Blacklist star brings a presence
LOS AN G E L E S Actor Hisham Tawfiq has played an impressive range of roles in his own life, from Marine to New York firefighter to man of faith.
His best-known screen part to date is that of Dembe, stalwart field soldier for criminal mastermind Red (James Spader) on NBC and Global’s The Blacklist. As the season resumed Thursday, Dembe’s loyalty was in question after Red’s near-fatal poisoning and he’s on the run.
Tawfiq knows firsthand the twists that life can take. The New York-born actor took an unexpected journey to a full-time acting career.
When he suffered an injury playing football at his high school in Harlem, Tawfiq tried a dance class as rehab. His love of the arts was sparked. His initial dream of playing college football had already been affected by his father’s death when Tawfiq was a senior (“I went down the wrong path”), but given the chance to regroup and pursue sports, he zigzagged.
“I had my choice of going to summer school and to college or to France with a dance company, and I chose France,” he said.
He made a snap decision to join the Marines because “I was getting in a little bit of trouble,” he said. He served during 1990’s Desert Storm, but said the challenges he faced had more to do with his Muslim faith than the limited combat the bombing operation demanded.
After his service, the New York Fire Department called with a job offer at a Harlem station, making him one of a small number of African-American firefighters in the city.
His firefighting duties didn’t keep him from taking acting classes on the side and auditioning for parts. But then the character of Dembe Zuma was gradually expanded from a one-episode appearance to a key part of Red’s life.
Said series creator Jon Bokenkamp: “Hisham simply has a great presence, both on screen and in person.”