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Egyptian cinema commemorates late Egyptian actor Ahmed Zaky As this week marks the anniversary of the birth of famous Egyptian actor Ahmed Zaky, critics and film-makers remember him
Over the coming week, Egyptian and Arab cinema will celebrate the anniversary of the birth of the late Egyptian actor Ahmed Zaky, who was born on 18 November 1949, and passed away on 27 March 2005. Ahmed Zaky, who is considered one of the most prominent actors in the history of Egyptian cinema, was born in Zagazig, as an only son. His father died at an early age and when his mother remarried, he was raised by his grandfather. During his school years, he was encouraged by his headmaster, who was interested in theatre, and after one school performances which many artists from Cairo had been invited to attend, he was advised to enrol in the Academy of Dramatic Arts. Upon graduation from the academy in 1973, where he was the first in his class, he worked in commercially successful plays including Madraset El-Moshakhbeen (The School of Mischief), Awladna Fi London (Our Children are in London) and El-Eyal Kebret (The Children Have Grown). He has also had roles in several television series. He then worked in several films, receiving a number of awards, and married the late actress Hala Fouad. He also fathered a son called Haitham. He is one of the actors that get caught up in their roles, no matter how insignificant. Many of his films are considered stepping stones in his acting career like Ahlam Hend we Kamilia (The Dreams of Hend and Kamilia), Oyoon La Tanam (Eyes that Don't Sleep), El-Bareea (The Innocent), El-Hob Fawk Hadabet Al-Haram (Love on Top of the Pyramid), Nasser 56, Ard El-Khouf (The Land of Fear) and Ayyam El-Sadat (The Days of Sadat). His last film is the biopic of the famous Egyptian singer Halim. The scriptwriter Wahid Hamed said that the late actor was distinguished, with an immense faithfulness to his job that caused problems in his personal life. He added that Egyptian cinema has many shining names that are not less talented than Zaky; yet he has used up his talent to master his profession and concentrate on the smallest details. Hamed said that they had shared a profound friendship since the mid-seventies, and that he knew Zaky as the person behind the actor. According to critic Tarek El-Shennawy, Ahmed Zaki was the best actor in Egyptian cinema over the past 25 years, with an immense talent, and his films will live in Egyptian memory. One the other hand, the critic Hassan Hadad noted that he touched hearts amid an outburst of laughter, which was apparent since his debut performance in the play The School of Mischief. The actress Fardous Abdel Hamid said that Egyptian cinema cannot compensate for such talent, brilliance and spontaneity. She added that his most important roles were in Nasser 56 and Ayyam El-Sadat (The Days of Sadat), the biopics about the late Egyptian presidents. She said, however, that for Zaky, taking up the role of Gamal Abdel Nasser was a lot tougher than that of Anwar El-Sadat. http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/26552.aspx
