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Omar Sharif, the Egyptian actor best known for playing Sherif Ali in Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and the title role in Doctor Zhivago (1965), was born Michel Demitri Shalhoub on April 10, 1932 in Alexandria, Egypt to Joseph Shalhoub, a lumber merchant, and his wife, Claire (Saada). Of Lebanese and Syrian extraction, the young Michel was raised Catholic. He was educated at Victoria College in Alexandria and took a degree in mathematics and physics from Cairo University with a major. Afterward graduating from university, he entered the family lumber business.

Before making his English-language film debut with "Lawrence of Arabia", for which he earned a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nomination and international fame, Sharif became a star in Egyptian cinema. His first movie was the Egyptian film The Blazing Sun (1954) ("The Blazing Sun") in 1953, opposite the renowned Egyptian actress Faten Hamama whom he married in 1955. He converted to Islam to marry Hamama and took the name Omar al-Sharif. The couple had one child (Tarek Sharif, who was born in 1957 and portrayed the young Zhivago in the eponymous picture) and divorced in 1974. Sharif never remarried.

Beginning in the 1960s, Sharif earned a reputation as one of the world's best known contract bridge players. In the 1970s and 1980s, he co-wrote a syndicated newspaper bridge column for the Chicago Tribune. Sharif also wrote several books on bridge and has licensed his name to a bridge computer game, "Omar Sharif Bridge", which has been marketed since 1992. Sharif told the press in 2006 that he no longer played bridge, explaining, "I decided I didn't want to be a slave to any passion any more except for my work. I had too many passions, bridge, horses, gambling. I want to live a different kind of life, be with my family more because I didn't give them enough time.".

As an actor, Sharif had made a comeback in 2003 playing the title role of an elderly Muslim shopkeeper in the French film Monsieur Ibrahim (2003). For his performance, he won the Best Actor Award at the Venice Film Festival and the Best Actor César, France's equivalent of the Oscar, from the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma.

Diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2012, Sharif died of a heart attack on July 10, 2015, in Cairo, Egypt.

Georgina Hale was an accomplished stage actress who made many memorable forays in cinema, most notably in the films of Ken Russell, especially her performance as Alma Mahler, in a wonderful and visually rich biopic on composer Mahler (1974) which she won a BAFTA (British Academy Award) for. Two other standout performances were in Russell's notorious The Devils (1971) and the Twiggy musical "The Boyfriend" in which she played Fay, camping it up, in a backstage lesbian sub plot. She made in-joke cameos in two further Russell films: Lisztomania (1975) and Valentino (1977). Unfortunately, roles dwindled after her BAFTA win, for some reason, and she made some bad movie choices such as The World Is Full of Married Men (1979) (the film version of Jackie Collins's novel of the same name) and McVicar (1980), as well as the occasional stunner such as Butley (1974), written by playwright Simon Gray.

She appeared in many of Gray's stage plays (many were filmed for British television with her in starring roles) and she continued to work in British theatre. She made many guest appearances in UK television series including: Upstairs, Downstairs (1971), The Protectors (1972), Lady Killers (1980), Minder (1979), Boon (1986), One Foot in the Grave (1990), Murder Most Horrid (1991), The Vicar of Dibley (1994), three episodes of Doctor Who (1963) and many many others. She starred in two television series: Budgie (1971) (a successful series in the 1970s) and, in the early 1990s, a cult children's series based around a witch-like figure called "T. Bag".

Most recently, she had appeared in a comic role in Preaching to the Perverted (1997) in which her character pointed out that sometimes one has to debase one's self to further one's career. This film didn't much further her career (at age 55, she did a Sharon Stone under-table leg trick) but it added to her growing reputation as one of the UK's favorite cult actresses. She died in 2024, aged 80.

