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Omar Sharif, the Egyptian actor best known for playing Sherif Ali in Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and the title role in Doctor Zhivago (1965), was born Michel Demitri Shalhoub on April 10, 1932 in Alexandria, Egypt to Joseph Shalhoub, a lumber merchant, and his wife, Claire (Saada). Of Lebanese and Syrian extraction, the young Michel was raised Catholic. He was educated at Victoria College in Alexandria and took a degree in mathematics and physics from Cairo University with a major. Afterward graduating from university, he entered the family lumber business.
Before making his English-language film debut with "Lawrence of Arabia", for which he earned a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nomination and international fame, Sharif became a star in Egyptian cinema. His first movie was the Egyptian film The Blazing Sun (1954) ("The Blazing Sun") in 1953, opposite the renowned Egyptian actress Faten Hamamah whom he married in 1955. He converted to Islam to marry Hamama and took the name Omar al-Sharif. The couple had one child (Tarek Sharif, who was born in 1957 and portrayed the young Zhivago in the eponymous picture) and divorced in 1974. Sharif never remarried.
Beginning in the 1960s, Sharif earned a reputation as one of the world's best known contract bridge players. In the 1970s and 1980s, he co-wrote a syndicated newspaper bridge column for the Chicago Tribune. Sharif also wrote several books on bridge and has licensed his name to a bridge computer game, "Omar Sharif Bridge", which has been marketed since 1992. Sharif told the press in 2006 that he no longer played bridge, explaining, "I decided I didn't want to be a slave to any passion any more except for my work. I had too many passions, bridge, horses, gambling. I want to live a different kind of life, be with my family more because I didn't give them enough time.".
As an actor, Sharif had made a comeback in 2003 playing the title role of an elderly Muslim shopkeeper in the French film Monsieur Ibrahim (2003). For his performance, he won the Best Actor Award at the Venice Film Festival and the Best Actor César, France's equivalent of the Oscar, from the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma.
Diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2012, Sharif died of a heart attack on July 10, 2015, in Cairo, Egypt.- Actress
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Shadia was born on 8 February 1929 in Cairo, Egypt. She was an actress, known for Lahn el wafaa (1955), Shati el zekriat (1955) and Uyoon Sahranah (1956). She was married to Salah Zulfikar, Aziz Fathi and Imad Hamdi. She died on 28 November 2017 in Cairo, Egypt.- Actress
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Faten Hamama (known as "The Lady of the Arabic Screen") has become an icon and the most important actress of Egyptian and Arabic cinema. She is also the most honored actress in the Middle East. Every decade of her life represents a new era of acting and witnessed the reshaping and progression of Egyptian cinema. The progress in her different characters when she started as a child in 1938 until today parallels the progress that modern Egyptian women have made during the 20th century and their interaction with the public, culture or political life. During the celebration of 100 years of Egyptian cinema on 1996, she was chosen as the country's most important actress, and 18 of her films were selected as among the best 150 made to that time. It was no surprise that in 2000 the Egyptian Organization of Critics and Writers named her the Star of the Century.
She was born in 1931 in Elmansoura, Egypt, the daughter of Ahmed Hamama, an employee of the Egyptian Ministry of Knowledge. Her legendary journey started as a secret statement between a six-year-old girl and her father after they watched a film in their neighborhood theater, at which leading actress and producer Asya Dagher was present. Faten told her father that she felt the audience was applauding for her as the leading actress, and her father gave her a hug with a vision of helping his daughter to become a movie star. She won a contest for the most beautiful child in Egypt, and her dad sent her picture to director Muhammad Karim (a pioneer of Egyptian cinema). Karim was looking for a child for his new film with Egyptian musician Mohamed Abdel Wahab. Faten auditioned for and got a role in this movie, Yom said (1940) ("A Happy Day"). She impressed the filmmakers so much during shooting that she was actually given more lines and scenes in the picture than were originally scripted for her. Karim put her under contract, and four years later he gave her a role in a film with Mohamed Abdel Wahab again, Russassa fil kalb (1944) ("A Bullet in the Heart"). With her third movie with Karim, Dunia (1946), Faten showed filmmakers and audiences alike that she was was an actress ready for bigger roles. Her father, along with her family, moved to Cairo to help her in her career. She also began studying her craft at the High Institute of Acting in 1946.
With actor and director Youssef Wahbi (known as the dean of Egyptian theater), Faten started a new stage of her career, in melodramas. Yousef saw her talent in Karim's movies and was able to showcase it to even better advantage in his next film, Malak al rahma (1946) ("The Angel of Mercy"), in which she played his daughter. Although only 15 years old at the time, it was generally agreed that she stole the film. This teenager was soon the talk of the Egyptian cinema, and her star hasn't set since then. She made more films with Wahby, such as Confession Chair (1949) ("The Chair of Confession"), in which she played a lover of the cardinal's brother who mistakenly goes to jail for her father's murder. She had another box-office hit with El yatimatain (1948) ("The Two Orphans"), followed by a successful comedy of the travails of a wife and her mother in law in Sitt el beit (1949) ("The Lady of the House"). She was the favorite of novelists because she could attract the best writers and directors to a project, and it wasn't soon before her name alone would pretty much guarantee success for whatever film she was in.
The 1950s brought new directors to Egyptian cinema and was the beginning of what was to become known as "The Golden Age of Egyptian Cinema". Faten appeared in a number of films by these new directors, such as Salah Abouseif's first realism picture, Laka yom ya zalem (1951) ("Your Day Will Come"), which was a box-office hit and was shown at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in France. She appeared in such successful films as El tarik el masdud (1958) ("The Barred Road") and won a Best Actresss award for her performance in the romantic political movie La wakta lil hub (1963) ("No Time for Love"). She also supported director Youssef Chahine in his first movie, Baba Amin (1950), then again in his even more successful The Blazing Sun (1954), a realistic work that was also featured at the Cannes Film Festival (Youssef is on record as saying that Faten is his favorite actress and the best Egyptian actress of all time).
She also worked with director Kamal El-Shaikh in his first movie, which introduced the mystery genre to Egyptian cinema, House No. 13 (1952) ("House No. 13"), and again in Lan aataref (1961) ("I Will Not Confess"). Their film El-Lailah el-Akhirah (1963) ("Last Night") captured at least 10 awards in the 1965 national competition and was also shown at the Cannes festival. She excelled at comedy, as evidenced by her astonishing role in El-Ustazah Fatmah (1952) as lawyer Fatma. She also worked closely with two other directors of this period, Ezz El Dine Zulficar and Henry Barakat, and made successful films with both. In fact, she married Zulficar in 1947 while shooting Abu Zeid el Hilali (1947). He was known as the king of "romantic" movies and together they worked to further that vision, as in Khulud (1948) ("Immortality") by Ezz El-Dine Zulficar. They formed a production company and made Moawad ma al hayat (1953) ("Appointment with Life") also directed by Ezz El Dine Zulficar, which was voted movie of the year and received both critical and box-office success (it was this film that caused critics to name her the "Lady of the Arabic Screen", a title she has kept to this day). Faten soon became the highest-paid actress in Egyptian cinema, and remained so until her final feature, Ardh el-Ahlam (1993) ("Land of Dreams") and TV series, Wagh el qamar (2000) ("Face of the Moon"). More successful romantic roles with Ezzel Dine followed, such as Mawad ma al saada (1954) ("Appointment with Happiness"). It was during this period that Ezz El-Dine Zulficar made his famous quote about Faten: "The distance between Faten and the next runner-up is like the distance between 1 and 10". Although they were divorced in 1954, and Faten married Omar Sharif in 1955, she and Ezz El Dine Zulficar continued to make films together, many of which are considered classics of Egyptian romantic cinema, such as Bain el atlal (1959) ("Among the Ruins") and what many consider their masterpiece, Nahr el hub (1960) ("The River of Love"), their version of Lev Tolstoy's great story "Anna Karenina", opposite Omar Sharif, and the two became one of the classic romantic couples of Egyptian cinema, appearing again in Our Best Days (1955) ("Our Best Days"), Sayedat el kasr (1958) ("Lady of the Castle"), Sleepless (1957) ("Sleepless") and The Blazing Sun (1954) ("Struggle in the Valley"). Sharif and Faten divorced on 1974. He made what became a famous statement about Faten, that he only married once because he only loved once, and that was Faten.
