Camelia ( ar, كاميليا), born Lilian Victor Cohen was an Egyptian actress. She was born on December 13, 1919 and died on August 31, 1950.

Biography

Camelia was born in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

to either a Greek Jewish or a French father (many stories differ on this subject) and an Egyptian Catholic mother of Italian origin. Despite her Jewish surname, Camelia presented herself as a Christian. She was discovered by director Ahmed Salem who cast her in her first film in 1946 at the age of 17. As a beautiful socialite in the high society of Alexandria, she loved partying. Events surrounding her and her high-society relationships frequently appeared in the tabloids. In particular, gossip surrounding her relationships was often associated with that of

Farouk of Egypt Farouk I (; ar, فاروق الأول ''Fārūq al-Awwal''; 11 February 1920 – 18 March 1965) was the tenth ruler of Egypt from the Muhammad Ali dynasty and the penultimate King of Egypt and the Sudan, succeeding his father, Fuad I, in 193 ...

. Camelia was killed in the crash of

TWA Flight 903 TWA Flight 903 was a regularly scheduled flight from Bombay International Airport, India to New York-Idlewild Airport, via Cairo-King Farouk Airport and Rome-Ciampino Airport. Flight ''The Star of Maryland'', a Lockheed L-749A Constellation ...

in 1950 when she was 30 years old. The accident added to the fame and mystery surrounding her image. Her wild lifestyle and tragic death are often compared to that of

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

. Conspiracy theories and speculation about espionage, especially in the context of Israel were also widespread in Egypt, but nothing has ever been proven. Despite a short career, she gained a place in the memory of Egyptian and Arab audiences and left a mark in the films that are still shown all over the Arab world. Famed Egyptian director

Atef Salem Atef Salem ( arz, عاطف سالم; 23 July 1927 – 30 July 2002) was an Egyptian film director. He directed 32 films between 1954 and 2001. Many of his films were scripted by the novelist Naguib Mahfouz.Adel Darwish, 'Obituary: Atef Salem ...

dedicated his film, "Barefoot on a Golden Bridge" to her.

Selected Films

* 1947: ''The Red Mask'' (el Qinâ el ahmar) * 1947: ''All Song'' (el Kol yeghanî) * 1948: ''Fetna'' (Fitnah) * 1948: ''A woman’s Imagination'' (Khayal Imra’ah) * 1949: ''Dazed Souls'' (Arwâh hâînah) * 1949: ''Such are Women'' (el Sitât Kida) * 1949: ''El Bahlawan Street'' (Châri el Bahlawan) * 1949: ''The Penny Owner'' (Sâhibat el malalim) * 1949: ''Midnight'' (Nos el layl) * 1949: ''My Child'' (Waladî) * 1949: ''The Murderer'' (el Qatilah) * 1950: ''A Woman of fire'' (Imraah min Nar) * 1950: ''Dad is Groom'' (Bâbâ ‘aris) * 1950: ''Full Moon'' (Qamar arba ‘tachar) * 1950: ''The Millionaire ''(el Millionair) * 1950: ''Mind is a Blessing ''(el ‘ Aql zînhah) * 1950: ''Last Lie'' (âkhir kedbah) * 1950: ''

Cairo Road Cairo Road is the main thoroughfare of Lusaka, Zambia and the principal business, retail and service centre of the city. It is a section of the T2 road and was so named because it is a link in Cecil Rhodes' then dream of a Cape to Cairo Road th ...

'' (El Tariq ela el Qâhirah)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Camelia 1919 births 1950 deaths Egyptian film actresses Egyptian Jews Egyptian people of Italian descent Jewish actresses Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Egypt People from Alexandria