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Hani Al Naimi

Hani Al Naimi

Acting

Biography

Hani Al Naimi (birth-name Michael Anthony Desante) is an Arab American actor, writer and director of Palestinian descent. He was born in Bethlehem and spent the beginning years of his childhood in Beirut, Lebanon. At age 9 he attended Fettes College for Boys in Edinburgh, Scotland and then Hurtwood House in Surrey, England where he completed his school. His interest in acting started at an early age with school play renditions of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night Dream" and "Much Ado About Nothing." He was 12 when Andrew Lloyd Webber came to his school to cast his play "Joseph and His Technicolor Dreamcoat" for its Edinburgh premiere; Hani was selected to be in the choir and went on to be in the production of "Jesus Christ Superstar" as well. After graduating from school, Hani moved to the United States to continue his education, where he earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees. His dedication and passion for acting and storytelling never wavered. Shortly thereafter Hani was discovered by casting director Judith Holstra when she cast him in his first movie role with Mariel Hemingway.

Known For

The Agency
6.9

The Agency is a CBS television drama that followed the inner-workings of the CIA. The series was created by Michael Frost Beckner and was executive produced by Michael Frost Beckner, Shaun Cassidy Productions and Radiant Productions in association with Universal Network Television and CBS Productions. It aired from September 27, 2001 until May 17, 2003, lasting two seasons. It featured unprecedented filming from the actual CIA headquarters. The show was controversial regarding its exploration of current international affairs and its treatment of the ethical conflicts inherent in intelligence work. Beckner's pilot script, written in March 2001, posited a re-invented CIA tasked with a "War on Terror" after Osama Bin Laden's Al Qaeda terrorist organization plots a lethal attack on the west. The pilot was to premiere at CIA Headquarters on September 18, 2001 and set to air on CBS September 21, 2001, however, the actual 9/11 attacks convinced the network to hold the pilot and instead air a later episode. That first episode was aired later as the third episode of the first season. The September 11, 2001 terrorist events changed the way Americans viewed topical entertainment and "The Agency", at the time, was one of the most topical offering on network television. The producers of the series quickly responded to this new American perspective on world affairs, but CBS chose to cancel the show shortly after the second season's final episode.

The Agency

2001Series