Biographies: Layla Mourad - Actor

Biographies

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Laila Zaky Mouraad is Egyptian actor and singer born in Cairo. Her father Zaky Mouraad, the well-known singer and composer, encouraged her to begin singing in the Egyptian radio while she was a teenager. Laila began her cinema career alongside Muhammad Abdul Wahhaab in Muhammad Kareem’s “Yahya al-hobb i.e. Long live love (1938)”, six years after singing in the film “Al-dahaaya i.e. The victims”, one of the first Egyptian talkies. Togo Mizraahy swept her up and made her into the number one Egyptian actress, through four films; “Laila momtera i.e. A rainy night (1939)”, “Laila bent al-reef i.e. Laila, the girl from country side (1941)”, “Laila bent madaares i.e. Laila, the schoolgirl (1941)” and “Laila (1942)”. The use of Laila’s name in all these titles shows just how marketable she was. Mouraad married actor, director and producer Anwar Wagdy, they formed a very famous duet resulting numerous classics, which ended by divorce. Later on, Laila married Wageeh Abaaza and they gave birth to her older son Ashraf, they got divorced and finally she married director Fateen Abdul Wahhaab, the father of her younger son, Zaky. In 1956, Mouraad retired. There have been many attempts to convince her to return to cinema, but all attempts failed as she only accepted to sing on Radio only. Laila Mouraad remains in the hearts and minds of fans just as she had hoped to be remembered; lovely to behold and ever sophisticated. 1995, the so-called, Cinderella died in Cairo, at the age of 79.

• 1 June 2011
• Achraf Wassim