Bassam Lotfi ( ar, بسام لطفي) (1 January 1940 - 19 August 2022) was a

Syrian Syrians ( ar, سُورِيُّون, ''Sūriyyīn'') are an Eastern Mediterranean ethnic group indigenous to the Levant. They share common Levantine Semitic roots. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend of both indi ...

actor, who was born and raised in

Tulkarm Tulkarm, Tulkarem or Tull Keram ( ar, طولكرم, ''Ṭūlkarm'') is a Palestinian city in the West Bank, located in the Tulkarm Governorate of the State of Palestine. The Israeli city of Netanya is to the west, and the Palestinian cities of N ...

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

. He is considered one of the most prominent Arab actors, and he is considered one of the first generation of Syrian actors. He played a role in the launch of Syrian drama and he participated in dozens of series that gained wide popularity in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

. He was known as the “Dean of Syrian Drama”.

Biography

Bassam Lotfi was born in

on 1 January 1940 during a period of the

Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 ...

, he received his primary education in

. His father was a teacher in

. Bassam Lotfi moved to

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

after the

1948 war The 1948 Palestine war was fought in the territory of what had been, at the start of the war, British-ruled Mandatory Palestine. It is known in Israel as the War of Independence ( he, מלחמת העצמאות, ''Milkhemet Ha'Atzma'ut'') and ...

. He returned to

for a time in 1967, but the return lasted only a few months as he left for Syria again after Israel took control of the West Bank in June 1967.

Artistic career

Bassam Lotfi began the acting in the theatres of

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

in 1957, he contributed to the establishment of a group of Syrian art institutions, such as the Syrian Artists Syndicate, the Arab Youth Club, the Syrian National Theatre, the Syrian Military Theatre, and the Palestinian National Theatre.

Honors and awards

* Honored on the

World Theatre Day World Theatre Day (WTD) is an international observance celebrated on 27 March. It was initiated in 1961 by the International Theatre Institute. Initiation World Theatre Day was initiated in 1962 by the International Theatre Institute (ITI). It ...

in Damascus, 2008. * The Syrian Ministry of Information honored him as one of the most prominent pioneers of Syrian drama, 2019. * The Youth Cinema Festival in Damascus honored him for his long artistic career, 2019.

Death

Bassam Lotfi died at the age of 82, on 19 August 2022 in

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

, and the Palestinian President

Mahmoud Abbas Mahmoud Abbas ( ar, مَحْمُود عَبَّاس, Maḥmūd ʿAbbās; born 15 November 1935), also known by the kunya Abu Mazen ( ar, أَبُو مَازِن, links=no, ), is the president of the State of Palestine and the Palestinian Natio ...

mourned the actor Bassam Lotfi.

References

External links

“One of the stars of the first generation”… the “head of the Syrian theater” passed away, 19 August 2022

Veteran Syrian-Palestinian actor Bassam Lotfy dies at 82, 20 August 2022
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lotfi, Bassam 1940 births 2022 deaths People from Tulkarm 20th-century Palestinian actors 21st-century Palestinian actors Palestinian male actors 20th-century Syrian male actors 21st-century Syrian male actors Palestinian expatriates in Syria Syrian people of Palestinian descent Arab people in Mandatory Palestine