Nour El Refai (born 14 November 1987) is a Swedish actress and comedian.[1] She became known for her participation in the candid-camera show Raj Raj in 2007 and hosted Melodifestivalen 2014. El Refai has also appeared in several movies such as Kronjuvelerna and Johan Falk: Spelets regler.
Nour El-Refai | |
|---|---|
.jpg) El-Refai in 2014 | |
| Born | 14 November 1987 (age 37) Tripoli, Lebanon |
| Occupation(s) | Television presenter, comedian, actress |
| Partner | Henrik Schyffert |
| Children | 1 |
Early life
editEl Refai was born in Tripoli, Lebanon and her family moved to Sweden to live in Eslöv just a few months after her birth. She is of Syrian and Lebanese heritage.[2] Her family moved a few years later to Norra Fäladen in Lund.[3] She grew up in a single parent family with her mother, as her father left after a divorce just weeks after the arrival of the El Refai family in Sweden.[4] Nour has had no contact with her father since.[4]
Personal life
editEl Refai lives in Traneberg, Stockholm.[3]
El Refai was the victim of a sexual assault just before the start of her television career. The man who assaulted her was later sentenced to four months imprisonment.[5]
El Refai has dysthymia, a chronic form of depression. She has talked about her condition in two works: in her stand-up show En komisk depression ("A comical depression") in 2016–2017 and later in her late-2019 self-scripted and self-led four-part two-hour mini-documentary series "Livet lyckopiller" ("The happiness-pill life") which aired on Sveriges Television, Sweden's national public television channel, in November–December 2019. In the mini-documentary she talks about her depression and showcases her attempts to get help and improve it, meets other Swedes with depression, and seeks and tells statistics and scientific facts about depression, mainly in Sweden.
Career
editEl Refai first came into prominence in 2006, when she had a role in the crime drama movie Beck – Det tysta skriket.[6]
Along with Cecilia Forss she hosted the candid-camera show, Raj Raj, which was broadcast on TV400 during 2007.[7] In one notorious segment, she flashed her breasts to a man in Humlegården, which is famed for male flashers, and she was reported to the police.[7] Charges were pressed and later she was sentenced to pay a fine for indecent exposure.[7][8] El Refai and Forss had cooperated previously in the TV3 humour show Hus i helvete.[1]
In 2008, El Refai was assigned as a reporter on stage for the Melodifestivalen 2008; the Swedish national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest.[1] She interviewed the singers after they went off stage following their performances.[1] During the same year, she acted in the Morgonsoffan television show also on SVT. She acted in the Henrik Schyffert comedy show Sverige Pussas och Kramas on Kanal5.[1]
Nour has also been a radio talk show host on Morgonpasset at Sveriges Radio P3.[1] During 2009, El Refai acted as the character "Bitterfittan" (English: "The bitter cunt") on the comedy show, Ballar av stål, the Swedish version of Balls of Steel. She also took part in Wipeout as a contestant; both shows were broadcast on the Swedish Kanal 5.[9]
In 2011, she appeared in the movie Kronjuvelerna, and in 2012 had a role in another movie, Johan Falk: Spelets regler.[10]
During late 2009 she was one of the characters on the comedy show Cirkus Möller on TV4. During 2010, she was on stage with a Swedish production of Grease at Göta Lejon in Stockholm.[11][12] In late 2010, she worked again as a radio talk show host, and was part of the show's special, where stars including El Refai were locked inside a glass house for a whole week to raise money for Musikhjälpen on Sveriges Radio.[12][13]
El Refai hosted Melodifestivalen 2014, along with Anders Jansson.[14]
Since 2021, she has been participating in Masked Singer Sverige.[15]
Filmography
edit- 2004 - Generation Y
- 2005 - Vem är du?—as Åsa (feature film)
- 2006 - Beck – Det tysta skriket (TV film)
- 2006 - Elvismackan (short film)
- 2006 - Frostbiten—as Cornelia (feature film)
- 2006 - När mörkret faller (feature film)
- 2009-2010: Ballar av stål as Bitterfittan (TV series - 10 episodes)
- 2010 - Välkommen åter (TV series)
- 2010 - Wallander – Dödsängeln (feature film)
- 2011 - Kronjuvelerna (feature film)
- 2011 - Stockholm - Båstad (TV mini-series, 1 episode as Sharon)
- 2012 - Johan Falk: Spelets regler as Lovisa (feature film to video)
- 2012 - Labyrint (TV series)
- 2014 - Sköterskan: The Nurse as The Nurse (short film)
- 2014 - Melodifestivalen 2014 (TV series)
- 2018 - Bonus Family (TV series)
- 2023 - Trolltider – legenden om bergatrollet as Mara (TV series)
- 2024 - Bäst i test (TV series)
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "Jansson och El Refai leder schlagern - Kulturnytt". Sveriges Radio. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^ "Nour el-Refai saknar Fäladen - Malmö - Sydsvenskan-Nyheter Dygnet Runt". Sydsvenskan. 10 November 2008. Archived from the original on 13 May 2010. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^ a b "Civilkurage var betydligt viktigare än en bra lön". Dagens Nyheter. 7 August 2011. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^ a b "Nour El Refai om uppväxten utan pappa". Expressen. 9 October 2013. Archived from the original on 17 March 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^ "'Jag låg helt paralyserad' – Nour talar ut om sexövergreppet – och den förnedrande rättegången". Aftonbladet. 11 December 2008. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^ "Beck- Det tysta skriket". filmlance.se. 15 March 2009. Archived from the original on 11 August 2010. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^ a b c "TV-stjärna blottade sig – i park". Aftonbladet. 27 October 2007. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^ "TV4-stjärna dömd för blottning". Aftonbladet. 22 December 2007. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^ "Tar på högvaktens kön i "Ballar av stål"". Expressen. 23 March 2009. Archived from the original on 17 March 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^ ""Sagolikt men otäckt" - recension av Kronjuvelerna". Dvdkritik.Se. 28 November 2011. Archived from the original on 23 August 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^ "Bäst på scen är Nour El Refai, som den korkade skånskan Jill". Roaproduktion.se. 5 February 2010. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^ a b "Nour behöver inte kvalificera sig som fin flicka - P4 Extra". Sveriges Radio. 21 April 2010. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^ "Nour El-Refai - Musikhjälpen 2013". Sveriges Radio. 12 November 2010. Archived from the original on 21 October 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^ "Nour El Refai och Anders Jansson programledare för Melodifestivalen 2014". SVT.se. 13 November 2013. Archived from the original on 16 November 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^ "El Refai och Wahlgren panel i TV4-satsningen". vk.se. 7 October 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2024.