Director Henry Barakat specialized in musical romantic movies, social commentary and women's rights in society. During the making of Lahn al khouloud (1952) ("Immortal Song"), they developed a close professional bond, and Barakat used Faten to explore all his talent and all his visions. The success of the romantic musical Lahn al khouloud (1952) that became the movie of the year challenged both of them to make more successful musical romantic films, which they did with such pictures as Daiman maak (1954) ("With You Forever") and Mawad gharam (1956) ("Appointment with Love"). IT was with Barakat that Fatan made her most famous and beloved picture, with her role as Ammna in Doa al karawan (1959) ("The Nightingale's Prayer"), which describes differences between revenge and culture through a romantic story. It was nominated for Best Film at Berlin's International Film Festival and almost made it to the Oscars in the US. This film was chosen as one of best ten movies ever made in Egypt. After this picture Faten made several more films that promoted women's rights in society and created more cultural awareness, such as El bab el maftuh (1963) ("The Open Door"), for which she received the Best Actress award at the Jakarta (Indonesia) International Film Festival. One year later they did it again in El haram (1965) ("The Sin"), which was shown at the Cannes festival that year and was chosen as one of best five movies ever made in Egypt. Faten and Barakat continued their journey together through decades for more outstanding roles as Kheit al rafeigh, -al (1971) ("The Thin Thread"), Mouths and Rabbits (1977) ("Mouths and Rabbits"); Faten won Best Actress awards from two international festival for her role in this movie, and it was the highest-grossing Egyptian film ever made until that time. Their last picture together was a remarkable hit, Leilet al quabd al Fatma (1984) ("The Night of Fatma's Arrest"). Their journey was crowned by a lifetime achievement award for their films together from the Montpellier International Film Festival on 1993. Barakat's was quoted as saying, "If I could get Faten in my films, I will guarantee us the best picture".
Faten left Egypt from 1966-1971 because she resisted political pressure that was applied to her. She divided her time between Lebanon and London, England. During this period Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser asked some prominent critics and writers to try to persuade her to return to Egypt, saying that "Faten Hamama is a national treasure". Her return to Egypt on 1971 breathed life back into Egyptian cinema. She insisted that her films reflect the values of the society through the family relationships. Her first film upon return was Sahera (1971) with Salah Zulfikar. Her role in Imberaturiyyat Mim (1972) ("Empire M") as a widow with six children and the struggles she endured to raise them made the film a success both critically and financially, and she earned a special award from an organization of Soviet Union women when the film was shown at the Moscow International Film Festival. Her film Orid hallan (1975) ("I Need a Solution") which was produced by Salah Zulfikar was not only a big hit but resulted in changes to Egyptian marriage and divorce laws. Faten won the Best Actress award at the Cairo International Film Festival and a Prize of Recognition at the Teheran (Iran) Film Festival. She continued to make films that commented on society, such as Oghneyat elmoot (1973) ("The Song of Death"), Ualla azae lel sayedat (1979) ("No Condolences for Ladies"), Bad Day Good Day (1988) ("Bitter Days, Sweet Days") and her last feature, Ardh el-Ahlam (1993) ("Land of Dreams"), and her TV series, Conscience of Teacher Hikmat (1991) ("The Consciousness of Teacher Hekmat") and Wagh el qamar (2000) ("The Face of the Moon"), which was shown in 23 countries in the Middle East.
Faten Hamama is the fourth Pyramid in Egyptian cinema, a legend in her platinum anniversary, the diamond that remained shining and kept its glowing over the decades on the silver screen.- Hind Rostom(November 11, 1929 - August 8, 2011) was one of the most popular Egyptian actresses.
Actress Hind Rostom, is a star from the golden era of Egyptian cinema.
With her blond hair and good looks, Rostom often played the sultry seductress, and she quickly rose to become one of Egypt's best-known actresses.
She won popular acclaim for her 1958 film "Cairo Station," about the city's underclass and their struggles to survive. She starred in it with Youssef Chahine, one of Egypt's most lauded movie directors.
Among her other well-known films were "Love Rumor" and "Struggle on the Nile" with Omar Sharif -- the country's most celebrated actor.
Born in Alexandria, Rostom defied her conservative upbringing to stake out a career in film. She was dubbed by fans the Marilyn Monroe of the Arabs and "the queen of seduction" of Egyptian cinema. - Zubida Tharwat was born on 14 June 1940 in Alexandria, Egypt. She was an actress, known for Itharissi minal hub (1959), Nesf azraa (1961) and El malak el saghir (1958). She was married to Ehab Al Ghazzawi, Sobhy Farahat, Walaa Ismael and Omar Nagy. She died on 13 December 2016 in Egypt.
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Youssef Chahine (born in Alexandria, Egypt, 1926) started studying in a friars' school, and then turned to Victoria College until the High School Certificate. After one year in the University of Alexandria, he moved to the U.S. and spent two years at the Pasadena Play House, taking courses on film and dramatic arts. After coming back to Egypt, cinematographer Alevise Orfanelli helped him into the film business. His film debut was Baba Amin (1950): one year later, with Son of the Nile (1951) he was first invited to the Cannes Film festival. In 1970, he was awarded a Golden Tanit at the Carthage Festival. With Le moineau (1973), he directed the first Egypt-Algeria co-production. He won a Silver Bear in Berlin for Alexandria... Why? (1979), the first installment in what proved to be an autobiographic trilogy, completed with Hadduta Masriya (1982)(An Egyptian Story (1982)) and Alexandria: Again and Forever (1989).
In 1992, Jacques Lassalle proposed him to stage a piece of his choice for Comédie Française: Chahine chose to adapt Albert Camus' "Caligula," which proved hugely successful. The same year he started writing Al-mohager (1994), a story inspired by the Biblical character of Joseph, son of Jacob. This had long been a dream-project, and he finally got to shoot it in 1994. In 1997, 46 years and 5 invitations later, he was again selected Hors Competition in Cannes with Destiny (1997).- Ahmed Ramzy was a famous Egyptian actor who was born in Alexandria in 1930. He played the leading roles in many Egyptian films in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. He was born Ramzy Mahmud Bayumi to Dr Mahmoud Bayoumi, a famous Egyptian orthopedist, and Helen MacKay, a Scottish lady. His dad died in 1939 after he lost a fortune (250,000 Egyptian Pounds) in the stock market, and his mom had to raise him by herself. Ramzy graduated from the renowned school Victoria College where he met Omar Sharif, and they became best friends since then. Ramzy joined the Medical school for 3 years, then he transferred to the Faculty of Commerce, which he eventually dropped to pursue his acting career. He had one brother, Dr. Hassan Bayoumi, who was older by 9 years and followed in their father's footsteps and had his practice in London. He got married 3 times and he had 3 kids; 2 daughters and a son. He was discovered by the producer Helmy Halim in 1955, and he was cast in his first role, as "Ramzy" in Ayyamna al-Holwa (Our Best Days), along with Faten Hamama, Abdel Halim Hafez, and his lifelong friend Omar Sharif. The film was a box office hit. Since the late 1950s, he participated in many movies and was famous for the role of the funny playboy and womanizer. He was very active till the 1970s. His last appearance was in a TV series called Hanan Wa Haneen with his friend Omar Sharif in 2007. Some of his close friends were Omar Sharif, Faten Hamama, Rushdi Abaza and Saleh Selim. Some of his well known movies are Our Best Days, Dark Waters, Hamidu's Son, Girls of Today and Adrift on the Nile. He passed away on September 28th, 2012 at the age of 82 due to a severe brain clot.
