About Amira Casar Amira Casar (born on July 1, 1971 in London) is a British-born French-Kurdish actress, who has appeared in 40 films between 1989 and 2009. She is the daughter of a Kurdish father and a Russian opera singer, Casar grew up in England and Ireland. Discovered by photographer Helmut Newton, she worked as a model for Chanel and Jean-Paul Gaultier, studying drama in the Conservatoire national d'art dramatique in Paris. In 1997, she was nominated for a César in the category of "Espoir Féminin" for her role as "Sandra" in film La Vérité si je mens. Her theatre debut occurred in 1999 in Aunt Dan and Lemon with Miranda Richardson and she subsequently played the title character of Hedda Gabler. In 2000, she played Morgiana in the Emmy Award-winning miniseries Arabian Nights. She has starred in more than thirty films, including Sylvia, in which she played Assia Wevill, and To Paint or Make Love.