Biographies: Emad Hamdy - Actor

Biographies

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Egyptian artist ‘Emad Hamdi is among the most capable and most outstanding artists throughout the history of Arabic cinema. His full name is Mohamed ‘Emad al-Deen ‘Abd Al Hameed Hamdi and he was born in the governorate of Sohag. ‘Emad received a diploma from a commerce school and was married four times. His first marriage was to an oriental dancer named Houriyeh Mohamed while his second marriage was to Fathhiyah Shereef who worked as a monologist for a group named Badee’a Musabny. The couple had a boy which they named Nadir and their marriage lasted between 1945 and 1953. ‘Emad later married an artist named Shadya and the pair presented a few movies together. They later separated in 1956. In 1961 ‘Emad married an artist named Nadia al-Guindy. The pair had a son named Hashim and their marriage lasted 13 years. At the outset of his career ‘Emad worked at Studio Misr, thereafter he worked at the Abou el-Reesh Hospital. He progressed in his job, starting out as a head accountant then becoming production manager and later becoming a distribution manager. He was fond of acting and that led him to take part in Ministry of Health promotional films which were produced at Studio Misr. His real beginnings in cinema came about in 1945 when he took part in a film titled “al-Souq al-Sawdaa” (“The Black Market”) and acted alongside artist ‘Aqilah Ratib. ‘Emad also took part in the production of several films as he founded a production company. Some would consider him among the most important of Egyptian actors as he had a cool demeanor with soft features which made him resemble Marlon Brando. He also has a very distinct voice. The distinction in his voice grew with his age as can be observed in “Umm al-‘Arousah” (“Mother of the Bride”), “al-Muzniboon” (“The Guilty”) and “Tharthara Fawq al-Neel” (“Chatting on the Nile”). Despite the fact that he was a hard worker he would reserve his talents for particular films and for directors that could bring out those talents.

• 30 March 2011
• محمد ألطيب