Kamel El Basha was born around 1962[1] in Malha,[2] then a thriving village in Palestine known as al-Maliha, now a suburb in south-western Jerusalem, Israel.

[3][4] He recalls being five years old and running from his home with his family during the 1967 war, when Israel battled Syrian, Jordanian, and Egyptian armies, afterwards claiming a large amount of territory.

As a young man, he was imprisoned by the Israeli authorities for two years owing to his activism on behalf of the Palestinian people.

[2] He began his career as a stage actor after his release from prison, making a notable debut in the Arabic version of Brecht's The Exception and the Rule.

[15] 2017: Volpi Cup for Best Actor in the 74th Venice International Film Festival ,for The Insult[7][16][2] El Basha is Muslim, while his wife is a Palestinian Christian woman.