Lebanese actor Haaz Sleiman captured the attention of moviegoers in 2007 with his finely tuned performance as a Syrian musician who befriends a lonely college professor in the independent drama “The Visitor.” Sleiman, whose on-screen career began in 2004 with small but significant roles on television and in features like “American Dreamz” (2006), won praise and award nominations as the earnest young musician who gives drumming lessons and inspiration to Richard Jenkins’ downtrodden academic. The film’s critical success helped to elevate Sleiman from hard-working background player to the status
