Ahmed Zaki

Acting

Ahmed Zaki

Born 1949-11-18 · Zagazig, Egypt

Ahmed Zaki (November 18, 1949 - March 27, 2005) was a leading Egyptian film actor who was characterized by his talent, skill, and ability to impersonate. Dubbed "The Emperor", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest male actors in the Arab world. Zaki has starred in six films that have been listed in the Top 100 Egyptian films. Ahmed Zaki was born to a poor family in Sharqia, Egypt. His father died a few years after his birth, his mother remarried, and he was brought up to live with his grandfather. Zaki fell in love with acting when he was still in school, his headmaster saw his creative ability and pushed him to follow his passion. He would later travel to Cairo and earn his degree from the Cairo Higher Institute for Drama Studies in 1974. While studying, he first debuted in the stage play Hello Shalaby (1969). He also starred in very successful comedy plays such as School of Mischief (1973) and No Longer Kids (1979). Early in his career, he struggled with producers and directors as they believed he did not have the appearance to appeal to audiences. When he got objected by the film distributor to star in Al Karnak (1975) after he was cast as the character Ismail, he entered a severe depression. He did not overcome it until after poet and playwright Salah Jahin supported him, as Jahin was convinced of his talent and would later write films and a TV show Zaki starred in. Many of his films had a strong political message that exposed governmental and police corruption. Two of his greatest successes were playing Egypt's presidents in two popular movies that became landmarks of Arabic cinema. He played Gamal Abdel Nasser in Nasser 56 (1996) and Anwar Sadat in Days of Sadat (2001). He also portrayed other prominent Egyptian figures such as writer Taha Hussien. Zaki was a method actor who immersed himself profoundly in his roles, absorbing every aspect of the character he was portraying whether he was fictional or real in origin. In 1983, he married actress Hala Fouad but the marriage did not last. She gave birth to his only son Haitham Zaki in 1984, who would also grow up to be an actor until his sudden and tragic death in 2019. His former wife died in 1993 after a battle with breast cancer. He was a known heavy smoker. In 2005, Ahmed Zaki died of lung cancer during the shooting of Sherif Arafa's biography Halim (2006), in which he portrayed the legendary singer Abdel Halim Hafez, a role he's always dreamed to play. His son Haitham was roped in to fill the scenes and play the lead on behalf of his father. Years after his passing, he is remembered with great reverence and fondness within the film industry and outside it, his contributions seen as monumental by his contemporaries as well as the generations that followed.

Acting credits

Alley of Love poster
5.7

The encounters and relationships that a brothel hotel witnessed, from a well known man in power, ambitious cunning youngster, to chivalrous college professor, despite such corrupt business ,true love found a place in some hearts.

Alley of Love

1983

Sleepless Eyes poster
5.2

Ibrahim, the owner of a large car workshop, marries a poor girl called Mahasen, which his brothers fear because of their fear of sharing their inheritance. At the same time, Ismael feels a lot of hatred and hatred toward Ibrahim, who works for him in the workshop, The problems all the time with the pros, but soon change the relationship between Mahasen and Ishmael.

Sleepless Eyes

1981

Alexandria… Why? poster
6.5

Amid the poverty, death, and suffering caused by World War II, 18-year-old Yehia retreats into a private world of fantasy and longing. Obsessed with Hollywood, he dreams of studying filmmaking in America but struggles to pursue his dream, given the constraints of his life in the middle class and the horrors of war.

Alexandria… Why?

1979

The School of Mischief poster
8.5

In a high school plagued by five unruly students who have failed to graduate for over a decade, the principal hires a new teacher in a last-ditch effort to restore order. Effat, the newly appointed instructor, takes on the challenge with hopes of reforming the troublemakers into model students.

The School of Mischief

1973

The Shepherd and the Women poster
5.7

The widowed Wafaa lives with her teenage daughter Salma and her sister-in-law Azza in her late husband Kamel's remote house. When Kamel's former cellmate comes to offer his help, the three women are hesitant to accept at first, but they end up falling for him and competing for his affection.

The Shepherd and the Women

1991

Land of Fear poster
7.1

A police officer is chosen in the late 1960s for a unique and lifelong mission: to infiltrate Egypt’s criminal underworld. Stripped of his name and reputation, he adopts a new identity, living among smugglers, dealers, and nightclub owners. Over the years, he rises within this hidden world, all the while trying to balance his secret duty with the temptations of wealth, power, and desire. Against the backdrop of Egypt’s shifting political eras, his life becomes a meditation on morality, loyalty, and the fragile boundaries of identity and biblical-level metaphors.

Land of Fear

2000

Four On An Official Mission poster
6.0

Anwar Abdel Mawla is an employee working in a government agency, his life changes when he takes an official mission to hand over a heritage to the house of Money in Cairo made up of a monkey, a donkey, and a goat and many ironic comedies happen.

