Rosaline Elbay (Arabic: روزالين البيه; ) is an Egyptian stage and screen actress, producer and writer. She is known for her roles as Judy Goodwin on the Netflix series Kaleidoscope, Amani on the Hulu/A24 Films series Ramy, and Sara on the MBC Masr series Qabeel. She is currently starring as Nora Koriem on The Diplomat.
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Early life
Elbay was born and raised in the Cairo neighbourhood of Zamalek to Egyptian parents. She attended a British school in Cairo and grew up speaking English, Arabic and French.
Elbay performed in a production of The Sound of Music at the age of 11. As a child, she loved The Mummy and "wanted to be Evie", later choosing to pursue archaeology.
She studied Classics and Archaeology at Oxford University and was active in the Dramatic Society, winning a performance award in her first year. She then completed a Master's in Political science and Colonial History at the LSE, intending to participate in Egyptian politics after the revolution. Elbay credits Thelma Holt, who produced tours in which she starred, with urging her to pursue an acting career. She subsequently studied at the Actors Studio in New York City with Elizabeth Kemp before going on to complete the two-year MFA in Acting at LAMDA.
Career
Elbay's early career was in UK theatre. She was primarily trained in Shakespeare before attending drama school.
In 2018 she appeared in her first Egyptian feature film, Diamond Dust, an adaptation of Ahmed Mourad's bestselling novel. She then starred in Fork & Knife, which premiered at that year's El Gouna Film Festival. Also in 2018, Elbay was the subject of the music video for "Fakra" by Massar Egbari, a band that rose to prominence during the 2011 Egyptian revolution, appearing as the love interest of lead singer Hany Dakkak. The Cairo International Film Festival appointed her as its first face for young filmmakers, a role she reprised in 2019.
Since 2019 Elbay has starred as Amani Hassan in US A24 series Ramy, Ramy Youssef's eponymous Golden Globe and Peabody Award-winning show. Also in 2019, she made her MENA region television debut as Sara on MBC Masr's Qabeel, directed by Karim El Shenawy. For this she received widespread critical acclaim, with Al-Masry Al-Youm calling her performance "captivating, refined and simple" and critic Mona Mahmood hailing her "rising and powerful talent... her scenes with Mohamed Mamdouh a duel." El Watan News called her an "actress of singular skills," and critic Mohamed Hesham referred to Elbay's roles as both Amani and Sara as showcases for her "effortless gravitas", writing, "it wasn’t until sometime later that I realised this was the same actress." Elbay won the 2019 Al-Wafd Critics’ Choice Awards for Best Supporting Actress and Best New Face for Qabeel.
Elbay hosted the opening ceremony of the 2019 El Gouna Film Festival alongside Aly Kassem. Her screenplay, Garlic, was selected for the festival's TV Development Workshop.
In 2020, Elbay was due to star in MBC Masr’s Forgetfulness (Luebet Al Nesyan) directed by Hani Khalifa. However, she left the show mid-filming for health reasons owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. The role was reshot, with Elbay stating that she was pleased to have been replaced by her friend Asmaa Galal.
In September 2021, Elbay was announced as a principal cast member of Eric Garcia's Netflix heist series Kaleidoscope. Her character, Judy Goodwin, was “the crew's demolitions specialist, headstrong and independent.” Elbay was the first cast member confirmed for the show, describing being sworn to secrecy. The series shot in various locations around New York, and was the first production to inaugurate the new Netflix Studios in Bushwick. It debuted on 1 January 2023, claiming the number one spot on Netflix's most-watched list. Brian Tallerico of Roger Ebert.com described Elbay's performance as "charming", and Esquire called her an actress "on the cusp of her big break."
Personal life and advocacy
Elbay lives in Brooklyn, New York. She is a painter and describes herself as "still 40 percent archaeologist". She described her mother as a writer to YUNG magazine and has a younger brother who is a wheelchair user.
In 2019 Elbay hosted the opening ceremony of the El Gouna Film Festival, during which she wore a dress made of recycled plastic hand-worked by refugee women and sponsored by the UNHCR. She wore a second gown embroidered by the same women to resemble tatreez from her family heirlooms at the Cairo International Film Festival and participated in the UNHCR's first MENA-region roundtable on "The Role of Art and Culture in Addressing Displacement" in Jordan. Elbay has stated that her mother was repeatedly displaced as a child. She describes activism as "part of what I've signed up for; whatever I'm doing with my life." In 2024, she co-produced a 20-track fundraising album alongside Blood Cultures entitled "The Olive Tape", with proceeds going to Anera. Featured artists included Nick Hakim, Narcy, Vansire, and Jordana.
Elbay is described in MENA publications as an advocate for women's rights and contributed to the cancellation of a concert by Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred due to his history of rape and assault. In 2020, Mada Masr published an op-ed by Elbay in response to the Egyptian MeToo movement, in which she stated that she had experienced domestic violence in a previous relationship.
Elbay has also advocated for increased diversity and accessibility in the film industry, telling GQ, "There are as many seats at the table as you want there to be.” She stated her support for the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Elbay announced her departure from a lead role in MBC Masr series Forgetfulness (Luebet Al Nesyan) due to a preexisting heart condition.
In 2025, Elbay's interior design of her Boerum Hill apartment was featured in Apartment Therapy.