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He was one of the greatest actors of all times, who had ever acted in the Egyptian & Arabic cinema history.
Descendant from the Abaza Family, one of the richest and most well-known families in whole Egypt.
Appeared in more than 100 film, most notable for his roles in films such as: Tamr Henna, Serae Fel Nile, El Ragoul El Saney, El Zouga Rakam Talatashar, Arous El Nile & Saghera Ala El Hob.- Actor
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Mahmoud Al Meleji was born on 22 December 1910 in Cairo, Egypt. He was an actor and writer, known for The Flirtation of Girls (1949), Amir el-Inteqam (1950) and El Fetewa (1957). He was married to Alwiya Gamil. He died on 6 June 1983 in Cairo, Egypt.- Actor
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Ahmad Mazhar was born on 8 October 1917 in Cairo, Egypt. He was an actor and writer, known for Saladin (1963), Noufouss haira (1968) and El dow' El khafet (1961). He was married to Dodi. He died on 8 May 2002 in Cairo, Egypt.- Mari Munib was born on 11 February 1905 in Beirut, Lebanon. She was an actress, known for Inshudat el radio (1936), El azima (1939) and Shebbak habibi (1951). She was married to Fawzi Munib. She died on 21 January 1969.
- Shukri Sarhan was born on 21 March 1925 in Alexandria, Egypt. He was an actor, known for Habibi el asmar (1958), Rannet el kholkhal (1955) and Shati el zekriat (1955). He was married to Nermeen Aouf. He died on 29 March 1997 in Cairo, Egypt.
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Youssef Wahbi was born on 14 July 1898 in Faiyum, Egypt. He was an actor and director, known for Confession Chair (1949), Al defaa (1935) and Gharam wa intiqam (1944). He was married to Elena Lunda, Saeeda Mansour and Aisha Fahmy. He died on 17 October 1982 in Cairo, Egypt.- Actor
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Imad Hamdi was born on 25 November 1909 in Suhag, Egypt. He was an actor and producer, known for Khan el khalili (1967), Shati el zekriat (1955) and Ana el-Madhi (1950). He was married to Nadia El Gendy, Shadia and Fathia El Sherif. He died on 28 January 1984 in Cairo, Egypt.- Actress
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Laila Mourad was born on 17 February 1918 in Cairo, Egypt. She was an actress, known for The Flirtation of Girls (1949), Shati el gharam (1950) and Leila, bint el rif (1941). She was married to Fatin Abdulwahhab, Wageeh Abaza and Anwar Wagdi. She died on 21 November 1995 in Cairo, Egypt.- Actress
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Mary Queeny was born in 1913 in Lebanon. She was an actress and producer, known for Wakhz el damir (1932), El zouja el saba (1950) and Son of the Nile (1951). She died on 25 November 2003 in Cairo, Egypt.- Tawfik El Deken was born on 3 May 1924 in Egypt. He was an actor, known for El Fetewa (1957), Shati el zekriat (1955) and El Sab'a Afandi (1951). He was married to Nawal El Rakhawi. He died on 26 November 1988 in Cairo, Egypt.
- Maryam Fakhruddin was born on 8 January 1933 in Faiyum, Egypt. She was an actress, known for Sleepless (1957), The Cursed Palace (1962) and Bila awda (1961). She was married to Mohamad Altawel, Mahmoud Zulfikar, Sharif Alfadali and Fahd Ballan. She died on 3 November 2014 in Maadi, Cairo, Egypt.
- Hamdy Gheith was born on 7 January 1924 in Minya , Egypt. He was an actor, known for The Message (1976), Saladin (1963) and The era of the imams (1997). He died on 7 March 2006.
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Magda is an Egyptian actress. She started her career at the age of 15 using a pseudonym, so that her parents wouldn't know. Her breakthrough came in 1949 in the film "Al Naseh" (The Mentor), after which she went on to become one of the most popular female actresses in Egyptian cinema history. Her most notable films include "Anf Wa Thalath Oyoun" (A Nose and Three Ears), "Jamila" and "Ayna Omry" (Where's my Life?). She got married once to the actor Ihab Nafia'a, and has one daughter (Ghada).- Actor
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Salah Zulfikar was an Egyptian actor and producer. He started his career as a police officer before becoming an actor in 1956. He is considered one of the greatest Egyptian actors of all time. He was one of the most consistent box-office performers in Egyptian cinema. Zulfikar starred in over fifty box office hits, remaining a bankable star for almost three decades.
Descendant from the Zulfikar family, one of the noble and most well-known families in Egypt.
Zulfikar's notable films as an actor include; Djamilah (1958), Money and Women (1960), The Second Man (1960), The Cursed Palace (1962), Saladin (1963), Soft Hands (1963), Dearer than My Life (1965), My Wife, the Director General (1966), Good Morning, my Dear Wife (1969), The Killers (1971), Featureless Men (1972), The Other Man (1973), Secret Visit (1981), and The Peacock (1982). In the 1980s and early 1990s, he started focusing on television serials, and became the highest paid TV actor in the Arab World in mid 1980s.
In 1958, he established a film production company, with his brother Ezz El-Dine Zulficar, together they produced major productions such as Among the Ruins (1959), The Second Man (1960). In 1962, he established his own film production company and produced notable films such as My Wife, the Director General (1966), A Taste of Fear (1969) and I Want a Solution (1975).
As an actor and producer, he participated in 13 films listed in the Top 100 Egyptian films of all time. Zulfikar won several awards during his career. He won the state award for his acting performance in a leading role for five times in: Soft Hands (1963), Dearer than My Life (1965), My Wife's Dignity (1967), Secret Visit (1981), and The Peacock (1982). He also won the state award for production for two times in (My Wife, the Director General (1966), I Want a Solution (1975).
He was married to Nafisa Bahgat, the mother of his children Ahmed Zulfikar and Mona Zulfikar. His second wife was Zahrat El-Ula and third wife, Shadia.
Salah Zulfikar died at the age of 67 on December 22, 1993 in Cairo, Egypt.- Nadia Lutfi was born Poula Mohamed Shafiq in 1937 in Cairo to an Egyptian father and a Polish mother. Her father was an accountant. Acting started as a hobby, when she was 10 years old she participated in a play at her school and did very well.
Her first roles in Egyptian cinema were in Soultan (1958) and Cairo Station (1958), both the same year. The latter brought filmmaker Youssef Chahine to international attention and acclaim when it was a competitor at the Berlin Film Festival. Her career progressed and she appeared in El saman wal karif (1967) (based on the book by Nobel-winning author Naguib Mahfouz). She closed out the 1960s in Abi foq al-Shagara (1969) opposite Abdel Halim Hafez as a night club dancer who beds a much younger man.
She married three times, first time before she was 20 years old. She had one child, a son, Ahmad. - Birlanti Abdulhamid was born in 1935 in Beni Suef, Egypt. She was an actress, known for Ismail Yassine fil madhaf el shami (1956), Seraa fil jebel (1961) and Rannet el kholkhal (1955). She was married to Abdel Hakim Amer. She died on 1 December 2010 in Cairo, Egypt.
- Layla Fawzi was an actress, known for Min ajal emraa (1959), Gamal wa Dalal (1945) and Safeer gohannam (1945). She was married to Jalal Moa'awad, Aziz Osman and Anwar Wagdi. She died on 12 January 2005 in Cairo, Egypt.
