Marie-Lou Nahhas

Marie-Lou Nahhas (Arabic: ماري لو نحاس‎;) (b. 1989) is a Lebanese American actress, model, and activist best known for playing Egyptian-born inmate Shani Abboud on Season 7 of Orange Is the New Black.[1] Nahhas gained global recognition and earned an International Fan base after Season 7 aired on Netflix in July 2019. She was a finalist for Miss Lebanon 2012.[2][3][4]

Personal life

Nahhas was born in Beirut on Sept. 7. As a teen, she moved with her family to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She eventually attended the University of Pittsburgh where she earned her undergraduate degree in biology. She then attended Duquesne University, where she earned a Master's degree in public health while completing her acting studies in addition to working on various movie sets. She then moved to NYC to pursue her acting career professionally in the theatre and Cinema [5] Nahhas speaks four languages: English, French, Spanish, and Arabic.[3]

Activism
  • In 2019, it was announced that Nahhas would be participating in Dubai's STEP Conference 2020, a tech festival for start-ups, finance, and entrepreneurship.[6] She is set to speak as part of the conference's speakers line-up.
  • Nahhas is vocal about ending female genital mutilation, visiting with victims in Africa, particularly in Ethiopia’s Afar region, with the United Nations Population Fund and posting regularly on her social media about positive progress made to eliminate the practice.[7] Nahhas's character on Orange Is the New Black, Shani, was a victim of female genital mutilation.[7]
  • Nahhas has attended Global Lyme Alliance's annual New York gala to benefit Lyme disease research.[8]

Filmography

Films
Year Title Role
2015 Southpaw Mrs. Miguel
2016 Craig Quits His Day Job Nadia

TV Series
Year Title Role
2018 The Looming Tower Muslim woman
2018 Madam Secretary Interpreter
2019 Orange Is the New Black Shani Abboud

References
  1. Fernandez, Maria Elena (July 29, 2019). "Why Orange Is the New Black Brought the Immigration Crisis to Litchfield". Vulture.
  2. "Marie-Lou Nahas is wearing a beautiful Marchesa gown". Miss Lebanon – Facebook. 29 September 2012.
  3. "Meet the Lebanese actress behind OITNB's new Egyptian character". StepFeed. 8 August 2018.
  4. "Marie Lou Nahhas: The Lebanese Actress Making Waves on Netflix". About Her. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  5. "Who Plays Shani On 'OITNB'? Marie-Lou Nahhas Is A New Face In TV". Romper. 26 July 2019.
  6. "Actress, Model, Activist".
  7. "OITNB's Marie-Lou Nahhas Meets Survivors of Female Genital Mutilation". October 21, 2019.
  8. "Marie-Lou Nahhas attends the Global Lyme Alliance fifth annual New..." Getty Images.
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