Rahel Romahn

Born in Kurdistan, in Northern Iraq, Romahn's family fled Saddam Hussein’s regime when he was three, initially hiding in Turkey for a year, then emigrating to Australia, where he grew up in Parramatta, in western Sydney.^[2]

Despite having to adjust to a new language and culture, Rohman was performing in school productions by grade three, playing Fagin in Oliver Twist and Hook in Peter Pan.^[3] Romahn describes himself as "an oddball recluse who loved to mimic people and accents."^[4] After watching Al Pacino in Scarface, he was inspired to express himself creatively. He got further into acting, after hearing a radio advertisement for a local drama school when he was 13, and took screen acting workshops in Sydney.

After Romahn finished high school, he worked in customer service for a leading Australian bank, while honing his acting skills at home after hours. Stage and screen appearances followed.^[2]

Romahn initially scored a small role in Underbelly in 2010. From there he starred in his breakthrough role in SBS miniseries The Principal.

Other roles he has played include the TV series Shantaram and Mr Inbetween, miniseries Australian Gangster and films Little Monsters, Ali's Wedding, Down Under^[5] and Alex & Eve.^[6]

He has also appeared in a number of stage roles, most recently as Mozart (opposite Michael Sheen as Antonio Salieri) in Amadeus at the Sydney Opera House in 2023.^[7]

For his performance in The Principal, Romahn was nominated for the 2016 AACTA Award for Best Guest or Supporting Actor in a Television Drama^[8] and the 2016 Logie Award for Most Outstanding Newcomer.^[9] In 2022, he was also the winner of the annual Heath Ledger Scholarship, selected from a field of more than 600 candidates.^[2][10]

Romahn is a fan of English football club, Liverpool.^[4]

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