Amr Waked was born in Cairo, Egypt, on April 12, 1973. He studied economics and theater at the American University in Cairo. Early in his acting career, Amr joined the Temple Theatre company in 1994 and the Yaaru Theatre company in 1999, where he trained and developed his skills as a stage performer. Thanks to his stage experience, Waked was able to land his first big-screen role in 1998 when he joined Osama Fawzi's film Gannet El Shayateen. His award-winning performance paved the way for him to become a popular actor known for his seriousness and wide range. In 2003, Waked joined the cast of Stephen Gaghan's film Syriana, which was his first appearance in an international film.

His performance received recognition and provided him with other opportunities in international projects such as House of Saddam and Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. In 2005, Amr co-founded zad communication & production llc to begin his experience as a producer. The communications agency and production company were to focus on development issues and social problems in Egypt and the Middle East. In 2012, zad released its first feature film, Winter of Discontent, directed by Ibrahim El Batout, which opened the 69th Venice Film Festival in 2012.