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person_profile-Ahmed Zaki

Ahmed Zaki Died at age: 55

Actor | Producer

Fullname:

Ahmed Zaki

Date of Birth:

Nov 18, 1949

Country of birth:

Egypt

Died:

Mar 27, 2005

Biography of

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 Zagazig, 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.

Photos of

Ahmed Zaki

Photos ( 2 Photos

Filmography of

Ahmed Zaki

Found 64 Movies in total

Halim

Actor

... 2006

His Excellency the Minister

Ra'fat Rostom ( Actor )

... 2002

Days of El Sadat

President Anwar El Sadat ( Actor )

Producer

... 2001

Land of Fear

Yehia / Adam ( Actor )

... 2000

... 1998

... 1997

... 1997

... 1996

Nasser 56

Gamal Abdel Nasser ( Actor )

... 1996

... 1996

Lobster

Actor

... 1996

Hysteria

Zein ( Actor )

... 1996

... 1995

... 1993

Al Basha

Hazem El-Shennawy ( Actor )

... 1993

Mr. Karate

Salah ( Actor )

... 1993

... 1992

... 1991

The Escape

Moutasir ( Actor )

... 1991

... 1991

The Emperor

Zeinhom ( Actor )

... 1990

Kaborya

Hodhod ( Actor )

... 1990

The Egg and the Stone

Mustataa ( Actor )

... 1990

... 1990

Welad Eleih

Zaki El-Homosani ( Actor )

... 1989

The Third Class

سرور ( Actor )

... 1988

... 1988

... 1988

The Bey Doorman

Abdel Samea ( Actor )

Songs

... 1987

Four On An Official Mission

Anwar ( Actor )

Songs

... 1987

... 1986

Market of The Fish

Ahmed Abo Kamel ( Actor )

... 1986

The Innocent

Ahmad Saba' Al Lail ( Actor )

... 1986

... 1986

... 1985

... 1984

Black Tiger

Mohammad Hasan Al Masri ( Actor )

... 1984

... 1984

... 1984

Albarnas

Yousef Osman ( Actor )

... 1984

The Addict

خالد عبدالحميد ( Actor )

... 1983

... 1983

... 1983

... 1982

... 1982

A Dinner Date

Shoukry ( Actor )

... 1981

... 1981

... 1981

I'm Not Lying, I'm Sugar Coating

Ibrahim Saleh ( Actor )

... 1981

... 1980

Alexandria… Why?

Ibrahim ( Actor )

... 1979

No Longer Kids

Kamal ( Actor )

... 1979

... 1978

... 1978

... 1978

Star Maker

mamdouh ( Actor )

... 1977

... 1974

Bedour

Actor

... 1974

The School of Mischief

Ahmed ( Actor )

... 1973

The Troublemakers

Sayed ( Actor )

... 1973

My Son

عصفور ( Actor )

... 1972

... 1969

... 1969

... -0001