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Egyptian actress. She studied at the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts, graduating in 1953 and worked at the National Troupe and famous for good performance in Mandarin and French. The art was the cause of the rupture that occurred between her and her family , but she bore the dimension of them for the sake of art. He represented the play «Hajjaj bin Yosef». She has been working in the theater till the actress "Faten Hamama" refused invaluable role in the movie «the beginning and end» so director "Salah Abo Seif"Nominated her for the role, which be the actual beginning of which achieved great fame in this film, which was produced in 1960.- Ezzat El Alaili was born on 15 September 1934 in Cairo, Egypt. He was an actor, known for Kuwait Connection (1973), Zaier el-fager (1975) and Diamond Dust (2018). He died on 5 February 2021 in 6th of October, Egypt.
- Hamdy Ahmed was born on 9 November 1933 in Suhag, Egypt. He was an actor, known for Souq al mot aa (1999), The Beginning (1986) and Cairo 30 (1966). He was married to Ferial Ashour. He died on 8 January 2016 in Egypt.
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Souad Muhammad Kamal Hosny Al Baba was born on January 26th, 1942 in Ataba, Cairo, Egypt. She was the 10th sibling of 17 brothers and sisters. Husni was known as the "Cinderella" of Arab cinema and one of the most influential actresses in the Arabic art world. She ascended to stardom in the end of the 1950s, performing in more than 83 films between 1959 and 1991. A majority of her films were shot in the 1960s and 1970s. Souad was nicknamed the "Cinderella" of Arab Cinema and was one of the most influential female icons in the Arab Acting World. She first ascended into stardom in the late 1940s with her debut in "Hassan & Naima," which was the Arabic version of Romeo and Juliet. She performed in more than 83 films between 1948 and 1991... majority of them being in the 1960s and 1970s. Some famous include "Saghira El Hob," "Khally Balek Min ZouZou," and many more! And, in many of her films she acted alongside many famous actors like Hussein Fahmy, Salah Zulfikar and Roshdy Abaza, and the late belly-dancing legend Taheya Karioka. Souad was also infamous for her love affairs and many marriages which always ended in failure and divorce. Sadly, on June 22nd, 2001, she fell from a window from her best friend's London flat and died. Ironically, the same day as Abdel Halim Hafez's birthday, the one she loved.
Her final screen appearance was 10 years before in 1991, with the movie "Al Ra'i We El Nissa." To this day, she goes down as one of the most legendary and most classically beautiful actresses in Middle Eastern history.- Actress
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Naglaa Fathi was born on 21 December 1948 in Cairo, Egypt. She is an actress and writer, known for Alexandria... Why? (1979), Supermarket (1990) and El Maganin El Talata (1970). She has been married to Hamdy Kandil since 19 September 1992. She was previously married to Seif Abol Naga.- Actor
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Ahmed Zaki was born on 18 November 1949 in Zaqazeeq, Egypt. He was an actor and producer, known for Days of El-Sadat (2001), Nasser 56 (1996) and His Excellency the Minister (2002). He was married to Hala Fouad. He died on 27 March 2005 in Cairo, Egypt.- Actor
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Nour El-Sherif was born on 28 April 1946 in Egypt. He was an actor and producer, known for Leila Sakhina (1995), Al-Ragol Al-Akhar (1999) and El Hag Metwali's Family (2001). He was married to Poussi. He died on 11 August 2015 in Cairo, Egypt.- Actress
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Yousra is Egypt's most renowned multi-faceted celebrity that has been gracing the silver screen for more than 30 years. Since the 1970s, Yousra starred in some of the most important films in the history of Egyptian cinema. Her roles in films and TV series are trailblazing and continue to influence and inspire generations.
Yousra was also named one of the World's 100 Most Powerful Arab Women and is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (The Oscars), given her rich cinematic history.
Her social stands and opinions have impacted the public domain in Egypt and the Arab world like no other actress of her generation.
Furthermore, she has received over 80 awards and certificates of appreciation from international film festivals all over the world, most notably the Beirut, Cairo, and Cannes international film festivals.
Yousra also received significant honors from the Royal College of Physicians in London, the Arab World Institute in Paris, and America Abroad Media (AAM) in Washington.
The multi-talented star shines bright in the world of music as well, with several chart-toppers under her belt, including the late hit by Abu, 3 Daqat (3 Heartbeats).
No stranger to fashion, she was Christian Dior's ambassador in the Middle East. Many of Yousra's dresses were tailored by international fashion designers like Stéphane Rolland, Elie Saab, Hany El-Behairy, and Rami Al-Ali.
Yousra's exquisite taste in fashion qualified her to be a judge in various fashion shows, such as the Arab world version of the famous reality TV show Project Runway Middle East alongside Elie Saab.
She was also appointed as an International Advisory Board member of the El-Gouna Film Festival in 2014. Yousra's first appearance in cinema was in A Castle in the Air, which was directed by Abdel Halim Nasr. While a true master of her trade, capable of carrying any film on her own, for many of her fans, her roles with the legendary superstar Adel Emam are the closest to their hearts. The duo worked together in 17 films with sweeping box-office success, including Al-Ensan Yaeesh Mara Wahida (Humans Only Live Once) by Simon Saleh in 1981, Ala Bab El Wazir (On the Minister's Door) by Mohamed Abdel Aziz in 1982, Al-Avokato by Raafat Al-Mihi in 1984, Humans and Djinns by Muhammad Rady in 1985, and Karakon fe Al-Sharea (Station on the Street) by Ahmed Yehia the following year. The last of these films was the 2009's hit Bobbos.
Her countless collaborations with the late screenwriter Wahid Hamed were also a favorite, spanning over nine TV shows and blockbusters such as El Mansy (The Forgotten), The Yacoubian Building, Terrorism and Kebab (El Erhab Wel Kabab), and Birds of Darkness (Toyor El Zalam).
Yousra also starred opposite the late veteran actor Ahmed Zaki in five films and appeared in four of Youssef Chahine's films - An Egyptian Story in 1982, Alexandria: Again and Forever in 1990, Alexandria... New York in 2004, and The Emigrant in 1994. Chahine had a really powerful impact on Yousra, to the extent that she said: "Youssef Chahine's impact on me [was significant] on a personal and a professional level. He was considered more of a school to all the people who worked with him." Yousra also starred alongside renowned international Egyptian actor Omar El-Sharif and superstar Amr Diab in Dehk Wa Le'b Wa Gad Wa Hob (Laughter, Games, Seriousness, and Love).
Additionally, Yousra did an outstanding performance in the 2006 film Yacoubian Building, which is based on the best-selling Arab novel of the same name, in which she portrayed the owner of a restaurant that is favored by what's left of Cairo's aristocrats. with a budget that was the largest in Egypt at the time. Variety magazine characterized Yousra's performance in the film as "effortlessly evoking old romantic memories when she sings La Vie en Rose".
On TV, and particularly in Ramadan, Yousra's TV series has always been a must-see. since Ayna Qalbi (where's my heart" in 2002 and Malak Rohi (my soul, Malak), in 2003, Yousra has always been keen on addressing the most pressing social issues of the hour on her TV series.
Her series also usually showcase fresh talents and promising young stars. One of Yousra's most prominent series is Adiyyeit Raie Aam (A Public Opinion Case), Fi Aid Amina (In Amina's Hands), Sharbat, the Cunning, Foq Mostawa El Shobohat (Above Suspicion), Kheyanet Ahd (The Betrayal of Ahd), and Harb Ahlia (Civil War).
Her serial drama Kheyanet Ahd (The Betrayal of Ahd) aired on TV during Ramadan 2020 to huge success, winning her the DG Best Actress Award and the DG Best Series at the Dear Guest Awards in December 2020.
