Khalil Al-Rawaf

🎬 Khalil Al-Rawaf

The First Arab Actor in Hollywood

👤 Personal Information

Full Name: Khalil bin Ibrahim Al-Rawaf

Born: 1895 – Buraidah, Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦

Died: 2000 – Saudi Arabia

Nationality:

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

🇺🇸 United States (residency)

Also Known As: The First Arab Actor in Hollywood

❤️ Family Life

First Wife: Frances Allison (American) – Divorced

Second Wife: Constance Willman (American) – Divorced

Third Wife: An Egyptian woman from Alexandria 🇪🇬

Children:

Nawwaf (later renamed Clive Abu Shadi/Willman)

Two daughters (one became a doctor 👩‍⚕️ and the other a teacher 👩‍🏫)

📖 Biography

Started his life as a camel trader between Al-Qassim, Iraq, Syria, and Jordan.

In 1932, he met American tourist Frances Allison at Dijla Hotel in Baghdad. They married and traveled to the United States in 1935.

Appeared in Hollywood with legendary actor John Wayne 🎥 in the film "I Was a War Correspondent", playing the role of a Bedouin guard for a tribal sheikh in the Iraqi desert.

After divorcing Frances, he authored books on teaching Arabic ✍️ and opened an Arabic language school in the U.S.

Later married Constance Willman and had a son, Nawwaf, but the marriage also ended in divorce.

Returned to Saudi Arabia and married an Egyptian woman, with whom he had two daughters.

👶 His Son Nawwaf (Clive)

After divorcing Constance, Khalil lost custody of his son Nawwaf.

Nawwaf’s name was changed to Clive, and he was later adopted by Egyptian poet Ahmed Zaki Abu Shadi.

Khalil spent decades searching for his son across the U.S. and the UK.

In his mid-90s, he finally spoke with him on the phone in a deeply emotional moment 💔.

🎭 Notable Work

I Was a War Correspondent (with John Wayne)

🏅 Legacy

Khalil Al-Rawaf is considered a pioneering figure as the first Arab to act in Hollywood.

He left a cultural mark through his books and Arabic language schools in America.