Youssef Chahine (born in Alexandria, Egypt, 1926) started studying in a friars' school, and then turned to Victoria College until the High School Certificate. After one year in the University of Alexandria, he moved to the U.S. and spent two years at the Pasadena Play House, taking courses on film and dramatic arts. After coming back to Egypt, cinematographer Alevise Orfanelli helped him into the film business. His film debut was Baba Amin (1950): one year later, with Son of the Nile (1951) he was first invited to the Cannes Film festival. In 1970, he was awarded a Golden Tanit at the Carthage Festival. With Le moineau (1973), he directed the first Egypt-Algeria co-production. He won a Silver Bear in Berlin for Alexandria... Why? (1979), the first installment in what proved to be an autobiographic trilogy, completed with Hadduta Masriya (1982)(An Egyptian Story (1982)) and Alexandria: Again and Forever (1989).

In 1992, Jacques Lassalle proposed him to stage a piece of his choice for Comédie Française: Chahine chose to adapt Albert Camus' "Caligula," which proved hugely successful. The same year he started writing Al-mohager (1994), a story inspired by the Biblical character of Joseph, son of Jacob. This had long been a dream-project, and he finally got to shoot it in 1994. In 1997, 46 years and 5 invitations later, he was again selected Hors Competition in Cannes with Destiny (1997).

Faten Hamama (known as "The Lady of the Arabic Screen") has become an icon and the most important actress of Egyptian and Arabic cinema. She is also the most honored actress in the Middle East. Every decade of her life represents a new era of acting and witnessed the reshaping and progression of Egyptian cinema. The progress in her different characters when she started as a child in 1938 until today parallels the progress that modern Egyptian women have made during the 20th century and their interaction with the public, culture or political life. During the celebration of 100 years of Egyptian cinema on 1996, she was chosen as the country's most important actress, and 18 of her films were selected as among the best 150 made to that time. It was no surprise that in 2000 the Egyptian Organization of Critics and Writers named her the Star of the Century.

She was born in 1931 in Elmansoura, Egypt, the daughter of Ahmed Hamama, an employee of the Egyptian Ministry of Knowledge. Her legendary journey started as a secret statement between a six-year-old girl and her father after they watched a film in their neighborhood theater, at which leading actress and producer Asya Dagher was present. Faten told her father that she felt the audience was applauding for her as the leading actress, and her father gave her a hug with a vision of helping his daughter to become a movie star. She won a contest for the most beautiful child in Egypt, and her dad sent her picture to director Muhammad Karim (a pioneer of Egyptian cinema). Karim was looking for a child for his new film with Egyptian musician Mohamed Abdel Wahab. Faten auditioned for and got a role in this movie, Yom said (1940) ("A Happy Day"). She impressed the filmmakers so much during shooting that she was actually given more lines and scenes in the picture than were originally scripted for her. Karim put her under contract, and four years later he gave her a role in a film with Mohamed Abdel Wahab again, Russassa fil kalb (1944) ("A Bullet in the Heart"). With her third movie with Karim, Dunia (1946), Faten showed filmmakers and audiences alike that she was was an actress ready for bigger roles. Her father, along with her family, moved to Cairo to help her in her career. She also began studying her craft at the High Institute of Acting in 1946.

With actor and director Youssef Wahbi (known as the dean of Egyptian theater), Faten started a new stage of her career, in melodramas. Yousef saw her talent in Karim's movies and was able to showcase it to even better advantage in his next film, Malak al rahma (1946) ("The Angel of Mercy"), in which she played his daughter. Although only 15 years old at the time, it was generally agreed that she stole the film. This teenager was soon the talk of the Egyptian cinema, and her star hasn't set since then. She made more films with Wahby, such as Confession Chair (1949) ("The Chair of Confession"), in which she played a lover of the cardinal's brother who mistakenly goes to jail for her father's murder. She had another box-office hit with El yatimatain (1948) ("The Two Orphans"), followed by a successful comedy of the travails of a wife and her mother in law in Sitt el beit (1949) ("The Lady of the House"). She was the favorite of novelists because she could attract the best writers and directors to a project, and it wasn't soon before her name alone would pretty much guarantee success for whatever film she was in.

