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 (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.
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0952304
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q401563
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Filmography (Movies)
Halim
Character:عبدالحليم حافظ
Release Date:12/07/2006
His Excellency the Minister
Character:Ra'fat Rostom
Release Date:05/12/2002
Days of El Sadat
Character:Anwar El Sadat
Release Date:26/06/2001
Land of Fear
Character:Yehia / Adam
Release Date:15/03/2000
Smile, The Photo Comes Out Better
Character:Sayed Gharib
Release Date:24/11/1998
The Champion
Character:Mahmoud (Houda Kalawi)
Release Date:07/04/1997
Hassan Ellol
Character:Hassan Ragheb Al-Minshawi (Hassan Al-Loul)
Release Date:19/02/1997
An Affair
Character:Salah
Release Date:23/09/1996
Nasser 56
Character:Gamal Abdel Nasser
Release Date:05/08/1996
Abo Dahab
Character:
Release Date:26/04/1996
Lobster
Character:Abbas Al-Antil
Release Date:20/02/1996
Hysteria
Character:Zein
Release Date:28/01/1996
The Third Man
Character:
Release Date:10/05/1995
The Lady's Driver
Character:حماده
Release Date:12/12/1993
Al Basha
Character:Hazem El-Shennawy
Release Date:01/11/1993
Mr. Karate
Character:صلاح عبدالراضى
Release Date:24/03/1993
Against the Government
Character:Mustafa Khalaf
Release Date:11/06/1992
The Shepherd and the Women
Character:حسن عبدالراضي
Release Date:14/10/1991
The Escape
Character:Montaser Abdel Ghaffar
Release Date:16/04/1991
Al Makhtufa
Character:Hussein
Release Date:16/04/1991
The Emperor
Character:Zeinhom
Release Date:19/11/1990
Kaborya
Character:Hassan Hudhud
Release Date:27/08/1990
The Egg and the Stone
Character:Mustataa Al-Taazi
Release Date:26/04/1990
One Woman Is Not Enough
Character:Hossam Mounir
Release Date:01/01/1990
Welad Eleih
Character:Zaki Al-Homsani
Release Date:30/01/1989
The Third Class
Character:Suroor
Release Date:24/07/1988
Dreams of Hind and Camilia
Character:Eid
Release Date:07/04/1988
The Wife of an Important Man
Character:Hisham Abu Al-Wafa
Release Date:11/01/1988
The Bey Doorman
Character:Abdel Samea
Release Date:31/08/1987
Four On An Official Mission
Character:Anwar Abdel Mawla
Release Date:28/05/1987
The Beginning
Character:Adel
Release Date:15/08/1986
Market of The Fish
Character:Ahmed Abo Kamel
Release Date:12/01/1986
Love Above Pyramid's Plateau
Character:
Release Date:02/01/1986
The Innocent
Character:Ahmad Saba' Al Lail
Release Date:02/01/1986
Saad the Orphan
Character:
Release Date:01/01/1985
The promised night
Character:
Release Date:01/09/1984
Black Tiger
Character:Mohammad Hasan Al Masri
Release Date:13/06/1984
The Dancer & the Drummer
Character:
Release Date:27/02/1984
Jail Cell
Character:Magdy
Release Date:02/01/1984
Albarnas
Character:Yousef Osman
Release Date:01/01/1984
The Addict
Character:Khaled Abdel Hamid
Release Date:19/12/1983
Precausion is Mandatory
Character:حسان
Release Date:10/10/1983
Alley of Love
Character:Abdulaziz
Release Date:11/07/1983
Houseboat No. 70
Character:Ahmed Al-Shazly
Release Date:22/04/1982
Bloody Destinies
Character:Kheir خير
Release Date:27/01/1982
A Dinner Date
Character:شكري
Release Date:16/11/1981
Sleepless Eyes
Character:Ismail
Release Date:05/10/1981
A Bird on the Road
Character:Fares
Release Date:14/09/1981
I'm Not Lying, I'm Sugar Coating
Character:Ibrahim Saleh
Release Date:13/07/1981
Al-Batniyya
Character:Safrout
Release Date:25/08/1980
Alexandria… Why?
Character:Ibrahim
Release Date:23/08/1979
No Longer Kids
Character:Kamal
Release Date:08/07/1979
Shafiqa and Metwally
Character:متولي
Release Date:27/11/1978
Waraa Al-Shams
Character:Essam عصام
Release Date:03/09/1978
Life is a Moment
Character:عبدالعزيز سراج
Release Date:03/09/1978
Star Maker
Character:Mamdouh
Release Date:14/11/1977
Sons of Silence
Character:Mahmoud
Release Date:16/11/1974
Bedour
Character:Saeed
Release Date:14/10/1974
The School of Mischief
Character:Ahmed
Release Date:15/06/1973
The Troublemakers
Character:سيد
Release Date:01/01/1973
My Son
Character:عصفور
Release Date:06/11/1972
Hello Shalaby
Character:راضي
Release Date:13/08/1969
Cairo in a Thousand Years
Character:
Release Date:01/01/1969
Television Appearances
Images
