From a dusty town at the mouth of the Nile to an acting career that would make anyone jealous, Amir Aboulela has come a long way, baby. As the fifth of six children growing up in Egypt, you wouldn't expect him to get as far as starring in a movie with Pamela Anderson Lee (something that would make any man drool with envy), however, the movie 'Barb Wire' is only one of the movies on his resume'. 

The first three years of his life were spent in a little town called Alexandria at the mouth of the Nile River. His earliest memories include playing along the side of the river, chasing the little crabs that darted through the water.

"I can...remember the bright blue water rushing up over the pure white sand on the beach," Aboulela says fondly, recalling his days in Mersmatrueh, a small resort near his home. "When I was about three, we moved to College Station, TX., then to Bryan, TX., until we finally settled in in the Dallas/Fort Worth area when I was about five." Aboulela called this home until after high school, when he moved to Arlington to attend college.

Amir's acting career started early. He was cast in the role of Joseph in a nativity scene in nursery school, and his love of acting blossomed and grew from there. Even before he was cast in movie and TV roles, Amir learned that acting could get him out of things like school, and he had always enjoyed dressing up as other people. "I have to scratch and claw for every little break I can get," he says when asked about finding the right character to play. "{My agents} have these ideas about casting me in the role of a leading man because most leading actors have thicker track records than I do." 

Leading man or not, Amir aquitted himself well in roles like 'Rick' in the movie Friction, followed by Barb Wire and 'Young Karlof' in Gods and Monsters. 

In his spare time (which is getting less and less these days because of interviews and casting calls), Amir likes to watch baseball, football, and movies. Staying in touch with family and keeping a good book handy are also high on his list of priorities. As for things he would one day like to do, he lists spending more time in France at the Louvre, visiting Italy, and seeing the running of the bulls in Spain as a dream that he would one day like to fulfill. 

Amir answered one question from this reporter with great care and compassion. "If you could travel anywhere in the world for free, and stay as long as you liked with unlimited spending money, where would it be and why?" 

"Right now it would be Kosovo," he says. "And with the money I would buy power. There are some people I would like to help." 

Amir Aboulela is a great actor, a great humanitarian, and a great friend. We, as his fans, know that he will be an even greater person in the future, and we salute his efforts to pursue his dream. We will be watching his career with interest, and will always love this honest man with his heart of gold.