whose real name was Hassan Bencheikh, known by the stage name Hassan El-Hassani (

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 ...

: حسن الحسني), (24 April 1916 – 25 September 1987) was an Algerian comedian.

Biography

Bencheikh was born in Ksar Boukhari, near

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; grc, Μήδεια, ''Mēdeia'', perhaps implying "planner / schemer") is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, a niece of Circe and the granddaughter of the sun god Helios. Medea figures in the myth of Jason an ...

French Algeria French Algeria (french: Alger to 1839, then afterwards; unofficially , ar, الجزائر المستعمرة), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of French colonisation of Algeria. French rule in the region began in 1830 with the ...

. He was a

humorist A humorist (American) or humourist (British spelling) is an intellectual who uses humor, or wit, in writing or public speaking, but is not an artist who seeks only to elicit laughs. Humorists are distinct from comedians, who are show business e ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

, and comedian who was responsible for the founding of various theatre groups. He was also a member of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

and received the

Resistance Medal The Resistance Medal (french: Médaille de la Résistance) was a decoration bestowed by the French Committee of National Liberation, based in the United Kingdom, during World War II. It was established by a decree of General Charles de Gaulle on 9 ...

. Across more than thirty films, Bencheikh embodied ''Boubagra'', a caricature of a naive peasant full of good sense and wisdom in the face of socioeconomic stagnation. Bencheikh had comedic aspirations from childhood, and he first began acting in 1940 when

Mahieddine Bachtarzi Mahieddine Bachtarzi (15 December 18976 February 1986) was an Algerian singer of opera (tenor), actor, writer and director of the TNA (Théâtre National Algérien). He was also the author of some 400 musical works, with a career that spanned over ...

's theatre company travelled through

Berrouaghia Berrouaghia is a town and commune in Médéa Province, Algeria. According to the 1998 census it has a population of 58,780. Notable people * Benyoucef Benkhedda - Algerian politician History Berrouaghia was during the Roman Empire called Tanaram ...

, where Bencheikh worked as a hairdresser. Encouraged by Bachtarzi, El Hassani wrote his first play, ''Hassan's Dreams,'' a

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...

mocking European

colonialism Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their relig ...

in Africa. The anti-Colonialist messages in the play led to his arrest and imprisonment on 8 May 1945. In prison, he wrote comedic sketches to boost morale among his fellow prisoners. Released at the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Bencheikh moved to the

Casbah of Algiers The Casbah ( ar, قصبة, ''qaṣba'', meaning citadel) is the citadel of Algiers in Algeria and the traditional quarter clustered around it. In 1992, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proclaimed ' ...

, where he worked as a barber, as well as in theater. He created the character of Na'anaa in the play ''El-houria'' which became, in 1950, ''the'' ''plot'' then ''tigoule ou ti ghoul pas.'' After Bencheikh's theatre groups disbanded, he was hired in 1953 to act on television under Mustapha Badie^{fr">:fr:Mustapha_Badie.html" ;"title="nowiki/> fr/sup>. His first drama under Badie was ''La poursuite'' (''The Chase''). When the Algerian War">Algerian war for independence

The Algerian War, also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence,( ar, الثورة الجزائرية '; '' ber, Tagrawla Tadzayrit''; french: Guerre d'Algérie or ') and sometimes in Algeria as the War of 1 November ...}

Biography

Filmography

Bibliography

References

External links