Daniel Salem, Ukrainian restaurateur, TV presenter, and actor, was born in Odesa on January 25, 1984. His father has Lebanese roots. His mother was from Odesa and died of cancer in 2000. When Salem was six years old, he and his family moved to his father’s homeland, Lebanon. At the age of 11, he started working as a shoe shiner.
After graduating from high school, he served in the Lebanese army. Then, he studied English philology in Beirut. After returning to Odesa in 2003, he entered the local Mechnikov National Medical University, graduating in 2009 with a degree in ophthalmology. When he returned to Ukraine, he spoke almost no Russian and had a terrible accent. In Odesa, he attended preparatory courses at a film studio, where he was helped to learn the language and remove his accent.
While studying at the university, Daniel worked part-time as an English teacher, astrologer, gossip columnist, waiter, bartender, art director, and host at the Odesa Club Yo. After three years at the Opera Prestige Club, he decided to open his own establishment. Eventually, Salem used his money to open the Bourbon Rock Bar pub with a tattoo parlor, the first barbershop in Odesa, and the Amsterdam Hotel with a beer, oyster, and wine bar.
He has participated in various reality shows, tried his hand at singing and dancing, and works as a TV presenter. Now, he is actively helping and serving at the front.
Comment
Shannon
I first saw Daniel Salem in a short film about a Mafia boss and was instantly taken with him. He has a marked, bigger than life, presence about him. I hope to see more of him.