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Ahmed Zaki

Ahmed Zaki (November 18, 1949 - March 27, 2005) was a leading Egyptian film actor who was characterized by his talent, skill, and ability to impersonate. Dubbed "The Emperor", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest male actors in the Arab world. Zaki has starred in six films that have been listed in the Top 100 Egyptian films. Ahmed Zaki was born to a poor family in Sharqia, Egypt. His father died a few years after his birth, his mother remarried, and he was brought up to live with his grandfather. Zaki fell in love with acting when he was still in school, his headmaster saw his creative ability and pushed him to follow his passion. He would later travel to Cairo and earn his degree from the Cairo Higher Institute for Drama Studies in 1974. While studying, he first debuted in the stage play Hello Shalaby (1969). He also starred in very successful comedy plays such as School of Mischief (1973) and No Longer Kids (1979). Early in his career, he struggled with producers and directors as they believed he did not have the appearance to appeal to audiences. When he got objected by the film distributor to star in Al Karnak (1975) after he was cast as the character Ismail, he entered a severe depression. He did not overcome it until after poet and playwright Salah Jahin supported him, as Jahin was convinced of his talent and would later write films and a TV show Zaki starred in. Many of his films had a strong political message that exposed governmental and police corruption. Two of his greatest successes were playing Egypt's presidents in two popular movies that became landmarks of Arabic cinema. He played Gamal Abdel Nasser in Nasser 56 (1996) and Anwar Sadat in Days of Sadat (2001). He also portrayed other prominent Egyptian figures such as writer Taha Hussien. Zaki was a method actor who immersed himself profoundly in his roles, absorbing every aspect of the character he was portraying whether he was fictional or real in origin. In 1983, he married actress Hala Fouad but the marriage did not last. She gave birth to his only son Haitham Zaki in 1984, who would also grow up to be an actor until his sudden and tragic death in 2019. His former wife died in 1993 after a battle with breast cancer. He was a known heavy smoker. In 2005, Ahmed Zaki died of lung cancer during the shooting of Sherif Arafa's biography Halim (2006), in which he portrayed the legendary singer Abdel Halim Hafez, a role he's always dreamed to play. His son Haitham was roped in to fill the scenes and play the lead on behalf of his father. Years after his passing, he is remembered with great reverence and fondness within the film industry and outside it, his contributions seen as monumental by his contemporaries as well as the generations that followed.


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Born:
Nov 18, 1949 In Zagazig, Egypt
Movie/TV Credits:
70
First Appeared:
In the movie Cairo in a Thousand Years 1969-01-01
Latest Project:
Series Men Agl Walady 2025
Known For
Filmography
Series Men Agl Walady Unknown 2025
Movie Victims Hotel Unknown 2025
Movie Halim عبدالحليم حافظ 2006-07-12
Movie His Excellency the Minister Ra'fat Rostom 2002-12-05
Movie Days of El Sadat Anwar El Sadat 2001-06-26
Movie Land of Fear Yehia / Adam 2000-03-15
Movie Smile, The Photo Comes Out Better Sayed Gharib 1998-11-24
Movie Hassan Ellol Hassan Ragheb Al-Minshawi (Hassan Al-Loul) 1997-02-19
Movie The Champion Mahmoud (Houda Kalawi) 1997-04-07
Movie Hysteria Zein 1996-01-28
Movie An Affair Salah 1996-09-23
Movie Lobster Abbas Al-Antil 1996-02-20
Movie Abo Dahab Unknown 1996-04-26
Movie Nasser 56 Gamal Abdel Nasser 1996-08-05
Movie The Third Man Unknown 1995-05-10
Movie Mr. Karate صلاح عبدالراضى 1993-03-24
Movie Al Basha Hazem El-Shennawy 1993-11-01
Movie The Lady's Driver حماده 1993-12-12
Movie Against the Government Mustafa Khalaf 1992-06-11
Movie Al Makhtufa Hussein 1991-04-16
Movie The Shepherd and the Women حسن عبدالراضي 1991-10-14
Movie The Escape Montaser Abdel Ghaffar 1991-04-16
Movie One Woman Is Not Enough Hossam Mounir 1990-01-01
Movie The Egg and the Stone Mustataa Al-Taazi 1990-04-26
Movie Kaborya Hassan Hodhod 1990-08-27
Movie The Emperor Zeinhom 1990-11-19
Movie Welad Eleih Zaki Al-Homsani 1989-01-30
Movie The Wife of an Important Man Hisham Abu Al-Wafa 1988-01-11
Movie Dreams of Hind and Camilia Eid 1988-04-07
Movie The Third Class Suroor 1988-07-24
Movie Four On An Official Mission Anwar Abdel Mawla 1987-05-28
Movie The Bey Doorman Abdel Samea 1987-08-31
Movie Love Above Pyramid's Plateau 1986-01-02
Movie The Innocent Ahmad Saba' Al Lail 1986-01-02
Movie Market of The Fish Ahmed Abo Kamel 1986-01-12
Movie The Beginning Adel 1986-08-15
Movie Saad the Orphan 1985-01-01
Series He and She Stories Unknown 1985-05-20
Movie Albarnas Yousef Osman 1984-01-01
Movie The Dancer & the Drummer Unknown 1984-02-27
Movie Jail Cell Magdy 1984-01-02
Movie The promised night Unknown 1984-09-01
Movie Black Tiger Mohammad Hasan Al Masri 1984-06-13
Movie Precausion is Mandatory حسان 1983-10-10
Movie Alley of Love Abdulaziz 1983-07-11
Movie The Addict Khaled Abdel Hamid 1983-12-19
Movie Bloody Destinies Kheir خير 1982-01-27
Movie Houseboat No. 70 Ahmed Al-Shazly 1982-04-22
Movie I'm Not Lying, I'm Sugar Coating Ibrahim Saleh 1981-07-13
Movie A Bird on the Road Fares 1981-09-14
Series The Man Who Lost His Memory Twice رأفت الجوهري/حمدي عبدالرحيم/سامي عبدالرحيم/فرج 1981-09-09
Movie Sleepless Eyes Ismail 1981-10-05
Movie A Dinner Date شكري 1981-11-16
Movie Al-Batniyya Safrout 1980-08-25
Series الصراع مهران 1980-10-15
Series The Days 1979-01-01
Series إصلاحية جبل الليمون Unknown 1979-01-29
Movie Alexandria… Why? Ibrahim 1979-08-23
Movie No Longer Kids Kamal 1979-07-08
Movie Life is a Moment عبدالعزيز سراج 1978-09-03
Movie Waraa Al-Shams Essam عصام 1978-09-03
Movie Shafiqa and Metwally متولي 1978-11-27
Movie Star Maker Mamdouh 1977-11-14
Movie Bedour Saeed 1974-10-14
Movie Sons of Silence Mahmoud 1974-11-16
Movie The Troublemakers Sayed 1973-01-01
Movie The School of Mischief Ahmed 1973-06-15
Movie My Son عصفور 1972-11-06
Movie Cairo in a Thousand Years 1969-01-01
Movie Hello Shalaby راضي 1969-08-13