Ferial Karim ( ar, فريال كريم, translit=Faryāl Karīm; 16 April 1938 – 4 July 1988) was a Lebanese actress and singer known for her comedian roles and parodies. Ferial was introduced to show business at a very young age by her father, she garnered popular acclaim and traveled back to Lebanon where she continued performing until she died on stage at the age of fifty.

Early life

Ferial Karim was born Vera Semaan to a Christian family on April 16, 1938, to Bechara, a postal office clerk and Marie, a housewife. Karim had five siblings, four girls and a brother; she received preferential treatment from her parents ever since she was diagnosed with

rheumatic heart disease Rheumatic fever (RF) is an inflammatory disease that can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain. The disease typically develops two to four weeks after a streptococcal throat infection. Signs and symptoms include fever, multiple painful jo ...

; she enjoyed and got away with mimicking her parents' guests and her teachers. Karim's maternal cousin Alexandra Badran was an actress and singer who was known as Nour al-Hoda. Alexandra encouraged Karim's father Bechara to pursue a singing career for his eldest daughter Isabelle in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

. Bechara took both his daughters with him where the ten-year-old Karim took on the stage while a band was practicing and began singing Thuraya Helmi songs. Karim attracted attention of Egyptian movie producers and was cast as a child prodigy ''Ferial'' in Ibrahim Lama's movie ''Sikkat as-Salamah'' (The safety track); Karim adopted the nickname for her artistic career.

Marriage

Karim's acting career in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

's Farouq theater introduced her to a Lebanese singer Mohammad Karim. In 1954, the sixteen-year-old Karim married Mohammad who was many years her senior. Mohammad quit his singing career and dedicated his life to promote Karim's talent. The couple had two children, Mona and Samir.

Career

Karim and Mohammad moved to Damascus where she performed on stage for seven years before returning to Beirut where her sister Isabelle who was working in the national radio introduced her screenwriter Mohammad Chamel with whom she would have a long lasting artistic cooperation beginning with ''Ya mudir'' on the radio and ending with ''el-dunia heik'' on Lebanese national television.

Death

Karim died of heart failure while performing on stage on July 4, 1988, and was buried in Saint Elias Btina church in Beirut two days later.

Filmography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karim, Ferial Lebanese film actresses Lebanese television actresses Lebanese comedians 20th-century Lebanese women singers 1938 births 1988 deaths 20th-century Lebanese actresses Actresses from Beirut 20th-century comedians