Actor Omar Metwally, born in New York City, is of Egyptian and Dutch descent. He and his family moved to Orange County, California when he was three years old; he eventually graduated from the University of California–Berkley, with a history degree. He went on to graduate with an MFA degree from the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, all while appearing in stage plays around the Bay Area.

Metwally moved to New York in 2000, becoming a regular on the Broadway circuit, and eventually taking a Tony nomination in 2004 for his work in Sixteen Wounded. He made his screen debut in 2002, in the television movie New Americans; three years later he made his film debut, in Life on the Ledge. He went on to star in films such as Munich and Rendition, and guest in shows such as Grey’s Anatomy and The Unit. He will star in the upcoming Fox television special Virtuality.