The 1950s brought new directors to Egyptian cinema and was the beginning of what was to become known as "The Golden Age of Egyptian Cinema". Faten appeared in a number of films by these new directors, such as Salah Abouseif's first realism picture, Laka yom ya zalem (1951) ("Your Day Will Come"), which was a box-office hit and was shown at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in France. She appeared in such successful films as El tarik el masdud (1958) ("The Barred Road") and won a Best Actresss award for her performance in the romantic political movie La wakta lil hub (1963) ("No Time for Love"). She also supported director Youssef Chahine in his first movie, Baba Amin (1950), then again in his even more successful The Blazing Sun (1954), a realistic work that was also featured at the Cannes Film Festival (Youssef is on record as saying that Faten is his favorite actress and the best Egyptian actress of all time).

She also worked with director Kamal El Sheikh in his first movie, which introduced the mystery genre to Egyptian cinema, House No. 13 (1952) ("House No. 13"), and again in Lan aataref (1961) ("I Will Not Confess"). Their film Last Night (1963) ("Last Night") captured at least 10 awards in the 1965 national competition and was also shown at the Cannes festival. She excelled at comedy, as evidenced by her astonishing role in El-Ustazah Fatmah (1952) as lawyer Fatma. She also worked closely with two other directors of this period, Ezz El Dine Zulficar and Henry Barakat, and made successful films with both. In fact, she married Zulficar in 1947 while shooting Abu Zeid el Hilali (1947). He was known as the king of "romantic" movies and together they worked to further that vision, as in Khulud (1948) ("Immortality") by Ezz El-Dine Zulficar. They formed a production company and made Moawad ma al hayat (1953) ("Appointment with Life") also directed by Ezz El Dine Zulficar, which was voted movie of the year and received both critical and box-office success (it was this film that caused critics to name her the "Lady of the Arabic Screen", a title she has kept to this day). Faten soon became the highest-paid actress in Egyptian cinema, and remained so until her final feature, Ardh el-Ahlam (1993) ("Land of Dreams") and TV series, Wagh el qamar (2000) ("Face of the Moon"). More successful romantic roles with Ezzel Dine followed, such as Mawad ma al saada (1954) ("Appointment with Happiness"). It was during this period that Ezz El-Dine Zulficar made his famous quote about Faten: "The distance between Faten and the next runner-up is like the distance between 1 and 10". Although they were divorced in 1954, and Faten married Omar Sharif in 1955, she and Ezz El Dine Zulficar continued to make films together, many of which are considered classics of Egyptian romantic cinema, such as Bain el-Atlal (1959) ("Among the Ruins") and what many consider their masterpiece, The River of Love (1960) ("The River of Love"), their version of Lev Tolstoy's great story "Anna Karenina", opposite Omar Sharif, and the two became one of the classic romantic couples of Egyptian cinema, appearing again in Our Best Days (1955) ("Our Best Days"), Sayedat el kasr (1958) ("Lady of the Castle"), Sleepless (1957) ("Sleepless") and The Blazing Sun (1954) ("Struggle in the Valley"). Sharif and Faten divorced on 1974. He made what became a famous statement about Faten, that he only married once because he only loved once, and that was Faten.

