The talented actor Khaled Saleh passed away last Thursday at the age of 50 following open-heart surgery complications at the Magdy Yacoub Centre in Aswan; Saleh had suffered a heart condition since the age of 30. Saleh was born on 23 January 1964, and acting was a dream he insisted on pursuing despite all the obstacles in his way. He studied law at Cairo University, where he participated in various university theatre performances. Though he subsequently spent a few years working in other fields, he never gave up on his dream of becoming an actor. He joined independent and amateur theatre troupes at Al-Hanager Theatre on its launch at the start of the 1990s, and his debut was Ehtefal Khas Ala Sharaf Al-E'ila (A Party on the Honour of the Family) in 1992. He maintained his passion for the theatre, which paved his way to the silver screen, a career that started with his role as a judge in the comedy star Hani Ramzi's film Mohami Khol' (Divorce Lawyer, directed by Mohamed Yassin and written by Wahid Hamed) in 2002. Though a small role, Saleh was noticed. Saleh played the notorious intelligence general Salah Nasr in filmmaker Salah Al-Qawadri's Gamal Abdel-Nasser in 1999, costarring with the likes of Khaled Al-Sawi, Abla Kamel and Hisham Selim. In the same year, he featured in the Ramadan television series Umm Kulthoum. His breakthrough came in the early 2000s with significant supporting roles in the cinema. In action hero star Ahmed Al-Saqqa's Tito (directed by Tarek Al-Eryan, 2004), he played one of his most memorable roles, for which he received an award. He had already appeared in the star comedian Ahmed Helmi's Mido Mashakel (Trouble Mido) in 2003. Saleh appeared in numerous television series: Mahmoud Al-Masri in 2004, written by Medhat Al-Adl, directed by Magdi Abu-Emera and starring Mahmoud Abdel-Aziz, Ghada Abdel-Razek and Somia Al-Khashab; Al-Ameil 1001 (Agent 1001) in 2005, written by Nabil Farouk and directed by Sherin Adel and starring Mustafa Shaaban and Nelly Karim; and Ahlam Adeya (Ordinary Dreams) also in 2005, written by Mohamed Ashraf, directed by Magdi Abu-Emera and starring Youssra and Khaled Zaki. In 2005, Saleh also featured in three films: Fattah Einek (Open your Eyes), Malaki Iskendriya (Private Alexandria) and Harb Italia (Italy War). But it was 2006 that proved a busy year for Saleh. He starred in Kamla Abu-Zekri's ‘An Al-Ishq Wal Hawa (Of Love and Longong), Rami Imam's Tomn Dastet Ashrar (An eighth dozen evil men) and Marawan Hamed's The Yacoubian Building, playing a corrupt state official alongside Adel-Imam, Nour Al-Sherif, Youssra and other stars. He later said, “My role in The Yacoubian Building is one of the closest to my heart.” In 2007, Saleh starred in Youssef Chahine's last film Heya Fawda (Chaos), appearing in Khaled Youssef's Hein Maysara (Till Further Notice) in the same year and again in Youssef's 2008 Al-Rayes Omar Harb (Chief Omar Harb), together with Hani Salama, Ghada Abdel-Razek and Somia Al-Khashab. His last two films, in 2013 and 2014, respectively, were Al-Harami wal Abeit (The Thief and the Dork), in which he brilliantly played a retard, and Febrayer Al-Aswad (Black February), discussing Egyptian social issues leading up to the revolution. Aired last Ramadan, his last television series was Halawet Al-Rouh (Death Throes), directed by Shawki Al-Magari. It dealt with the pains of people all across the Arab world, especially Syria.
