tahar rahim© Photo: Getty Images

Everything you need to know about the star of BBC's The Serpent, Tahar Rahim

Meet the actor behind the chilling role here

TV & Film Writer
February 7, 2021

The Serpent has both shocked and engrossed viewers over the last month, not least because of lead actor Tahar Rahim's chilling portrayal of killer and con man Charles Sobhraj.

MORE: The Serpent: Where is Charles Sobhraj now?

But what do you know about the actor behind the role? While the gripping BBC drama may be the first time the actor has graced UK television, he's actually been working for more than a decade. Get to know the actor - and now Golden Globe nominee - here...

WATCH: Have you been watching The Serpent?

Who is Tahar Rahim?

Tahar Rahim is a French actor best known for his role in BBC One's The Serpent. Raised by Algerian parents, the 39-year-old actor is fluent in English, French and Arabic. He rose to fame starring in the BAFTA-winning French-language film A Prophet but is also known for his roles in the US series A Looming Tower and the film Mary Magdalene, which he starred in alongside Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara.

Is Tahar Rahim married?

Tahar Rahim is married to fellow French actress Leïla Bekhti. Like her husband, Leïla, 36, is of Algerian descent and is a well-known actress of television and film in France.

© Photo: Getty Images

Tahar tied the knot with fellow French actress Leïla Bekhti in 2010

The two met while appearing in the crime drama A Prophet together. At the time, Tahar was 26 while Leïla was 23. The two tied the knot in 2010 after three years of dating. In 2017, they welcomed their first child together, a boy named Souleymane. Last year they became a family of four with the arrival of a second child, a daughter.

MORE: Where is The Serpent's Nadine Gires now?

MORE: Real life Herman Knippenberg details how accurate The Serpent is to true events

MORE: Where is The Serpent character Marie-Andrée Leclerc now?

What will Tahar Rahim star in next?

While Tahar Rahim has been wowing British audiences with his turn as the cold-blooded serial killer Charles Sobhraj in BBC One's The Serpent, across the pond he's been making waves for another role.

He stars in the upcoming legal drama The Mauritanian, which will be released in the UK on 26 February 2021. The film, which also stars Jodie Foster, Benedict Cumberbatch and Shailene Woodley, tells the shocking true story of a man held without charge at Guantanamo Bay for fourteen years.

© EPK TV / Graham Bartholomew

Tahar and Jodie Foster in The Mauritanian

Speaking about his role in the film, which recently earned him a Best Actor Golden Globe nomination, Tahar told The Hollywood Reporter: "I thought it was really interesting to tell the story in this perspective, in a humanistic way. Plus, the [script] was so moving, and I could almost see the movie [in my head].

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