White Actors Who Converted to Islam

Conversions to Islam among actors from European backgrounds have happened across different countries and decades, often connected to marriage, spiritual searching, or deep encounters with Muslim cultures. Some made their shift quietly while others discussed it in interviews, books, or public talks. Their careers span classic Hollywood epics, European cinema, Turkish television, and British period dramas. Together their stories show how work, travel, and relationships can lead performers toward major changes in belief and daily practice.

Omar Sharif

Omar Sharif was born Michel Yusef Dimitri Chalhoub in Alexandria in a Melkite Greek Catholic family and began his screen career in Egyptian cinema under his birth name. In 1955 he formally became a Muslim and adopted the name Omar Sharif when he married Egyptian actress Faten Hamama. After establishing himself in Egypt he moved into international productions and became widely known for roles in ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ (1962) and ‘Doctor Zhivago’ (1965). Biographical accounts describe him as remaining publicly identified with Islam through his later work in European and American films and his life in Egypt and Europe.

Ellen Burstyn

Ellen Burstyn was born Edna Rae Gillooly in Michigan and raised in a Catholic environment before she began questioning institutional religion during her acting career. Sources on her life describe how she encountered Sufi teachings and gradually adopted Islamic spiritual practices in her mid thirties while still working on stage and screen. She has spoken about Sufism as a central part of her inner life even as she continues to draw on elements from other traditions. Burstyn won major awards for performances in films such as ‘The Exorcist’ (1973) and ‘Alice Does not Live Here Anymore’ (1974) while maintaining this Sufi oriented practice.

Sean Stone

Sean Stone, the son of director Oliver Stone, began acting as a child in his fathers films before moving into documentary work and television. During a visit to Iran in 2012 he publicly declared that he had embraced Islam, specifically identifying with the Shia tradition and taking the additional name Ali Reza. Reports from that period note that he framed the decision as an acceptance of the oneness of God and respect for all Abrahamic prophets rather than a rejection of his earlier background. Since then he has continued to work in media while appearing on channels and at events that discuss his religious views and his experience in Muslim majority countries.

Myriam François

Myriam François, known earlier as Myriam François Cerrah, first became known to audiences as a child actress in films including ‘Sense and Sensibility’ (1995), ‘Paws’ (1997) and ‘New Years Day’ (2001). She studied at the University of Cambridge and has described how reading Islamic texts and meeting Muslim students there led her to embrace Islam in 2003 at the age of twenty one. After her conversion she shifted her career focus toward journalism and documentary filmmaking, often covering issues related to Muslim communities, racism and social policy in Britain and Europe. Biographical profiles note that she uses the name Myriam in connection with her Muslim identity and has presented and produced multiple documentaries on major British and international broadcasters.

Wilma Elles

Wilma Elles is a German actress who became widely known in Turkey through her role as Caroline in the Turkish television series often referred to in English as ‘Time Goes By’ (originally ‘Öyle Bir Geçer Zaman ki’) and other Turkish productions. Coverage in Turkish and international media reports that while living and working in Istanbul she studied Islamic theology, married a Turkish businessman and chose to become a Muslim, integrating Islamic practices into her family life. Articles about female converts list her among notable European women who have joined the faith and reference interviews in which she discussed feeling at home in Islamic culture. She continues to work in Turkish and international film and television while maintaining ties to both German and Turkish audiences.

Lewis Arquette

Lewis Arquette was an American character actor who appeared in productions such as the television series ‘The Waltons’ and films including ‘The Great Outdoors’ while working steadily in television and voice roles. He was born into a Catholic family in Chicago and later converted to Islam while married to Brenda Olivia Nowak who was Jewish and the daughter of a Holocaust refugee. Biographical sources describe the family living for a time in a Subud commune in Virginia where a shared spiritual focus shaped daily life for their five children. Because of this documented shift from Catholic upbringing to Muslim faith his name appears in modern reference lists of notable converts to Islam that highlight changes in religious identity among public figures.

Donny Roelvink

Donny Roelvink is a Dutch actor and model who gained prominence through reality television work and fitness themed media before taking on acting and presenting jobs in the Netherlands. In April 2024 he publicly embraced Islam by reciting the shahada inside a mosque an event that was filmed and widely shared on social networks and later reported by news outlets. Coverage of his story notes that he spent the month of Ramadan in the United Arab Emirates visiting mosques and reflecting on past hardships including a serious accident during a fitness shoot and treatment for testicular cancer which deepened his search for faith. After the announcement he told journalists and followers that he is still learning about Islamic belief and practice and that the decision represented a personal step toward a more spiritually focused life.

Marcell Darwin

Marcell Darwin is an Indonesian screen actor of Indonesian and German descent whose career includes numerous films and television dramas as well as frequent appearances in entertainment news. He grew up in a Christian household and decided to convert to Islam near the end of 2019 reciting the shahada at the home of his future wife Nabila Faisal before their marriage early in the following year. Interviews and reports about his life as a new Muslim describe him learning the essentials of Islamic practice including daily prayer ritual washing and basic recitation often with guidance from his wife and local scholars. Indonesian media frequently note that he continues to attend religious study gatherings shares moments such as teaching his child to pray and maintains close ties with family members who remain in other Christian traditions.

Sergey Romanovich

Sergey Romanovich is a Russian actor from Tomsk who became known after playing singer Yuri Shatunov in the biographical film ‘Tender May’ and later appearing in popular series such as ‘Kitchen’ and ‘Chernobyl Exclusion Zone’ along with other television and film projects. Biographical profiles state that he accepted Islam when he was about twenty years old and that he has tried to follow Islamic teachings closely since then including studying Arabic and spending extended periods in places such as Medina and Istanbul. Romanovich has explained that he began refusing roles that conflicted with his religious principles which led him to step away from many mainstream acting offers and endure periods without regular screen work while focusing on blogging sport and self development activities. Recent updates about his career report that he has returned to acting after several years away and continues to describe himself publicly as a practising Muslim who integrates his faith commitments into professional choices.

Alexander

Alexander is a Bosnian actor who grew up in a secular communist family in the former Yugoslavia and later remained in Bosnia after the country broke apart eventually living and working in Sarajevo in theatre and screen productions. In a widely shared interview about his life he explains that he gradually converted to Islam after a long period of questioning his beliefs and interacting closely with Muslim neighbours and colleagues. Accounts of his journey describe how near death experiences during the Bosnian war prompted deeper reflection on mortality and salvation and encouraged him to see Islamic belief and practice as providing a clear sense of direction. He has since completed the pilgrimage to Mecca speaks about the unity he witnessed among pilgrims from many backgrounds and notes that several of his siblings have also become Muslims while they all continue to live and work in Bosnian society.

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