It was a candid conversation between a teenaged Noof Ousellam and his brother that changed the course of his life, when Noof decided to give up his initial plan of an army career to focus on acting. And he hasn’t looked back since. Of Moroccan descent, Noof’s family moved to the infamous Leith Fort in Edinburgh when he was 11 years old. Notorious for its gang culture, drug addiction and antisocial behaviour, the Fort proved to be a difficult place to live for the only ethnic family on the estate. This made Noof’s 2016 casting as series regular, DC Hicham Cherradi, in Vera (ITV), alongside the likes of BAFTA-winner Brenda Blethyn, all the sweeter.
Previously, he had had notable roles in Taggart (ITV), Holby City (BBC) and feature film Leave to Remain (2013), but it was Vera that put the Scottish actor firmly on the mainstream map. He went on to appear in four-part miniseries Guilt (BBC Two) and true-life drama The Cure (Channel 4) about the 2008 Stafford District General Hospital scandal.
Since then, Noof’s added more impressive credits, including recurring roles in Star Wars series Andor (Disney+) and season two of police procedural Vigil (BBC One). In 2024, he appeared in season three of Bridgerton (Netflix) and the recent reboot of Rebus (BBC One), with Richard Rankin cast in the title role. He is currently filming The Undertow, a new crime noir, for Netflix, with Jamie Dornan and Mackenzie Davis. Somehow he also found the time to star in two short films, The Leerie (2022) and Pop (tba), having already dabbled in writing and directing his own shorts.
For the stage, Noof’s recent work includes Tom Stoppard’s Olivier-winning Leopolstadt (Wyndham Theatre), Baghdaddy (Royal Court) and Macbeth (Donmar Warehouse).
Noof is represented by Sophie Holden at Curtis Brown.
Talent Agent UK:
Curtis Brown Group
curtisbrown.co.uk
+44 20 7393 4400
Sophie Holden
[email protected]