Director Henry Barakat specialized in musical romantic movies, social commentary and women's rights in society. During the making of Lahn al khouloud (1952) ("Immortal Song"), they developed a close professional bond, and Barakat used Faten to explore all his talent and all his visions. The success of the romantic musical Lahn al khouloud (1952) that became the movie of the year challenged both of them to make more successful musical romantic films, which they did with such pictures as Daiman maak (1954) ("With You Forever") and Mawad gharam (1956) ("Appointment with Love"). IT was with Barakat that Fatan made her most famous and beloved picture, with her role as Ammna in The Nightingale's Prayer (1959) ("The Nightingale's Prayer"), which describes differences between revenge and culture through a romantic story. It was nominated for Best Film at Berlin's International Film Festival and almost made it to the Oscars in the US. This film was chosen as one of best ten movies ever made in Egypt. After this picture Faten made several more films that promoted women's rights in society and created more cultural awareness, such as The Open Door (1963) ("The Open Door"), for which she received the Best Actress award at the Jakarta (Indonesia) International Film Festival. One year later they did it again in El haram (1965) ("The Sin"), which was shown at the Cannes festival that year and was chosen as one of best five movies ever made in Egypt. Faten and Barakat continued their journey together through decades for more outstanding roles as The Thin Thread (1971) ("The Thin Thread"), Mouths and Rabbits (1977) ("Mouths and Rabbits"); Faten won Best Actress awards from two international festival for her role in this movie, and it was the highest-grossing Egyptian film ever made until that time. Their last picture together was a remarkable hit, Leilet al quabd al Fatma (1984) ("The Night of Fatma's Arrest"). Their journey was crowned by a lifetime achievement award for their films together from the Montpellier International Film Festival on 1993. Barakat's was quoted as saying, "If I could get Faten in my films, I will guarantee us the best picture".

Faten left Egypt from 1966-1971 because she resisted political pressure that was applied to her. She divided her time between Lebanon and London, England. During this period Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser asked some prominent critics and writers to try to persuade her to return to Egypt, saying that "Faten Hamama is a national treasure". Her return to Egypt on 1971 breathed life back into Egyptian cinema. She insisted that her films reflect the values of the society through the family relationships. Her first film upon return was Sahera (1971) with Salah Zulfikar. Her role in Imberaturiyyat Mim (1972) ("Empire M") as a widow with six children and the struggles she endured to raise them made the film a success both critically and financially, and she earned a special award from an organization of Soviet Union women when the film was shown at the Moscow International Film Festival. Her film Orid hallan (1975) ("I Need a Solution") which was produced by Salah Zulfikar was not only a big hit but resulted in changes to Egyptian marriage and divorce laws. Faten won the Best Actress award at the Cairo International Film Festival and a Prize of Recognition at the Teheran (Iran) Film Festival. She continued to make films that commented on society, such as Oghneyat elmoot (1973) ("The Song of Death"), Wala A'zaa Lil-Sayidat (1979) ("No Condolences for Ladies"), Bad Day Good Day (1988) ("Bitter Days, Sweet Days") and her last feature, Ardh el-Ahlam (1993) ("Land of Dreams"), and her TV series, Conscience of Teacher Hikmat (1991) ("The Consciousness of Teacher Hekmat") and Wagh el qamar (2000) ("The Face of the Moon"), which was shown in 23 countries in the Middle East.

Faten Hamama is the fourth Pyramid in Egyptian cinema, a legend in her platinum anniversary, the diamond that remained shining and kept its glowing over the decades on the silver screen.

Ahmed Zaki was born on 18 November 1946 in Zagazig, Al Sharqia, Egypt. He was an actor and producer, known for Days of El-Sadat (2001), Nasser 56 (1996) and Smile, the Photo Comes Out Better (1998). He was married to Hala Fouad. He died on 27 March 2005 in 6th of October, Giza, Egypt.

Nour El-Sherif was born on 28 April 1946 in Cairo, Egypt. He was an actor and producer, known for Leila Sakhina (1995), Al-Ragol Al-Akhar (1999) and Al-seera Al-Ashouria: Al-Harafeesh (2002). He was married to Poussi. He died on 11 August 2015 in Cairo, Egypt.

