Thursday, Dec 19, 2013
Cairo: Egypt’s veteran actress Zaharet Al Oula, best known for her roles in romances of the 1950s and 60s, died on Wednesday night, her family said. She was 79.
During an acting career spanning more than four decades, Zaharet, whose first name is Arabic for “flower”, gained fame for playing the soft-spoken, dreamy girl opposite leading Egyptian actors in the golden era of the Egyptian cinema. She appeared in films starring legendary singer Abdul Halim Hafez as well as established actors Rushdi Abaza, Ahmad Mazhar, Emad Hamdi, Zaki Rostom and Omar Sharif.
She also teamed up with great comedian Esmail Yassin in a series of well-remembered comedies. Her popularity further soared in 1959 when she appeared in the film An Ode to Nightingale in which she portrayed Hanadi, a poor servant raped by her employee, for which the victim loses her life in an honour killing by her family. Fans used to call Zaharet by the name of Hanadi .
Zaharet is also remembered for her appearance in the 1958 film Djamila Bouhired, which dramatises the struggle of a leading Algerian nationalist against the French colonial rule.
Born in June 1934 in the coastal city of Alexandria, Zaharet started her career under the patronage of Egypt’s giant director-actor Yousuf Wahabi. She appeared in a total of 120 films, many of them are seen among Egypt’s classics. Her last film appearance was in the 1991 Land. Land starring Farouk Al Feshawi. She had since been rarely seen in public.
Zaharet is survived by two daughters, including Manal who is a film director.
By Ramadan Al Sherbini Correspondent
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