Madiha Kamel (; August 3, 1948 - January 13, 1997) was an Egyptian actress.

Biography

Madiha Kamel 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 ...

. In 1963, as a teenager, her family moved to

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 ...

. Accompanied by her mother, she presented herself to a modeling contest. She was selected and did some fashion shows for fashion designers. She was noticed by a director, Ahmed Diaa Eddine, who encouraged her to become an actress. She accepted one of his proposals for a role and played in ''Fatat shaza'' (''Abnormal Girl''), released in 1964; she did theatre and radio sketches while finishing her studies at

Ain Shams University Ain Shams University ( ar, جامعة عين شمس) is a public university located in Cairo, Egypt. Founded in 1950, the university provides education at the undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate levels. History Ain Shams University was fou ...

. She played other secondary roles with other directors, and with multiple

leading actors A leading actor, leading actress, or simply lead (), plays the role of the protagonist of a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person who typic ...

, such as her role in a film released in 1974, ''Fi Saif Lazem Nihib'' (''

In Summer We Must Love In Summer We Must Love (Egyptian Arabic: في الصيف لازم نحب translit: ''Fi Saif Lazem Nihib'' or ''Fil Seef Lazem Neheb'') is 1974 Egyptian comedy featuring Salah Zulfikar in the leading role as Dr. Nabil, the psychiatrist and direct ...

''), with Salah Zulfikar in the leading role. She got her first leading role much later, in a film released in 1978, ''El-Soud ela al-hawia'' (''Climbing to the Bottom''), by Kamal al-Sheikh, with

Mahmoud Yassin Mahmoud Yassin ( ar, محمود ياسين; 19 February 1941 – 14 October 2020) was an Egyptian actor. He was an iconic actor in both Egyptian cinema The cinema of Egypt refers to the flourishing film industry based in Cairo, sometimes also re ...

as the other lead actor. In this film, she plays the role of an Egyptian spy who betrays her country. In television, she shared the lead with Salah Zulfikar in ''Intiqam Imra'a'' (''A Woman's Revenge''), aired on Egyptian and Arab television for the first time in 1983. In 1993, in the middle of shooting the film ''Bawwâbat Iblîs'' (''The Gates of Satan)'', she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Without participating in the shooting of the last sequences of the film, she goes abroad to be operated. Treated but not completely cured, she gave up her career. She decided to put on the

hijab In modern usage, hijab ( ar, حجاب, translit=ḥijāb, ) generally refers to headcoverings worn by Muslim women. Many Muslims believe it is obligatory for every female Muslim who has reached the age of puberty to wear a head covering. While ...

and to make the

hajj The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried ...

(pilgrimage to Mecca). In 1996, she was hospitalized again for months. She died at home at the beginning of 1997.

Selected filmography

Film

* 1964- ''Fatat shaza (An Abnormal Girl)'' * 1966- ''30 Yom Fel Segn'' (''30 days in prison'') * 1970- ''Dalâl al-massriyyah (Dalal, the Egyptian)'' * Al Sokkareya (1973) * 1974- ''Fi Saif Lazem Nihib'' (''

'') * 1977- ''

The Hyena's Sun ''The Hyena’s Sun'' (originally as Soleil des Hyènes), is a 1977 Dutch-Tunisian drama film directed by Ridha Behi and produced by Willem Thijssen. The film stars Salah Benmoussa and Hélène Catzaras in the lead roles whereas Larbi Doghmi, Tew ...

'' * 1978- ''El-Soud ela al-hawia (Climbing to the Bottom)'' * 1980- ''‘Adkiyaa lakim Aghbiya (Smart but Stupid)'' * 1981- ''‘Ouyoun lâ tanâm (Eyes wide awake)'' * 1983- ''Darb al-hawâ (The alley of love)'' * ''1984- Banât Iblîs (Daughters of Satan),'' * 1985- ''Malaff fî-l-âdâb'' (Registered with the Morality Police) * 1986- ''Lâ taudam-mirnî ma'ak'' (Don't Destroy Me with You) * 1988- ''al-Foulous wa-l-wouhouch'' (Money and Monsters) * 1989- ''al-'Agouz wa-l-baltaguî'' (The Old Man and the Rogue) * 1990- ''El-Arafeet'' (The Devils) * 1990- ''Chawader'' (Shawadir) * 1993- ''Bawabat Iblees'' (The Gates of Satan)

Television

* 1983- ''Intiqam Imra’a'' (''A Woman’s Revenge'')

Theater

* 1969- ''Hallo Shalaby'' (''Hello Shalabi'')

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kamel, Madiha Egyptian actresses Articles with missing Wikidata information 1948 births 1997 deaths People from Alexandria Ain Shams University alumni