In the same year, she was honored at the Arab Satellite Festival and the Negm El-Arab Festival. Additionally, Yousra was featured in the official music video of Dokki Ya Mazzika of the fourth El-Gouna Film Festival, where she launched her Hareef Tamsil Campaign (Talented Actor) in collaboration with Orange Egypt. The new service was exclusively dedicated for Orange users, with participants submitting videos in which they played a character inspired by any of Yousra's famous roles. The winner was selected to perform with her in her new series, Harb Ahlya (Civil War) in Ramadan 2021. The serial drama was written by Ahmed Adel, produced by El-Adl Group, and directed by Sameh Abdel-Aziz. Additionally, in Ramadan 2021, she took part in the ad campaign for ZED Park alongside a plethora of Arab stars, including Shereen Reda, Karim Abdel-Aziz, Nelly Kareem, Tara Emad, and Huda El-Mufti. Yousra's film career amounts to over 100 films, the most recent of which is the feature film Saheb El Maqam (The Enshrined Saint), which was directed by Mohamed El-Adl and premiered on Shahid to tremendous success. The film starred Asser Yassin, Amina Khalil, and Bayoumi Fouad opposite Yousra, marking her comeback to films since Game Over in 2012. Using her fame for a good cause, Yousra is a social activist who gives back to the community and helps raise awareness and supports many social causes.
"Poverty is one of the most important issues in the world, and it is the key to agony; therefore, if we can decrease the forms of poverty that we come across, I believe our sorrow will also decrease, and so will violence against children and women, which is a major concern, along with education and the environment," she once said. She was chosen by the United Nations to be the Regional UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador, as she has been known for her participation in social activities with many civil society organizations. Consequently, Yousra received more than 50 awards in recognition of her work as a UNDP goodwill ambassador. She contributed her time and effort to Coptic Orphans - a non-profit organization based in Merrifield, Virginia, in order to support Egyptian orphans. In 2007, the organization presented her the Ideal Award as a tribute for her efforts and time spent aiding children. "Out of over 50 awards that I've received, this one is the one closest to my heart," Yousra stated. Yousra also took part in the 500-500 Ramadan campaign to support cancer patients. Recently - within her role as a Goodwill Ambassador - Yousra participated in the opening ceremony of a 16-day campaign under the theme 'Orange the World: #HearMeToo; End Violence against Women and Girls' at the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States in collaboration with the UN to highlight the issues of gender equality and the empowerment of women. Most recently, Yousra participated in the third Awladna International Forum for Arts of the Gifted, which aims to provide gifted children with special needs with a platform to enrich and showcase their artistic talents and empower them and their families. During the opening ceremony, Yousra performed her new song Anta Qadha (You Can Do It) amid a large number of children with special needs on stage. Additionally, Yousra attended the first edition of Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF), delivering a masterclass to educate movie enthusiasts and talk about her amazing journey, which was held after the screening of one of her most iconic films, Strawberry War, which was restored with the support of the Red Sea Film Festival Foundation. Yousra also continued her strong Ramadan streak by starring in Ahlam Saeeda (Happy Dreams) in 2022 alongside Ghada Adel, Mai Kassab, and Shaimaa Seif. The comedy series was written by Hala Khalil and directed by Amr Arafa. In 2022, Yousra was honored at the opening ceremony of the second edition of the RSIFF, receiving the GOLD YUSR Honorary Award. Most recently, she also starred in the 2023 Ramadan season drama 1000 HAMDELLAH A'LA EL SALAMA. Moreover, she's expecting the release of her latest off-season show ROSE & LAILA and film LEILET EL EID, both of which are due for release sometime in 2023.- Actor
- Soundtrack
He is a graduate of the faculty of agriculture. He started his career in cinema in several films with actor Salah Zulfikar in 1960s, such as Talat loussuss (1966), Marti, mudir aam (1966) and Afrit merati (1968). Then he became more popular in theaters for his role in Madrasat Al Moshaghebin (School of Rascals). He became more famous in the 1970s for his comedic roles in Al-bahth an fadiha (1973) (Search for a scandal) and Khalli Balek min Aalak (Take care of your brain). He started to play far more serious roles in the 1980s. He is now one of the highest paid actors in Egypt.- Actress
- Producer
Magda El-Khatib was born in 1943 in Egypt. She was an actress and producer, known for Men Nazrat Ain (2004), Zaier el-fager (1975) and Ahlam Umrena (2005). She died on 17 November 2006 in Cairo, Egypt.- Layla Olwi was born on 4 January 1962 in Cairo, Egypt. She is an actress, known for Girl's Love (2003), I Love Cinema (2004) and Little Love, Much Violence (1995). She was previously married to Mansour Aljammal.
- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Farid Shawqi was born on 3 July 1920 in Cairo, Egypt. He was an actor and writer, known for Cemile (1968), El jassus (1964) and Abou Rabie (1973). He was married to Soheir Turk, Huda Sultan, Saneya Shawky and Zynab Abdel Hady. He died on 27 July 1998 in Cairo, Egypt.- Abdallah Gheith was born on 28 January 1930 in Egypt. He was an actor, known for The Message (1976), Bayaet el ward (1959) and Asr el-Quwwah (1991). He died on 13 March 1993 in Egypt.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Although her parents did not approve of her becoming a belly dancer, she became world renowned. Although Islam frowned upon belly dancing, she was the only one recognized with a public funeral procession. She performed in over 300 movies and television shows. She gave up dancing in 1963 but as late as the mid-1980's ran her own theater in Cairo, helping to write and choose plays, as well as directing and producing. She took to wearing the Islamic head scarf before retiring completely from public view 13 years ago. Though the hold of fundamentalist Islam on Egyptian society has virtually wiped out public manifestations of her art, she was in the end granted the official approval her parents withheld, as the Egyptian Culture Minister, Farouk Hosni, led her funeral procession. The stuff of legend, she married 14 different husbands and once slapped King Farouk when he threw an ice cube down her dress. She had roles in more than 300 movies and television shows.- Her career began with "Badia Masabni" band where she was involved in dancing in groups, and in 1943 began working in the field of cinema where she formed a successful dual team with the artist "Farid al-Atrash" in several movies and did the most famous dances with him. Her dance was characterized by combining Eastern dancing and Western dances, as Samia Gamal focused in her dance in providing a state of fascination for the spectators through clothing, music and lighting.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Shouweikar was born on 4 May 1935 in Alexandria, Egypt. She was an actress, known for The Most Dangerous Man in the World (1967), Men Don't Marry Beauties (1965) and Circle of Revenge (1976). She was married to Fouad El-Mohandes, Youssef Medhat and Hassan Nafie Aljawaherji. She died on 14 August 2020 in Cairo, Egypt.- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Mahmoud Abdel Aziz was born in Alexandria, Egypt to a middle class family. He studied Agricultural Sciences and during his college days he practiced acting through the university theatre.
He started his acting career by taking a role in "Al Dawama" TV show in the mid 70s with Nelly and Mahmoud Yassin after which he entered the cinema world for the first time through "Al Hafeed" an all time Egyptian film classic. Mahmoud Abdel Aziz starred in over 25 movies during the late 70s and early 80s while his popularity was increasing dramatically, most of his movies at the time were categorized as romantic drama.
His acting path has matured when he started taking different roles which really exposed his talent. He was known to be equally adept at comedy and drama.
The 1980s marked Mahmoud Abdel Aziz as a superstar when he starred in very successful movies like "El Aar", "El Keef" and "Rafat El Haggan" TV Series which is one of the most popular works of Egyptian television based on the true story of the renowned Egyptian spy who was planted in Israel for over 20 years before the 6 days war.
