Naima Akef ( ar, نعيمة عاكف,‎ ; 7 October 1929 – 23 April 1966) was a famous Egyptian

belly dancer Belly dance (Egyptian Arabic: رقص بلدي, translated: Dance of the Country/Folk Dance, romanized: Raks/Raas Baladi) is a dance that originates in Egypt. It features movements of the hips and torso. It has evolved to take many different f ...

during the

Egyptian cinema The cinema of Egypt refers to the flourishing film industry based in Cairo, sometimes also referred to as Hollywood on the Nile. Since 1976, the capital has held the annual Cairo International Film Festival, which has been accredited by the Intern ...

's golden age and starred in many films of the time. Akef was born in

Tanta Tanta ( ar, طنطا ' , ) is a city in Egypt with the country's fifth largest populated area and 658,798 inhabitants as of 2018. Tanta is located between Cairo and Alexandria: north of Cairo and southeast of Alexandria. The capital of Gharbia ...

on the

Nile Delta The Nile Delta ( ar, دلتا النيل, or simply , is the delta formed in Lower Egypt where the Nile River spreads out and drains into the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the world's largest river deltas—from Alexandria in the west to Po ...

. Her parents were acrobats in the Akef Circus (run by her grandfather), which was one of the best known circuses at the time. She started performing in the circus at the age of four, and quickly became one of the most popular acts with her acrobatic skills. Her family was based in the Bab el Khalq district of Cairo, but they traveled far and wide in order to perform.

Dancing

The circus disbanded when Akef was 14, but this was only the beginning of her career. Her grandfather had many connections in the performance world of Cairo and he introduced her to his friends. When Akef's parents divorced, she formed an acrobatic and clown act that performed in many clubs throughout Cairo. She then got the chance to work in

Badia Masabni Badia Masabni ( ar, بديعة مصابني, born ''Wadiha Masabni'' ( ar, وديعة مصابني); 1 February 1892 – 23 July 1974), was a belly dancer, singer, actress, night club owner and businesswoman considered as the developer of modern b ...

's famous nightclub, where she became a star and was one of the very few who danced and sang. Her time with Badeia, however, was short-lived, as Badia favored her, which made the other performers jealous. One day they ganged up on her and attempted to beat her up, but she proved to be stronger and more agile and won the fight. This caused her to be fired, so she started performing elsewhere.

A star

The Kit Kat club was another famous venue in Cairo, and this is where Akef was introduced to film director Abbas Kemal. His brother Hussein Fawzy, also a film director, was very interested in having Akef star in one of his musical films. The first of such films was “Al-Eïch wal malh” (bread and salt). Her costar was singer Saad Abdel Wahab, the nephew of the legendary singer and composer Mohammed Abdel Wahab. The film premiered on the 17th of January 1949, and was an instant success, bringing recognition also to Nahhas Film studios.

Retirement and death

Akef quit acting in 1964 to take care of her only child, a son from her second marriage to accountant Salaheldeen Abdel Aleem. She died two years later from cancer, on April 23, 1966, at the age of 36.

Filmography

* Aish Wal Malh (1949).***** * Lahalibo (1949).***** * Baladi Wa Khafa (1949).**** * Furigat (1950).**** * Baba Areess (1950).**** * Fataat Al Sirk (1951).***** * Al Namr (1952). * Ya Halawaat Al Hubb (1952).**** * '' A Million Pounds'' (1953) * Arbah Banat Wa Zabit (1954).***** * Aziza (1955).**** * '' Tamr Henna'' (1957). with

Ahmed Ramzy Ahmad Ramzy ( ar, أحمد رمزي; 23 March 1930 – 28 September 2012) was an Egyptian actor who played the leading roles in many Egyptian films in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Early life Ramzy was born Ramzi Mahmud Bayyumi in 1930 to Dr ...

Fayza Ahmed Fayza Ahmed ( ar, فايزة أحمد; December 5, 1934 – September 24, 1983) was a Syrian-Egyptian-Lebanese singer and actress. During her career, she appeared in six films. Early life Fayza Ahmed was born in 1934 in Damascus to a Syri ...

and

Rushdy Abaza Rushdy Saiid El Bughdady Abaza ( arz, رشدي سعيد البوغدادي أباظة) (3 August 1926 – 27 July 1980) was an Egyptian film and television actor. He was considered one of the most charming actors in the Egyptian film industry. He ...

.***** * Amir El Dahaa (1964).****

External links

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Many video clips for the Legend Naima AkefLibrary of video clips of Naima Akef
{{DEFAULTSORT:Akef, Naima 1929 births 1966 deaths Egyptian film actresses Egyptian comedians Egyptian female dancers Belly dancers People from Tanta 20th-century Egyptian actresses 20th-century comedians Deaths from cancer in Egypt