Hind Rostom was one of Egypt's most iconic actresses and a symbol of beauty and glamour in Arab cinema. She was born in the Moharram Bek neighborhood of Alexandria. Her father was a police officer of Circassian descent and her mother was Egyptian from an aristocratic family. She attended St. Vincent de Paul School. Her parents separated when she was 14 years old, and she lived with her father. However, his harshness led her to leave her studies and move to Cairo in 1946, to live with her mother and her husband, whom she loved dearly.

She started her career with uncredited roles, gradually rising to fame in the 1950s and 1960s during the golden age of Egyptian cinema. With her striking blonde hair, sultry voice and charismatic screen presence, Hind captivated audiences and became known for her seductive roles. However, she was also praised for her versatility, proving her talent in dramatic, comedic, and complex characters beyond her femme fatale image. One of her most memorable performances was in Youssef Chahine's Cairo Station (1958), where she played Hannuma, a bold and spirited drinks vendor, earning critical acclaim for her raw and emotional performance.

Throughout her career, she starred in around 90 films, working with some of Egypt's greatest directors and actors. Films such as Son of Hamido (1957), Nesaa Fi Hayati (1957), Struggle on the Nile (1959), Rumor of Love (1960) and The Black Candles (1962) solidified her place as a legendary star. Despite her fame, Hind Rostom retired at the peak of her career in the early 1970s, choosing to live a private life away from the spotlight. She famously refused any comeback offers, stating she wanted to be remembered at her best

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was the last Shah of Iran, his reign lasted from 1941 until his overthrow in 1979. He was educated in Switzerland and was familiar with the western ideas. In 1941, Britain and USSR occupied Iran and forced Reza Shah the Great to resign in favor of his son. Later the young Shah became the most important ally to the West in the Middle East.

With Iran's great oil wealth, the Shah became the pre-eminent leader of the Middle East, and Guardian of the Persian Gulf. He abolished the multi-party system of government such that he could rule through a one-party regime in autocratic fashion. He made major changes to curb certain ancient elite factions by breaking up all large and middle-sized estates for the benefit of more than six million small farmers. In what was called 'the White Revolution', he took a number of populist measures, including extending suffrage to women, to favor the people. He instituted exams for Islamic theologians to become established priests ("Mullahs"), which were widely unpopular and broke centuries old religious traditions.

His policies led to strong economic growth during the 1960s and 1970s but at the same time, opposition to his autocratic rule increased. On January 18, 1979, he and his family left Iran after over a year of uprising as he didn't want for a civil war to break out in the country. Following the Shah's departure, conservative Muslims led by Ayatollah Khomeini who had returned from exile, staged a revolution. And abolished the monarchy and unfortunately established an Islamic Republic that ruined the country and led to the pointless eight year Iran-Iraq war in which both countries suffered an incredible amount of unnecessary losses.

At the same time, The Shah's cancer had worsened and after over a year of exile, in which traveling from country to country seeking what he hoped to be a temporary residence. He was finally welcomed by President Anwar Sadat of Egypt, and remained there until his death on June 27, 1980. He is interred at Al-Refai Mosque in Egypt.

Farid Shawqi was born on 3 July 1920 in Cairo, Egypt. He was an actor and writer, known for Cemile (1968), Cabaret El Hayah (1977) and Al Abtaal (1974). He was married to Soheir Turk, Huda Sultan, Saneya Shawky and Zynab Abdel Hady. He died on 27 July 1998 in Cairo, Egypt.

Mahmoud Abdel Aziz was born in Alexandria, Egypt to a middle class family. He studied Agricultural Sciences and during his college days he practiced acting through the university theatre.

He started his acting career by taking a role in "Al Dawama" TV show in the mid 70s with Nelly and Mahmoud Yassin after which he entered the cinema world for the first time through "Al Hafeed" an all time Egyptian film classic. Mahmoud Abdel Aziz starred in over 25 movies during the late 70s and early 80s while his popularity was increasing dramatically, most of his movies at the time were categorized as romantic drama.

His acting path has matured when he started taking different roles which really exposed his talent. He was known to be equally adept at comedy and drama.

