Bashar Mounzer Rahal is the second child to a Bulgarian mother Mariana
Rahal - an interior designer and Lebanese father Mounzer Rahal - an
OB/GYN. The family moved back to Bulgaria when Bashar was only 6 years
old. He first started acting in TV sketches when he was 12. At the age
of 14 he became a member of a professional theater group, called "Tears
and Laughs", with which he took part in more than 15 performances
including Shakespeare and Chekhov. He attended numerous international
festivals, including the ones in Avignon, France and Thun, Switzerland
among others. His first big screen role at the age of 15 was in 1952:
Ivan i Aleksandra (1989) which was followed by more TV and Film
appearances. After graduating from The First English Language High
School in Sofia, Bashar attended the National Academy of Theater and
Film Art, where he received his Masters in Dramatic Arts. Shortly after
graduation he was accepted as a permanent member of the national youth
theatre and was a guest actor at The National Theatre Sofia Bulgaria.
For the next couple of years Bashar appeared in over 25 different TV
comedy shows, but became most popular with the hit TV show "It Can't
Be"equivalent of SNL ,created & directed by Nellie Andreeva .The show
won " Golden Melon", for best comedy show - the most prestigious TV
award in Bulgaria. In 1997 Bashar hosted "The Late Night Show" on
Channel 3 Sofia , where he met his co-host and future wife Kalina
Rahal. In 1999 the couple moved to California so that Bashar could
pursue his acting career. He was granted Alien of Extra Ordinary
ability as an actor. He is a graduate from the Lee Strasberg Theatre
and Film Institute in Los Angeles. For a long time he was considered to
play Azamat Bagatov in Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make
Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Initially Bashar was not
considered to play in Joshua Seftel's Political Satire War ,Inc. but
the producers Danny Lerner and Les Weldon convinced both John Cusack
and the Director Seftel that he is the best choice for the part. After
the end of the shooting Cusack and Seftel admitted that Bashar had
developed the best character. Later Danny Lerner casted Bashar as a
lead in his upcoming action movie Direct Contact. Recently he was
casted to play Boris in Dominic Sena's "Whiteout",starring Kate
Beckinsale.
