Ahmad Mazhar | |
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Born | |
Died | 8 May 2002 Cairo, Egypt | (aged 84)
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1951–1997 |
Ahmed Hafez Mazhar (Arabic: أحمد حافظ مظهر, romanized: ʾAḥmad Ḥāfeẓ Mazāhar; 8 October 1917 – 8 May 2002) was an Egyptian actor. He graduated from the military academy in 1938[1] and his colleagues included Gamal Abdel Nasser and Anwar Sadat.[2][3]
His acting career started in 1951 when he was picked for a role in Zehour Al-Islam because of his riding skills and his proper pronunciation of classical Arabic.[2] In 1957 he retired as commander of the special cavalry units and decided to explore his acting talents.[4][5]
Mazhar's breakthrough in the world of acting came after he succeeded in playing the role of an evil prince in Ezz El-Dine Zulfikar’s Return My Heart (1957) alongside Shoukry Sarhan, Salah Zulfikar and Mariam Fakhr Eddine, his third movie.[6] Other roles soon followed, including Jamila, the Algerian (1958) alongside Magda and Salah Zulfikar, Al-Tarik Al-Masdood (1958) opposite Faten Hamama,[7] Al-Ataba Al-Khadraa (1959),[8] Doaa al-Karawan (1959),[9] Wa Islamah (1961), Al-Dowa Al-Khafet (1961) and Ghadan Youm Akhar (1961). He starred in an American movie, Cairo (1963), starring George Sanders and Faten Hamama.[10] Then Saladin the Victorious (1963) opposite Salah Zulfikar, Nadia Lutfi, among others. Later, Mazhar appeared in Shafika and Metwali (1979) alongside Soad Hosny.[11] Other films like Al-Nemr Al-Aswad, Demoue Sahebat El-Galalah, Al-Gasousa Hekmat Fahmy and The Guns and the Fury soon followed.