Mahmoud Abdel Aziz has starred in over 100 movies and he can still surprise his audience with great work such as Bab El Khalk (2012) TV Series after 7 years of absence from the Egyptian TV.
He has two children Mohamed Mahmoud Abdel Aziz a film producer and director; and Kareem Mahmoud Abdel Aziz.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Amr Waked was born in Cairo, Egypt in 1972. He studied economics and theatre in the American University in Cairo. In his early experience as an actor Amr joined the Temple Theatre Troop in 1994, and Yaaru Theatre Troop in 1999, where he trained and developed his tools as a stage performer.
With his experience onstage, Waked managed to film his first role on the big screen in 1998 when he joined Ossama Fawzy's of "Gannet El Shayateen". Waked's award winning performance paved his way to become a popular actor famous for his gravity and vast range.
In 2003, Waked joined Stephen Gegan's cast of Syriana, which was his first appearance in an international film. His performance was acclaimed and presented him with other opportunities in international productions, like House Of Saddam and Salmon Fishing In The Yemen.
In 2005, Amr co-established "zad communication & production llc" to begin his experience as a producer. The communication agency and production house was to focus on developmental and social issues in Egypt and the Middle East. In 2012, zad produced its first feature film "Winter Of Discontent", directed by Ibrahim El Batout, which opened in the 69th Venice Film Festival in 2012.- Actor
- Producer
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Kal Abol Naga (aka: Khaled Abol Naga) is a Multi Award-winning Actor, Producer, and Director from Egypt, based between the USA and Europe. He is a well-established actor (movie star) in the middle-east and considered one of the top talents of his generation, his work extends from Film, TV, Theatre, to Radio and TV hosting. He has been a lead in feature films since his first lead role in "A Citizen, An Informant & A Thief" by Egyptian acclaimed director Daoud Abdel Sayed in 2001.
As an actor he collected numerous Best Actor Awards from Egypt, Middle East, European & International Film Festivals since 2001, culminating in 2014 with a historic winning of ALL-important Best Actor Awards offered in his home country Egypt (The Cairo International Film Festival, Egypt's National Film Festival, Film Society Festival for Egyptian Cinema & The Catholic Centre festival for Egyptian Cinema) for his critically acclaimed portrayal of a terminally ill older man: Hussein in "Villa 69". In the same year, Abol Naga won The Best Actor Award (Silver Pyramid) from the prestigious Cairo International Film Festival CIFF for his lead role as a Palestinian father searching for his daughter in the Palestinian Oscar's submission "Eyes of a thief", as well as other several regional awards for "Villa 69" including the Best Actor Award from Festival Cinema Africain Khouribga, Morocco.
Abol Naga's English speaking work started gaining momentum since he moved to California in 2017, where he appeared in main roles as (Al Kady) in the FX (Fox) TV show "Tyrant", then his enigmatic appearance in the BBC TV mini-series "The Last Post", to a much-celebrated guest-star appearance as the multi-lingual historic leader (Ziyadat-Allah) at The History Channel TV show "Vikings" in season 5, 2019.
In a film festival in 2016 celebrating Arabic film submissions to the Oscars, Abol Naga was honored for being the most submitted actor from the MENA region in film submissions to the The Oscars (The Academy Award) for Best Foreign Language Film. He is often tagged in western media as Egypt's "Brad Pitt" for their career similarities, Also tagged as the next "Omar Sharif" especially after his American debut movie Civic Duty in 2007, he was also tagged as "Egypt's International treasure" for his multiple talents and unprecedented courage advocating for freedom & justice in his home country Egypt as a UNICEF Goodwill ambassador. Abol Naga's successful career across the Middle-east started in TV networks as a TV & Radio host in prime-time shows as early as 2000.
Famous for his unexpected yet smart choices of scripts & roles, Abol Naga created a vast & diverse filmography with unprecedented wide acclaim from critics & audiences throughout the Arab & international film societies, creating a unique phenomenon in his generation; almost all of his major films have an "exportable" nature to other cultures with special notice to his performances.
Abol Naga as a Producer since 2009, created with others a new wave of possibilities in the Egyptian independent film industry, from co-producing "Heliopolis" 2009 which went on to feature in over a dozen festivals, to his revolutionary production of "Microphone" 2010 in which a new generation of DSLR cameras were used for the first time to shoot a theatrically released feature film, He founded "iTeam Cairo" agency which aims to help indie filmmakers.
Abol Naga is well known for his social and human rights advocacy, He has been one of the early outspoken icons from Egypt promoting social justice, freedom and democratic change to the Arab world in general and Egypt in specific, He played a pivotal role in supporting the Egyptian Revolution Jan 25'th 2011. he has a very admirable work record of social & human rights (especially child rights), He was appointed as a UNICEF UN Goodwill Ambassador in Egypt 2007 till 2015.
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Naga's American debut was in 2006's Civic Duty (2006) in which he gave a compelling portrayal of one of the two leads "Gabe Hassan" he made numerous films in his native Egypt. Here is how it all began ...
Since his first major public appearance as a TV late-night show host in 1999, It was only a matter of few roles to reach an Award-winning star status in Egypt.
He studied Tele-communication Engineering and graduated with honors from Ain Shams University, Cairo, one of the most prestigious Engineering schools in Egypt, meanwhile Water polo as his hobby grew fast to become almost a profession when he was chosen to play in Egypt's national Water polo team as its Goal Keeper, But it was his other passion of acting & singing at the Theatre Department of The American University in Cairo that grew with him gradually to become his chosen final career.
Exchange of hobbies and professions happened several times: First when Water polo became the main focus for him 1986-1989, then Spacecrafts and Tele-Communications research at The The University of Surrey in the UK in 1991, while playing Water polo for his varsity team in European tournaments. He also worked as a Fashion Catwalk Model and a fashion photographer.
In 1999 another switch happened when he (as a famous young face & well established catwalk model in Egypt) was offered to Host a TV program at Nile Variety Channel as a part of a new TV pan-Arab Network inaugurated by state-owned ERTU in Egypt. He became the talk of the the nation with his new fresh style of TV hosting. He hosted and interviewed all kinds of celebrities, regional and international. Naga left the Nile Variety channel in October 2000, joined MBC TV Network in June 2001.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Ahmed Helmy made his first big screen appearance in film Aboud on the Boarder (1999), in which he co-starred alongside Alaa Waley El Din. Ahmed, through his amazing breakthrough performance, and comic sense of humor, nabbed all the attention he needed in this film. He quickly made a jump to starring roles in films such as Umar 2000 (2000), The Headmaster (2000), _El Selem We Al Thoghban_.
Ahmed first started his career, when director Sherif Arafa was watching children's programme "Leighb Eyal" on the Egyptian Satellite Broadcast, Sherif found in Ahmed the comedian actor he needed for the starring role in Aboud Ala El Hedoud. He is a 1993 graduate of the Academy of Arts, High Institute for Theatre Art. He believes that the most sophisticated role he had done yet was in the film Omar 2000, especially the scene in which he had to bury a dear friend. Ahmed's idol is his father, he finds in him the idealism, kindness and wisdom. Ahmed also admires Ahmed Zaki for his enormous acting talent. As for the comedy, he adores Adel Emam and Samir Ghanem. Ahmed finds the trend of the cinema today, now known as the "Youth Cinema", can be judged only through audiences. 'After three or four days of screening a film, audiences would know and judge the film to be a success or no, it is a matter of supply and demand, commerce, film is a commodity which applies to the terms of supply and demand'.- Actress
- Manager
With a significantly eminent talent and undeniable powerful presence, Menna Shalaby managed to establish a name for herself in the cinema and television industries early on, thanks to her exceptional talent and commanding attitude. She rose to become one of the most recognized, admired, and sought-after Arab cinema and television actresses.
