Nadim Joakim Sawalha was born in Madaba, Jordan, to a family of Christian Bedouins. He has a brother, Nabil Sawalha, who is a comedian. Nadim studied at an English school, where he developed an interest in acting.
After moving to London in the early 1950s, Nadim attended drama classes but struggled to find employment due to lack of a work permit. He eventually found work with the BBC Arabic Service, where he worked his way up the ranks to become a drama producer.
After five years, Nadim resigned his position to pursue a career in stage acting. He later explained, "I was aspiring to learn the craft of an actor, not just aiming for film." He went on to work with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal Court Theatre, and the National Theatre in London.
On screen, Nadim has been typecast as Middle Easterners, appearing in numerous TV shows and films, including Sexton Blake, The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, The Sweeney, The Professionals, and Murphy's Law. He has also played Indians, teaching himself to speak with a South Asian accent.
Nadim's first motion picture assignment was in A Touch of Class, courtesy of writer/director Melvin Frank. He went on to appear in popular films like The Return of the Pink Panther, The Wind and the Lion, Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, Young Sherlock Holmes, and Pascali's Island.
Nadim has also featured in two James Bond films: The Spy Who Loved Me and The Living Daylights. He has portrayed notable figures, including Mohammed Al-Fayed in Justice in Wonderland and Diana: Last Days of a Princess, and King Hussein of Jordan in the docu-drama miniseries House of Saddam.
Nadim has maintained close ties to his homeland, visiting Jordan frequently to reconnect with relatives and friends. In 2007, he starred in the film Captain Abu Raed, which won several awards, including two for Nadim as Best Actor.
Nadim is married to Roberta Mary Lane and has three daughters, Dina Sawalha, Julia Sawalha, and Nadia Sawalha, all of whom are actresses.
