Quick Facts
Born:
1990-02-16
Birthplace:
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Credits:
41 Total Roles
The Weeknd
Acting
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Biography
Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as The Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is noted for his unconventional music production, artistic reinventions, and his signature use of the falsetto register. His accolades include 4 Grammy Awards, 20 Billboard Music Awards, 22 Juno Awards, 6 American Music Awards, 2 MTV Video Music Awards, a Latin Grammy Award, and nominations for an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award.
Tesfaye earned critical and commercial success with his pop-leaning second album Beauty Behind the Madness (2015), which reached number one in the US, contained the US Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping singles "Can't Feel My Face" and "The Hills", and won the Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album and was nominated for Album of the Year. His trap-infused third album Starboy (2016) saw similar commercial success and included the US number-one single of the same name and "Die for You", and won the Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album. Tesfaye explored new wave and dream pop with his critically-acclaimed fourth studio album After Hours (2020), which featured the chart record-setting single "Blinding Lights" and the US number-one singles "Heartless" and "Save Your Tears". Dance-pop inspired his fifth album Dawn FM (2022), which included the US top-ten single "Take My Breath".
Tesfaye is a cinephile, and has made numerous movie references in his music videos and teasers. On August 30, 2019, during the Telluride Film Festival, he made his acting debut in the film Uncut Gems. On March 7, 2020, during his third appearance as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live, he starred in the skit "On The Couch" with actors Kenan Thompson and Chris Redd. On May 4, he co-wrote and starred in an episode of American Dad!. In July, he voiced three characters during the 200th episode of Robot Chicken. On June 29, 2021, Tesfaye announced that he would be co-creating, co-writing, executive producing and starring in the HBO television drama series The Idol, alongside his producing partner Reza Fahim and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson. On March 20, 2022, Tesfaye voiced two characters during an episode of The Simpsons. In 2023, it was announced that Tesfaye is co-writing a film with Trey Edward Shults, who is attached to direct; Tesfaye is also set to star in the film, alongside Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan.
Description above from the Wikipedia article The Weeknd, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Tesfaye earned critical and commercial success with his pop-leaning second album Beauty Behind the Madness (2015), which reached number one in the US, contained the US Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping singles "Can't Feel My Face" and "The Hills", and won the Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album and was nominated for Album of the Year. His trap-infused third album Starboy (2016) saw similar commercial success and included the US number-one single of the same name and "Die for You", and won the Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album. Tesfaye explored new wave and dream pop with his critically-acclaimed fourth studio album After Hours (2020), which featured the chart record-setting single "Blinding Lights" and the US number-one singles "Heartless" and "Save Your Tears". Dance-pop inspired his fifth album Dawn FM (2022), which included the US top-ten single "Take My Breath".
Tesfaye is a cinephile, and has made numerous movie references in his music videos and teasers. On August 30, 2019, during the Telluride Film Festival, he made his acting debut in the film Uncut Gems. On March 7, 2020, during his third appearance as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live, he starred in the skit "On The Couch" with actors Kenan Thompson and Chris Redd. On May 4, he co-wrote and starred in an episode of American Dad!. In July, he voiced three characters during the 200th episode of Robot Chicken. On June 29, 2021, Tesfaye announced that he would be co-creating, co-writing, executive producing and starring in the HBO television drama series The Idol, alongside his producing partner Reza Fahim and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson. On March 20, 2022, Tesfaye voiced two characters during an episode of The Simpsons. In 2023, it was announced that Tesfaye is co-writing a film with Trey Edward Shults, who is attached to direct; Tesfaye is also set to star in the film, alongside Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan.
Description above from the Wikipedia article The Weeknd, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
The Simpsons
Orion Hughes / Darius Hughes (voice)
Uncut Gems
The Weeknd
American Dad!
The Weeknd (voice)
Robot Chicken
Madea / Dinosaur Auctioneer / S.W.A.T. Member (voice)
Saturday Night Live
Self - Musical Guest
The Idol
Tedros
The Graham Norton Show
Self
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self - Musical Guest
Full Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Quincy Jones | Music Man MOVIE | Self (archive footage) |
| 2025 | Hurry Up Tomorrow MOVIE | The Weeknd |
| 2025 | Playboi Carti - Live at Rolling Loud California 2025 MOVIE | Self |
| 2025 | Remember To Enjoy The Light Before It’s Gone MOVIE | The Weeknd (voice) |
| 2025 | The Weeknd - Red Terror MOVIE | Self |
| 2025 | Billions Club Live with The Weeknd: A Concert Film MOVIE | Self |
| 2024 | The Weeknd: Live at São Paulo MOVIE | Self |
| 2024 | TMZ Presents: The Downfall of Diddy MOVIE | Self (archive footage) |
| 2023 | The Idol TV | Tedros |
| 2023 | The Weeknd - Double Fantasy MOVIE | Tedros |