Who is Michael Iskander? Meet the actor who plays King David in House of David

Michael Iskander stars as King David in Amazon Prime Video's latest historical drama based on the Old Testament, House of David. The role marks the first time fans will see the Egyptian-born actor on the screen, as he has never worked in TV or film before.

In his onscreen acting debut, Iskander plays the young shepherd and harpist from the Bible named David, who famously fought and defeated the giant Goliath by using a sling to throw a stone. Before landing the role of David, Michael Iskander was on Broadway and in a high school musical production, both of which earned him prestigious awards.

He stars in the House of David alongside veteran Arab actor Ali Suliman and Syrian-German actor from Liaison Aziz Dyab, among others.

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House of David is Michael Iskander's first onscreen project

Michael Iskander was virtually unknown, at least in TV shows and movies, before he was cast as David. Landing the titular role in Prime Video's eight-episode House of David series marks his first-ever onscreen role. He has never worked on TV or a film before, not even uncredited roles, per his IMDb page.

However, before his career breakthrough in the ongoing series, he worked on Broadway's musical Kimberly Akimbo. The musical, which is about a Jersey teen who looks like a 72-year-old woman because of her aging disease, won five Tony Awards in 2023, including Best Musical. Michael Iskander plays Aaron in the musical.

Kimberly Akimbo was also his theater debut. In other words, Michael Iskander only has two professional acting projects in his name so far.

That said, he's been on the path of a successful acting career because before he made it into Broadway, his performance as Usnavi in In the Heights won him a Best Actor in the Spirit of the M.A.C.Y. Awards in 2019 as well as a Special Recognition Award at the Jimmy Awards.

Eventually, he auditioned for House of David, but the process was not an easy one. During his interview with The Direct on February 18, he said he got a "no" drumming his first audition, and he thought that was the end of it.

However, his representatives later told him that he got a shot to re-audition, and before long, he said that he was having lunches with Jon Erwin and doing multiple screen tests from New York to Greece.

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King David: All about Michael Iskander's character in

House of David

Michael Iskander stars as David in Amazon Prime Video's newest Old Testament drama, House of David, which the synopsis describes as a biblical figure who "eventually becomes the most renowned and celebrated king of Israel."

He is no royalty and doesn't come from a long line of kings and rulers either. In the series, he's an unassuming man who everyone believes he would never amount to anything.

He's relegated to work in the field, often the butt of jokes by his brothers and someone his neighbors ignore. As described in the official House of David trailer from Prime Video, David is "not a man of blood," essentially an "outcast."

But while everyone has cast him and his potential aside, David has courage and deep faith in God. Like Samuel, the prophet who anointed him, says in the trailer, David has "the heart of a lion."

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Catch Michael Iskander as King David in House of David, now streaming on Prime Video. New episodes of the historical drama series will be released every Thursday.