Ahmed Zaki (actor) facts for kids

Ahmed Zaki Metwally Abdelrahman Badawi (Arabic: أحمد زكي متولي عبد الرحمن بدوي; born November 18, 1949 – died March 27, 2005), known simply as Ahmed Zaki, was a very famous Egyptian film actor. People knew him for his amazing talent and skill in acting. He was especially good at playing serious and emotional roles. Even though his first role was small, many consider him one of the best actors ever in Egyptian cinema.

Early Life

Ahmed Zaki was born in Zagazig, a city about 50 miles north of Cairo, Egypt. He finished Crafts School in Zagazig in 1967. After that, he moved to Cairo to study acting. He graduated from the Cairo Higher Institute for Drama Studies in 1974.

Amazing Career Highlights

Ahmed Zaki starred in many films. Some of his movies were written by the famous writer Wahid Hamed. These films often talked about important social issues. They sometimes showed problems in the government or police.

He also acted in a popular TV comedy show in the 1980s called Howa we heya. He starred alongside actress Souad Houssni. Later, in the 1990s, Ahmed Zaki also made many successful action movies.

Two of his most famous roles were playing Egyptian presidents. He played Gamal Abdel Nasser in the movie Nasser 56. This film was about President Nasser's decision to take control of the Suez Canal in 1956. He also played Anwar Sadat in The Days of Sadat (2001). This movie showed 40 years of President Sadat's life. Ahmed Zaki even produced this film. He had plans to play another president, Hosni Mubarak, in a third movie. He also played other important historical figures like Taha Hussein.

Many young Egyptians looked up to Ahmed Zaki. He was seen as a voice for average people. Some even called him "The King of the Third Class." This meant he was very popular with everyday people who bought the cheapest tickets at movie theaters. He had even acted with Farid Shawki, who was also known by this nickname, in two movies.

Ahmed Zaki was a heavy smoker. Sadly, he passed away from lung cancer complications. He was in the hospital in Sixth of October City, near Cairo. The president at the time, Hosni Mubarak, even offered to send him to France for medical care. Ahmed Zaki also received the Merit of Arts award for his work in over 50 movies.

A book called Ahmad Zaki wa Symphoniet Ibda was written about him. It shares details about his acting career. It also includes articles from different movie critics.

Tributes

On November 18, 2020, Google honored Ahmed Zaki on what would have been his 71st birthday. They created a special Google Doodle for him. The doodle included items that referred to some of his famous movies. For example, it had boxing gloves for Al Nimr Al Aswad (The Black Tiger). It also had a crab for Kaboria (The Crab). A camera represented Edhak El-Sora Tetlaa’ Helwa (Smile, the Picture Will Come Out Fine). There were also animals from Arba’a Fi Muhimma Rasmiya (Four on an Official Mission).

Filmography