Four On An Official Mission

1987

No Longer Kids poster
8.0

The play tells the story of four siblings trying to stop their father from leaving his family for another woman after one of them accidentally finds a love letter from an unknown woman to their father.

No Longer Kids

1979

The Innocent poster
7.5

A simple minded peasant was recruited in the Egyptian army where he was deceived to believe that political activists are his homeland enemies, but not for so long.

The Innocent

1986

The Wife of an Important Man poster
7.9

When Mona marries the seemingly decent police officer Hisham, she finds out there is more into him than what he shows to the people.

The Wife of an Important Man

1988

The Egg and the Stone poster
7.2

A philosophy teacher finds himself and his ethics surrounded by a corrupt society, and as he's mistaken for an exorcist and fortune-teller. He uses logic and psychological tricks to practice wizardry, until he masters it and controls people, meanwhile losing his ethics.

The Egg and the Stone

1990

The Escape poster
7.3

Ahmed Zaki plays a peasant, Mountasir, who gets involved in a criminal racket run by his friend Midhat. Mountasir is betrayed by Midhat and goes to jail. Upon discovering that his wife was forced into prostitution by Midhat, he swears to extract revenge when he leaves jail.

The Escape

1991

The Addict poster
5.5

He was a student at the Faculty of Medicine, Dr. Ahmed Halim (Adel Adham), who studied with his daughter Laila (Najwa Ibrahim). He was a student at the Faculty of Medicine. , And echoed on his workshop Iman (Moushira Ismail), the daughter of one of the wealthy, and impressed and loved him,

The Addict

1983

Halim poster
7.3

The film displays the life of legendary singer(Abd Alhalim Hafez) in various stages. Depicting many sides of his artistic and personal life since his early childhood.

Halim

2006

An Affair poster
6.0

A psychopath woman seduces a married man to sleep with her so she could threaten him later and ruin his perfect marriage so she could get him for herself.

An Affair

1996

Waraa Al-Shams poster
7.0

"Behind the Sun" clearly identifies the time identity of his film. It follows the horrific military defeat of June 1967, when a senior military commander insists on an investigation into the real causes of the defeat, leading to his assassination by the commander of the military prison , When the rebel military commander refuses to ignore his insistence on requesting this investigation, during the special visit by "Jaafari" commander of the military prison in order to convince him to do so, "Jaafari" can not escape from his assassination by firing bullets,

Waraa Al-Shams

1978

One Woman Is Not Enough poster
NR

Journalist Hossam is involved with three different women at the same time. Amira, the charming journalist who's well connected, Reem his rebel revolutionary secretary, and Hanadi the simple lady who's the victim of the collapse of a building.

One Woman Is Not Enough

1990

The promised night poster
7.0

Fathi trades in smuggled goods, he lives with his mother Bahia and loves his neighbor Fakiha who encourages him to finish his studies. A matchmaker persuades his mother to marry Said, a professional conman who marries wealthy old women and steals their money. Fathi tries to prevent this marriage.

The promised night

1984

The Bey Doorman poster
6.8

Abdel Samea goes to Egypt with his wife and children looking for a job so he works as a doorman, and by being smart he works as a broker until he makes a lot of money

The Bey Doorman

1987

Al Makhtufa poster
5.0

A collision occurs between a taxi driven by Hussein and the car of Nevin, the daughter of millionaire Ratib Barakat, which leads to the taxi being destroyed, so he harms her and drags her to the police station. Ratib Barakat expresses his willingness to pay the necessary compensation, but he changes his mind when he learns that he slapped his daughter, and Hussein is left without a source of livelihood, and when his mother dies. Hussein decides to take revenge by kidnapping Nevin to a deserted place.

Al Makhtufa

1991

Dreams of Hind and Camilia poster
6.5

Hend is a young widow who works as a maid, she meets Eid the conman who goes to prison and leaves her pregnant. While Camellia is a divorced maid who supports her unemployed brother and his family in exchange for letting her sleep over in his apartment.

Dreams of Hind and Camilia

1988

Al-Batniyya poster
6.0

It tells stories of webs of drug dealing, rivalry, revenge and murder among the residents of al batneyya, a place so corrupt and well bonded among each other, even the police struggles with it.

Al-Batniyya

1980

Black Tiger poster
6.1

An Egyptian goes to Germany to work in a factory and become a boxing legend called black tiger.

Black Tiger

1984

Saad the Orphan poster
6.0

The story of Saad al-Yateem, whose father was killed by his uncle (Badran), and his righteous lady (Karamat) until he grows up, and even the fate wants to love his cousin without knowing her. The film deals with the age of young men in the twenties, and the bully is to be a murderer or a murderer

Saad the Orphan

1985

Behind the camera