The 1980s marked Mahmoud Abdel Aziz as a superstar when he starred in very successful movies like "El Aar", "El Keef" and "Rafat El Haggan" TV Series which is one of the most popular works of Egyptian television based on the true story of the renowned Egyptian spy who was planted in Israel for over 20 years before the 6 days war.

Mahmoud Abdel Aziz has starred in over 100 movies and he can still surprise his audience with great work such as Bab El Khalk (2012) TV Series after 7 years of absence from the Egyptian TV.

He has two children Mohamed Mahmoud Abdel Aziz a film producer and director; and Karim Mahmoud Abdel Aziz.

He graduated from the School of French Law, and completed his university studies in France. The first movie appearance was in 1946 through the movie (I Am The East), and then returned to France again to continue the art work in the cinema, and then returned to Egypt again with the mid-seventies, and began appearing in Egyptian cinema since that time intensively, co-starring in a large number of Egyptian movies, including: (Kafany Ya Kalb), (No Consolation For Women), (Love In The Prison), (The Beginning), (The Birds Of Te Dark), and at the level of TV drama he shared in a number of series as: (Yawmiat Wanees , (El-Raya al-Bayda), (The Friends), (The Face Of The Moon).

Sonallah Ibrahim was born on 24 February 1937 in Cairo, Egypt. Sonallah was a writer, known for Sharaf (2021) and A Girl Named Zat (2013). Sonallah was married to Leila El-Guendy. Sonallah died on 13 August 2025 in Cairo, Egypt.

Khaled Saleh was born on 23 January 1964 in Cairo, Egypt. He was an actor, known for Tito (2004), The Best of Times (2004) and Chaos, This Is (2007). He died on 25 September 2014 in Cairo, Egypt.

Samir Ghanem was born on 15 January 1937 in Arab Al Atawlah, El Fateh, Asyut, Egypt. He was an actor, known for Al Moshaghiboun (1965), The School of Mischief (1973) and Too Young for Love (1966). He was married to Dalal Abdel Aziz. He died on 20 May 2021 in Giza, Egypt.

Hatem Ali was born on 2 June 1962 in Golan Heights. He was a director and actor, known for The Long Night (2009), Salah Al-deen Al-Ayyobi (2001) and Saqr Qoraish (2002). He was married to Dala' Al Rahabi. He died on 29 December 2020 in Cairo, Egypt.

Ahmad Mazhar was born on 8 October 1917 in Cairo, Egypt. He was an actor and writer, known for Habibat Gheyri (1976), Saladin (1963) and Noufouss haira (1968). He was married to Dodi. He died on 8 May 2002 in Cairo, Egypt.

Salah Zulfikar was an Egyptian actor and producer. He started his career as a police officer before becoming an actor in 1956. He is considered one of the greatest Egyptian actors of all time. He was one of the most consistent box-office performers in Egyptian cinema. Zulfikar starred in over fifty box office hits, remaining a bankable star for almost three decades.

Descendant from the Zulfikar family, one of the noble and most well-known families in Egypt.

Zulfikar's notable films as an actor include; Djamilah (1958), Money and Women (1960), The Second Man (1960), The Cursed Palace (1962), Saladin (1963), Soft Hands (1963), Dearer than My Life (1965), My Wife, the Director General (1966), Good Morning, my Dear Wife (1969), The Killers (1971), Featureless Men (1972), The Other Man (1973), Secret Visit (1981), and The Peacock (1982). In the 1980s and early 1990s, he started focusing on television serials, and became the highest paid TV actor in the Arab World in mid 1980s.

In 1958, he established a film production company, with his brother Ezz El-Dine Zulficar, together they produced major productions such as Among the Ruins (1959), The Second Man (1960). In 1962, he established his own film production company and produced notable films such as My Wife, the Director General (1966), A Taste of Fear (1969) and I Want a Solution (1975).

