‘Homeland,’ ‘House of David’ actor was 72
Mohammad Bakri, a prominent Palestinian actor and director known for his work in “Homeland” and the 1984 Oscar-nominated drama “Beyond the Walls,” died Dec. 24 in Israel. He was 72.
CNN and other media reported that Bakri was suffering from heart problems. As an actor, he can currently be seen in Season 2 of ‘House of David’, the biblical drama from Amazon Prime Video and the Wonder Project. Bakri plays the king of Edom.
Bakri was known for consistently exploring the complexities of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and themes of oppression and liberation in his work. He was a commanding presence on screen with a stentorian tone to match. In Homeland, he played the fictional vice president of Afghanistan who kept Claire Danes’ CIA agent Carrie Mathison on her toes with his shifting alliances and motivations.
Bakri was born in northern Israel. “Bakri’s funeral took place the same day in his hometown of al-Bi’neh,” CNN reported.
As an actor, Bakri rose to fame with his work in the 1984 Israeli drama ‘Beyond the Walls’, an intense prison drama. The film received an Oscar nomination for best foreign language film.
As a director, Bakri was known for the 2003 documentary “Jenin, Jenin,” which captured the stories of Palestinian refugees during a period of conflict and violent attacks by the Israeli army. The film was banned in Israel. He waged a long legal battle against the ban, but the film was rejected by Israel’s Supreme Court in 2022, according to CNN.
Bakri also directed the 2005 documentary ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’, about the life and work of the Arab author and politician Emile Habibi.
Bakri’s numerous TV and film credits also include supporting roles in HBO’s ‘The Night Of’, FX’s ‘Tyrant’, Peacock’s ‘Those About to Die’, 2025’s ‘All That’s Left of You’, 2022’s ‘The Cairo Conspiracy’, 2021’s ‘The Stranger’, 2017’s ‘Wajib’ and 2010’s ‘The Flowers of Kirkuk’.
