CAIRO, 28 March 2005 — Renowned Egyptian actor Ahmed Zaki died in a Cairo hospital yesterday after he fell into a coma caused by lung cancer. His death concludes a body of widely celebrated work unlikely to be equaled on the Egyptian art scene.
The son of a poor family, you might have expected Zaki to follow in the same direction and become an ordinary Egyptian. It was in movies that he made his mark as a true representative of the hard working class. With his big smile and subtle facial expressions, his characters were visually impressive, if not at times overwhelming, and nearly always evoked a smile.
According to a statement issued by Dar Al-Fuad hospital, where he breathed his last, Zaki, 56, suffered from lung cancer that was first discovered in January 2004 and underwent chemotherapy in Paris last year, paid for by the Egyptian government. He had been in the intensive care unit at Dar Al-Fuad since he had fallen into another coma early this month.
Born in 1949 in the village of Zaqakiq in Al-Sharqia province, Zaki studied mechanical engineering. He joined the Higher Institute for Theatrical Arts in the mid-1960s. He began his career on stage and his first hit came in the early 1970s when he portrayed famous writer and thinker Taha Hussein in the TV series, Al-Ayam (Days).
Known as “the Black Tiger”, Zaki influenced a generation of actors and entertained his fans in the Arab world throughout his 30-year career. He preformed powerful roles in movies such as Al-Beih Al-Bawab (Mr. Doorman), Al-Awama 70 (The Houseboat 70), Shafiaa and Metwali, and Ahlam Hind we Kamiliah (The Dreams of Hind and Kamiliah). He made a leap into the big time when he portrayed Egyptian Presidents Gamal Abdel Nasser and Anwar Sadat.
His biggest dream was to finish the film Halim about the life of legendary singer Abdel Halim Hafez who also died in March 28 years ago. Zaki could finish only half the scenes in the movie.
“I always wanted to portray Halim because we share a similar background, both being orphans who grew up in the same village. We both suffered a lot,” Zaki said at his last press conference.
His funeral will be held today at Cairo’s Moustafa Mahmoud Mosque.