Menna began her acting career in 2001 with a role in Hadeeth Al Sabah Wal Masaa, one of the most popular and widely viewed television dramas at the time (Morning and Evening Talk). This was only the beginning of her meteoric climb to stardom, as she soon landed roles in well-known films and television series.
Her natural charm and acting talent, which shone through in each of her performances, catapulted her to unprecedented heights in her career. She has flourished in a wide range of genres, including romance, drama, thrillers, and comedy, due to her incredibly diverse aptitude and acting ability.
Menna performed a variety of roles in comedy, drama, action, and romance films. Her famous cinematic roles include El Saher (The Magician) (2001), Baheb El Cima (I Love Cinema) (2004), Ahla al Awqat (Best of Times) (2004), Heya Fawda (Chaos) (2007), screened at Venice International Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival, Al Ma' wal Khodra wal Wajh al Hassan (Brooks, Meadows and Lovely Faces) (2016), screened at Locarno Festival, Baad El Mawkeaa (After the Battle) (2012), screened at Cannes Film Festival, Microphone (2010), Nawara (2015), as well as Marwan Hamed's hits, Al Aslyeen (The Originals) (2017), and Diamond Dust (2018), which won three awards at the 1st Casablanca Arab Film Festival in Morocco. The film generated more than 32 million EGP (1.8 million USD).
Keen on supporting emerging filmmakers, Shalaby performed the lead role in director Adam Abd ElGhaffar's short film Fork and Knife, which competed in the Short Films Competition at the 2nd El Gouna Film Festival in 2018. Furthermore, Menna's filmography includes Khayal Ma'ata (Scarecrow)(2019), which marks her reunion with Ahmed Helmy after 11 years of their first work together in sorry for the disturbance (2008).
Shalaby's most successful TV roles include Neeran Sadeeqa (Friendly Fire) (2013), Haret El Yahoud (Jewish Quarter) (2015), and Wahet El Ghoroub (2017). Aside from her acting profession, Menna has participated in various charity initiatives for persons with disabilities, raising awareness about the difficulties these people experience in Egyptian society.
Menna has previously won numerous awards at local and international film festivals, including the Faten Hamama Excellence Award at the 41st Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF), where she was also hosted in an in-conversation moderated by American film critic Jay Weissberg on the sidelines of the CIFF, where she reflected on her acting career and milestones along the way. She also won the Best Actress Award at the Egyptian National Film Festival for her roles in El Saher (2001) and An El Eshq Wel Hawaa (2006), as well as the Arabian Cinema Awards (ACA) and the Arab Star Festival for her role in Diamond Dust (2018), as well as the Dubai, Tetouan, Oran, and Cairo Film Society festivals for her role in Nawara (2015), and the Egyptian Catholic Center Cinema Festival for her role in Banat West El Balad (2005), for which she also won a Special Award at the Damascus International Film Festival.
Menna was also voted 'Best Actress' by the public in a number of surveys held by Arab and Egyptian publications and radio stations. In addition, she was honored by the Tetouan International Mediterranean Film Festival in Morocco and received an Honorary Award at the Aswan International Women Film Festival (AIWFF) in 2019 for her remarkable cinematic career in Egypt and the Arab globe.
She also received multiple honors for her television roles, including the Critic's Award for Best Actress at the Arab Satellite Channels Festival for her performance in Wahet El Ghoroub (2017).
Menna has also served on juries for some of the world's most prestigious film festivals, including the Cairo International Film Festival, the Carthage Film Festival (Official Competition), the Malmö Arab Film Festival in Sweden (Feature-Length and Short Film Competition), and the El Gouna Film Festival (Feature Narrative Competition).
Menna Shalaby showed a strong presence online by having three different hit projects which premiered on ShahidVIP. Every Week Has a Friday, which led her to become the first Arab actress to be nominated for an International Emmy Award; Nemra Etnein drama series, in which she starred in an episode, under the title: Awel Embareh (The Day Before Yesterday), opposite Ahmed Malek, directed by Mohamed Shaker and written by Mariam Naoum. And last but not least, the second season of Leh La'a (Why Not?) which was written by Mariam Naoum and directed by Mariam Abou Ouf, the series received huge audience acclaim and won Menna an honorary mention at the Egyptian Catholic Center Cinema Festival.
In 2021, she collaborated with OPPO on the Reno6 Series ad, with the theme "Every Emotion, In Portrait." The goal of this campaign is to urge people to treasure their treasured experiences and memories. The promotional campaign included a short film titled "Photograph: The Space Between Us," starring Menna Shalaby and Nabil Issa.
Menna's most recent projects include Al'Ins W AlNems (2021), in which she co-stars with comedian Mohamed Heneidy. As well as, two box office hits; El Gareema (The Crime), starring Ahmed Ezz and directed by Sherif Arafa, and Men Agl Ziko, starring Kareem Mahmoud Abdel Aziz and directed by Peter Mimi, the film is now available for streaming on Netflix.
Her latest 15 episode series Betlou' Al-Rouh', directed by Kamla Abou Zekry, screened in Ramadan 2022 on MBC and ShahidVIP, garnered her the Best Actress Award at the 2022 Cairo Drama Festival and Best Actress Award in The Arab World at the 2022 Murex D'or ceremony.
Shalaby's latest work is Shahid's TAGHYEER GAW series, which aired during the 2023 Ramdan season to terrific audience reception. Earlier in 2023, the megastar was also honored at the second edition of the Cairo Drama Festival alongside directors Kamla Abo Zekri and Peter Mimi, as well as acclaimed actors Maged El-Kidwany, Mona Zaki, and Karim Abdelaziz.
As for the Ramadan 2024 race, Shalaby will be opting for the radio instead of the small screen; the star is hosting a radio series titled BEIT OM EL GHOLAM airing on NRJ, Egypt's 92.1 radio station. The series is directed by Moustafa Mounir and written by Mohamed Ismail.- Actress
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Hend Sabry is a Cairo-based Tunisian actress and lawyer. She was born in Tunis on 20th November and received her license in law at the Faculty of Law of Tunis in 2001. Later she completed her masters in law intellectual property and copyright in 2004. Her acting debut was at the age of fourteen in the Tunisian production "Les Silences du Palais" (Silence of Palaces) in 1994. After starring a number of Tunisian productions, Hend's breakthrough was through "Muzakirat Murahiqua" (A Teenager's Diary) that was considered the most controversial film in 2002. Her role gave her immediate stardom across the Arab world and in a short span of time she became one of the most prominent Tunisian actresses in Egypt and the Arab world. Sabry is prominently involved in social and humanitarian work; since 2009, she has been working closely with the UN World Food Programme on raising awareness about hunger in the region. In 2010, Sabry had officially become a WFP Regional Ambassador. She is also one of four women who have contributed in the Facebook campaign inspired by the Arab spring titled "The Uprising of Women in the Arab World" which promotes gender equality in accordance with the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights and calls to grant freedom, independence and security for Arab women."- Actress
One of Egypt's most talented actresses. With her expressive brown eyes, lustrous dark hair and flawless olive skin, the ballet dancer, and actress burst onto the scene in 1991, making her mark on the Egyptian Actresses list and audiences as well.
She co-stars with Nadia El Gendyand Mahmoud Hemida in Wild Desire (1992). One of Egypt's foremost leading ladies of the 1990s, Hanan has managed to make her mark on Arabic audiences as well. Born in (Cairo) on 7th of March 1976, Hanan was one of three children, Hanan, Hussein and Hossam of a Father who owns a Factory for Women's wear (El Torki for Dresses). After years of intensive study in ballet, she broke into acting in 1991. In 1992, she had starring roles in Al-mohager (1994), for famous director Youssef Chahine. In 1998, she had the starring role as well in The Other (1999), two very disparate films. Hanan proved to be a huge success. Success gave Hanan a dose of Arab recognition, and, after starring in a number of Egyptian films, she enhanced this recognition in the year 2000 with the entry to TV series Opera Ayda (2000)
That same year, she had a brief but memorable role in breakthrough film Al assifa (2000).- Khaled Saleh was born on 23 January 1964 in Cairo, Egypt. He was an actor, known for Tito (2004), The Best of Times (2004) and Chaos, This Is (2007). He died on 25 September 2014 in Cairo, Egypt.
