Skandar Keynes

Keynes was born in London, the son of Zelfa Hourani and author Randal Keynes. He has an older sister, Soumaya Anne Keynes (born August 1989), who has appeared in various productions for BBC Radio 4.

On his mother's side, Keynes is of Lebanese, Persian and Turkish descent. (The nickname Skandar is Pashto for the Greek name "Alexander", Pashto being an Iranian language like Persian, or is short for "Iskander," an Arabic variant.) Keynes is denied the right to Lebanese citizenship, as Lebanese women are not allowed to pass their nationality on to their children, thus he has no right to the nation's public services, or to legally receive his family inheritance in the country he considers his second home. His maternal grandparents were Furugh Afnan and Cecil Fadlo Hourani, who was an advisor to the late Tunisian president Habib Bourguiba, as well as an author; Cecil Hourani is also the brother of Albert Hourani, a major historian of the Middle East. The Hourani family were immigrants to Britain from Marjeyoun in southern Lebanon. Read Less