Laith Nakli

I was born in England to Syrian parents and grew up till my late teens in Damascus, Syria. After watching King Kong as a little boy, my fascination with movies began. At 12, I knew that I wanted to come to America and pursue a dream that seemed impossible — becoming an actor. At 19, the first leg of my dream came true, when I arrived in New York.

Being in an environment that I only knew from movies was much harder than I thought. Having no direction and faced with the reality of survival in New York I stopped my pursuit before it began. Lost in New York, trying to find the best acting school, I never gave up. My search was over in 2001.

I was accepted at the William Esper Studio program, in which I studied for four years under the tutelage of Mr. William Esper.

At the same time I was acquiring the craft, I was immersed in my writing after a recurring encounter with one of my greatest influences, Quentin Tarantino, and was encouraged by him to write. I completed my first screenplay right after. A short film that I wrote, Jihad For Peace, is currently in pre-production with a Fall date shoot.

As for my acting, I has a recurring role on Third Watch, a role on Law and Order - Criminal Intent, The Sopranos and was just cast in the Warner Bros. Film, The Last New Yorker.