As an actor and producer, he participated in 13 films listed in the Top 100 Egyptian films of all time. Zulfikar won several awards during his career. He won the state award for his acting performance in a leading role for five times in: Soft Hands (1963), Dearer than My Life (1965), My Wife's Dignity (1967), Secret Visit (1981), and The Peacock (1982). He also won the state award for production for two times in (My Wife, the Director General (1966), I Want a Solution (1975).

He was married to Nafisa Bahgat, the mother of his children Ahmed Zulfikar and Mona Zulfikar. His second wife was Zahrat El-Ula and third wife, Shadia.

Salah Zulfikar died at the age of 67 on December 22, 1993 in Cairo, Egypt.

The director Mohamed Khan was born on October 26th 1942. He completed his high school in Egypt, then traveled to England where he earned his diploma in 1962. He directed several movies in 8mm. He went back to Egypt in 1963 & worked as script writer in a Cairo production company. Worked in Lebanon for few years as an assistant director, then went to live in England from 1970 till 1978 & there wrote his book "Introduction to the Egyptian Cinema" in English. He lives in Egypt now & has one daughter (Nadin) & one son (Hassan). He's one of the best known directors in the Egyptian Cinema.

Sayed Sadek was born on 18 June 1945 in Cairo, Egypt. He was an actor, known for El-Nimr wa el-Untha (1987), Reaction (2011) and Can't Complain (2007). He died on 8 August 2025 in El Sheikh Zayed, Giza, Egypt.

Hassan Hosny was born on 19 June 1931 in Cairo, Egypt. He was an actor, known for The Stolen Joy (1994), The Student Cop (2004) and The Escape (1991). He was married to Magda. He died on 30 May 2020 in Cairo, Egypt.

Salah Abu Seif was one of the most famous Egyptian film directors and is considered to be the father of Neorealist cinema in Egyptian cinema. Many of his films are considered Egyptian classics; 11 of Abu Seif's films are included in the list of the 100 best Egyptian films, according to the critics' poll, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the first cinema show in Alexandria (1896-1996).

Abu Seif graduated from Cairo's College of Commerce and Economics in 1932 while working as a freelance reporter covering movie stars. His path to filmmaking began when he met Egyptian director Niazi Mostafa during a factory shoot, where Abu Seif worked as a clerk. This encounter led to a job as a film editor, and he spent a decade at Studio Misr, first as an accountant and later as an editor.

In 1939, Abu Seif won a scholarship to study film in Paris. Within five years of his return in 1942, he had established himself as one of the most avant-garde second generation film-makers in the country. He pioneered shooting on location - though he also used reconstructions - in places none of his predecessors had dared to visit, like ghurza (the equivalent of old Chinese opium dens), brothels and impoverished areas whose existence had never been officially acknowledged.

Stephen Keenan was born on 1 December 1977 in Dublin, Ireland. He died on 22 July 2017 in Dahab, Egypt.

Harold Lang was born in 1923 in London, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for Garry Halliday (1959), The Franchise Affair (1951) and Dead on Course (1952). He died on 16 November 1970 in Cairo, Egypt.

Zubida Tharwat was born on 14 June 1940 in Alexandria, Egypt. She was an actress, known for Nesf azraa (1961), Itharissi Min Al Hob (1959) and Bint 17 (1958). She was married to Ehab Al Ghazzawi, Sobhy Farahat, Walaa Ismael and Omar Nagy. She died on 13 December 2016 in Egypt.

Comedian, is one of the most representatives present on the art scene in terms of the abundance of his roles, his first appearance was simple in TV series "Backiza and Zaghloul" in 1986, and Film (Terrorism and Kebab) in 1992 as a start for many of his roles thereafter, participated then in films (Birds of Darkness) and (sleeping in honey) and (Hammam in Amsterdam) and several TV series, bringing his tally so far to more than 150 works of art varied between theater and films, television series and programs.