Emilio Sakraya

Emilio Sakraya Moutaoukkil was born on 29 June 1996 in Berlin, Germany, to Meryem Moutaoukkil, a Moroccan-German actress, and a Serbian father.^[1] He has several half-siblings, including actor Ilyes Raoul.^[2] He attended the Annie Heuser Waldorf School in Wilmersdorf.^[3]

Sakraya began his career at the age of nine, appearing in the 2005 commercial Tell Children. In addition to acting, he pursued martial arts, winning a German championship in karate within the World Kickboxing Association (WKA) in 2010.^[4] That same year, he made his film debut in Zeiten ändern dich, directed by Bernd Eichinger.^[5]

In 2017, Sakraya gained attention for his role in the Tatort episode Sons and Fathers. His performance led to a lead role in the 2018 film Kalte Füße, alongside Heiner Lauterbach and Sonja Gerhardt.^[6] That same year, he starred in Tatort: The Missing Child and was nominated for the Studio Hamburg Nachwuchspreis.^[7]

In 2019, he gained international recognition for his role as JC in the Netflix fantasy series Warrior Nun and starred in Tribes of Europa, created by Philip Koch.^[8]

In 2022, Sakraya was selected for the Shooting Stars Award, recognizing him as one of Europe’s most promising actors.^[9] That same year, he portrayed gangsta rapper Xatar in Rhinegold, directed by Fatih Akin. His performance was critically acclaimed.^[10]

In 2024, Sakraya appeared on Schlag den Star, competing against rapper Bausa, and featured in Sing meinen Song – Das Tauschkonzert.^[11][12]

Sakraya is also a musician. In 2016, he released his debut single, Down by the Lake, followed by his 2020 debut album, Roter Sand, under Jive Records.^[13]

In 2024, Sakraya revealed that he is a father, a fact he had previously kept private.^[14] In 2025, he was in a brief relationship with Spanish singer Rosalía.^[15]