Ahmed Zaki, Acting - KorPlix:Korean Person Archives

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Ahmed Zaki
Acting

Ahmed Zaki
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1949-11-18,Zagazig, Egypt
Gender
Male
Biography
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.

Filmography

7

Jail Cell
1984-01-02

7.7

No Longer Kids
1979-07-08

0

Bedour
1974-10-14

The School of Mischief

8.5

The School of Mischief
1973-06-15

0

Star Maker
1977-11-14

0

My Son
1972-11-06

9.5

Hello Shalaby
1969-08-13

Cairo in a Thousand Years

0

Cairo in a Thousand Years
1969-01-01

0

Victims Hotel

6.6

Land of Fear
2000-03-15

6.9

The Escape
1991-04-16

The Egg and the Stone

7

The Egg and the Stone
1990-04-26

7.9

The Beginning
1986-08-15

6.9

Black Tiger
1984-06-13

Sons of Silence

0

Sons of Silence
1974-11-16

Dreams of Hind and Camilia

6.6

Dreams of Hind and Camilia
1988-04-07

Days of El Sadat

7.9

Days of El Sadat
2001-06-26

0

The Third Man
1995-05-10

7

Al Basha
1993-11-01

5.4

Mr. Karate
1993-03-24

Against the Government

8.2

Against the Government
1992-06-11

Four On An Official Mission

5.7

Four On An Official Mission
1987-05-28

Love Above Pyramid's Plateau

7.1

Love Above Pyramid's Plateau
1986-01-02

A Bird on the Road

8

A Bird on the Road
1981-09-14

4.5

Sleepless Eyes
1981-10-05

The Shepherd and the Women

5.8

The Shepherd and the Women
1991-10-14

The Wife of an Important Man

8

The Wife of an Important Man
1988-01-11

Market of The Fish

5.1

Market of The Fish
1986-01-12

7.4

The Innocent
1986-01-02

7.6

A Dinner Date
1981-11-16

Alexandria… Why?

6.2

Alexandria… Why?
1979-08-23

Shafiqa and Metwally

6.7

Shafiqa and Metwally
1978-11-27

6.4

Nasser 56
1996-08-05

The Bey Doorman

6.4

The Bey Doorman
1987-08-31

10

Albarnas
1984-01-01

The Dancer & the Drummer

6.5

The Dancer & the Drummer
1984-02-27

0

The Champion
1997-04-07

Houseboat No. 70

7

Houseboat No. 70
1982-04-22

7

Halim
2006-07-12

5.5

The Emperor
1990-11-19

His Excellency the Minister

7.6

His Excellency the Minister
2002-12-05

6

Al-Batniyya
1980-08-25

5.7

Alley of Love
1983-07-11

Smile, The Photo Comes Out Better

6.8

Smile, The Photo Comes Out Better
1998-11-24

7

Hysteria
1996-01-28

6

Kaborya
1990-08-27

5

Abo Dahab
1996-04-26

5.3

Lobster
1996-02-20

The Lady's Driver

5.3

The Lady's Driver
1993-12-12

One Woman Is Not Enough

0

One Woman Is Not Enough
1990-01-01

6

An Affair
1996-09-23

0

Hassan Ellol
1997-02-19

9

Welad Eleih
1989-01-30

The Third Class

4

The Third Class
1988-07-24

Trouble rioters

0

Trouble rioters
1973-01-01

I'm not lying, I'm sugar coating

7.5

I'm not lying, I'm sugar coating
1981-01-01

The promised night

7

The promised night
1984-09-01

5.5

The Addict
1983-12-19

Precausion is Mandatory

5

Precausion is Mandatory
1983-10-10

5

Al Makhtufa
1991-04-16

7

Waraa Al-Shams
1978-09-03

Saad the Orphan

0

Saad the Orphan
1985-01-01

Life is a Moment

0

Life is a Moment
1978-09-03

Bloody Destinies

0

Bloody Destinies
1982-01-27

The man who lost his memory twice

0

The man who lost his memory twice
1981-09-09

0

The Days
1979-01-01

إصلاحية جبل الليمون

0

إصلاحية جبل الليمون
1979-01-29

He and She Stories

7

He and She Stories
1985-05-20

0

Men Agl Walady

0

الصراع
1980-10-15