Ahmed Zaki (actor) - Career Highlights

Career Highlights

He made his first film, Abnaa Elsamt (Children of Silence), in 1974. By 1980 he had made six films, including (Alexandria, Why?) with Egypt's best known director, Yusuf Shahin. Zaki appeared in more than 60 films throughout his career.

Many of his films were written by screenwriter Wahid Hamed and had a strong political message that exposed governmental and police corruption. He also starred in the famous 1980s television comedy musical series Howa we Heya with actress Souad Houssni. Zaki also starred in a series of successful action movies during the mid-and late-1990s.

Two of his greatest successes were playing Egypt's presidents in two popular movies that became landmarks of Arabic cinema. He played presidents Gamal Abdel Nasser in Nasser 56, a movie that centered on the fateful summer of 1956 when then-President Nasser nationalizing the Suez Canal), and Anwar Sadat in the movie The Days of Sadat (2001) with director Mohammed Khan which he also produced. The movie depicted 40 years of the late president's life. He also had plans to play president Hosni Mubarak in a third movie. He is also known for portraying prominent characters in Egyptian history like Taha Hussein.

Zaki was seen as an icon and spokesperson for the average Egyptian youth, he was also considered the heir to Farid Shawki as Malek El Terso ("The King of the Third Class" - a reference to his popularity among the poor, who bought third-class seats in movie theatres) in an Egyptian magazine. The two starred together in two movies several years earlier.

He was a known heavy smoker. Zaki had been in intensive care at Dar Al Fouad Hospital in Sixth of October City, just outside Cairo, and died of lung cancer complications, after president Hosni Mubarak offered to send him to France for medical treatment at the government's expense and granting him the Merit of Arts award for his work in over 50 movies.

A book about Zaki has been released under the title of “Ahmad Zaki wa Symphoniet Ibda’” (Ahmad Zaki: A Symphonic Innovation Masterpiece). The book features details of his acting career and includes a compilation of articles by different critics including Tareq Al Shinawi, Mohammad Al Shafe’ee and Waleed Saif.