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Khaled El-Sawi was born on 25 November 1963 in Alexandria, Egypt. He is an actor and assistant director, known for The Blue Elephant (2014), El Farah (2009) and The Yacoubian Building (2006).- Karim Abdel Aziz was born in Egypt on 17-8-1975. He was raised by his father the director Mohamed Abdel Aziz who has a valuable history in the Egyptian cinema; hence the technical environment in which he grew up had a prominent role in the ease of entry and work in the field of cinematography. Karim graduated from the Academy of Arts in 1997 as a director; he worked as an assistant director for a brief period until he discovered that he felt pleasure to stand in front of the camera and by then he decided to enter the world of acting.
- Nelly Karim is an Egyptian actress, fashion model and ballerina. She was born December 18, 1974 in Alexandria, Egypt for An Egyptian father and Russian Mother. Nelly Karim has drawn attention for her 2006 refusal to portray "seductive roles". She won Best Actress award in the Cairo International Film Festival in 2004 for her role in Enta Omry. She also won Jury Grand Prize at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards for her role in 678 and Best Actress at the Arab Film Festival in 2012 for 678.Nelly Karim has four children, the last of which was born in 2011.
- Basma was born on 7 December 1976 in Cairo, Egypt. She is an actress, known for Qessat Hobb (2010), Ouija (2006) and Zayy el-Nahardah (2008). She has been married to Amr Hamzawy since 15 February 2012.
- Ghadah Adel is known for The Student Cop (2004), Kasablanka (2019) and Private Alexandria (2005). She was previously married to Magdy Al Hawary.
- Although she had no interest at all on being an actress, Mona Zaki is now a remarkable leading star. Mona started her career in acting accidentally, when she met Mohamed Sobhi, the famous Egyptian Actor and Director. Mona is a Mass Communication student at the fourth grade. Her dream is to prove herself as a good actress. She wants to make good remarkable roles in her career as a Super Star. 'There is a lot to do'.
- Actor
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Hani Salama was born on 4 July 1977 in Cairo, Egypt. He is an actor and composer, known for Control Room (2004), The Other (1999) and Ouija (2006). He is married to Riham Salama. They have two children.- Graduated from the Egyptian academy of arts and began his acting career immediately in Egyptian mini-series, and ended up co-starring in several of the most important series broadcast during the holy month Ramadan seasons.
Ahmed establish himself as a film star as early as 1998 when he co-starred in "Seidy at the American University" which holds the record to be the highest grossing film in Egyptian & Arab counties Box office history. He got his first starring role in 2000 in the film "Short wi Fanila wi Cap" and since then he has not looked back. His latest film "Mafia" was the most acclaimed film of 2002 and grossed over 14 million EGP in the Egyptian Box office.
Ahmed El sakka is now set to increase and confirm his No. 1 leading man status by starring in "TiTo". - Actor
- Director
- Producer
Mahmoud Yassine was born on 19 February 1942 in Port Said, Egypt. He was an actor and director, known for Souk El-Asr (2001), Mama Fi El-Qism (2010) and The Message (1976). He was married to Shahira. He died on 14 October 2020 in Cairo, Egypt.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Anwar Wagdi was born on 11 October 1904 in Cairo, Egypt. He was an actor and director, known for The Flirtation of Girls (1949), El Millioner (1950) and Qalbi Dalili (1947). He was married to Layla Fawzi, Laila Mourad and Elham Hussein. He died on 14 May 1955 in Stockholm, Sweden.- Actress
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Although her parents did not approve of her becoming a belly dancer, she became world renowned. Although Islam frowned upon belly dancing, she was the only one recognized with a public funeral procession. She performed in over 300 movies and television shows. She gave up dancing in 1963 but as late as the mid-1980's ran her own theater in Cairo, helping to write and choose plays, as well as directing and producing. She took to wearing the Islamic head scarf before retiring completely from public view 13 years ago. Though the hold of fundamentalist Islam on Egyptian society has virtually wiped out public manifestations of her art, she was in the end granted the official approval her parents withheld, as the Egyptian Culture Minister, Farouk Hosni, led her funeral procession. The stuff of legend, she married 14 different husbands and once slapped King Farouk when he threw an ice cube down her dress. She had roles in more than 300 movies and television shows.- Naguib Mahfouz was born on 11 December 1911 in Cairo, Egypt. He was a writer, known for El Fetewa (1957), The Monster (1954) and Between Heaven and Earth (1959). He was married to Atiyyatallah Ibrahim. He died on 30 August 2006 in Cairo, Egypt.
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Bassem Ra'fat Mohamed Youssef is an Egyptian cardiac surgeon, satirist, and the host of El Bernameg ("The Program"), a satirical news program broad casted by Egyptian television station Capital Broadcast Center (CBC). The press has compared Youssef with American comedian Jon Stewart, whose satire program The Daily Show inspired Youssef to begin his career. Bassem began his first satirical show in March 2011 in response to the Egyptian Revolution. Entitled The B+ Show, the program was uploaded to his YouTube Channel.[4] The show mainly consisted of satirical political programs via the Internet after the revolution of January 25. Bassem began his presentation on YouTube on March 8, 2011, with more than 108 episodes of the program. The episode view count has surpassed 15 million views on YouTube After the success of The B+ Show, Egyptian channel ONTV, owned by Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris, offered Youssef a deal for El Bernameg (literally, "The Show").[5] The show premiered during Ramadan 2011 with Egyptian-American engineer Muhammad Radwan as its first guest.[6][7] Youssef has parodied Egyptian celebrities like talk show host Tawfik Okasha, composer Amr Mostafa, Salafist presidential candidate Hazem Salah Abu Ismail, and Mohamed ElBaradei, former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency and onetime presidential candidate, in his show. Bassem Youssef was also hosted by Jon Stewart on his show on the 21st of June, 2012. The show "El Bernameg" was renewed for a second season after a contract with a second channel, CBC (Capital Broadcast Center) , which premiered on November 23rd, 2012. Just three episodes into the show, several lawsuits have been filed against Bassem Youssef and his show, mainly for "insult and defamation". On the season's premiere, Bassem made the owner and coworkers of his channel the subject of his show, as an assurance that he is granted full freedom of expression, and that no topic was off limits.[8][9] CBC did not, however air his second episode, which also featured further criticism of a TV show host who filed a lawsuit against Bassem. "The Show" was resumed, however on its third episode. The program, which began with a small group working at home with Youssef, moved from the smallest studio broadcasting on an Online TV Channel to the Cinema Radio downtown, a theatre redesigned in the likeness of New York's Radio City, where The program broadcasts in front of a live studio audience. The contents of a typical show's broadcast have evolved, which began with a sarcastic take on current political events, and eventually incorporating the hosting of public figures and stars from various fields, as well as various artists' performances- Actress
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Umm Kulthum was born on 4 May 1904 in Tammay al-Zahayrah, Daqahliyah, Egypt. She was an actress and composer, known for Wedad (1936), Nashid al-Amal (1937) and Aydah (1942). She died on 3 February 1975 in Cairo, Egypt.- Actress
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Nagat was born on 11 August 1938 in Cairo, Egypt. She is an actress, known for The Black Candles (1962), Chatei el marah (1967) and Ebnati Al Aziza (1971).