared the screen with Tori Anderson and Karis Cameron in 2015's television series Open Heart.

He also starred alongside John Krasinski and Wendell Pierce in Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan in 2018.

His breakthrough role came in 2017 when he was cast as the lead actor for Disney's film Aladdin alongside actor Smith. The movie, a live-action adaption of the animated film of the same name, was released in May 2019.

Massoud received a Teen Choice Award nomination and two National Film & TV Award nominations for his performance.

The movie's success led him to play another main role of Ethan Hart in the Hulu original series Reprisal in 2019. In the same year, he also starred as Chaz in the thriller film Strange but True and Kamal in the drama film Run This Town.

As of this writing, Massoud is associated with three projects which are yet to get released. The projects are Netflix's feature film The Royal Treatment, In Broad Daylight, and Lamya's Poem.