Salah Zulfikar | |
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صلاح ذو الفقار | |
Born | Salah El-Din Ahmed Mourad Zulfikar 18 January 1926 |
Died | 22 December 1993 | (aged 67)
Resting place | Cairo, Egypt |
Nationality | Egyptian |
Other names |
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Alma mater | Egyptian Police Academy |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1956–1993 |
Organizations | |
Works | Full list |
Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) |
Spouses | Nafisa Bahgat
(m. 1947; died 1988)Bahiga Mekbel (m. 1976) |
Children | Ahmed • Mona |
Father | Ahmed Mourad Bey Zulfikar |
Family | Zulfikar family |
Honours | Order of the Republic – Grand Cordon Order of Sciences and Arts |
Police career | |
Allegiance | Egypt |
Branch | Egyptian National Police |
Service years | 1946–1957 |
Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
Awards | Medal of Military Duty |
Salah El-Din Ahmed Mourad Zulfikar (Arabic: صلاح ذو الفقار, Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [sˤɑˈlɑːħ zol fɑqˈqɑːr]; 18 January 1926 – 22 December 1993) was an Egyptian actor and film producer.[1][2] He started his career as a police officer, before becoming an actor in 1956. He is regarded as one of the most influential actors in the history of the Egyptian film industry.[3][4] Zulfikar had notable roles in over a hundred feature films in multiple genres during his 37-year career, mostly as the leading actor. He was one of the most dominant leading men in Egyptian cinema.[5] Late in his career, he had considerable success in television roles.
Born to a noble family, he graduated from the Egyptian Police Academy in 1946. Zulfikar was one of Egypt's heroes in its battle against the occupation while serving in the police. His son, Egyptian entrepreneur Ahmed Zulfikar, mentioned in a 1994 press release that his father participated in the guerrilla war in Ismailia against the British Forces in 1944, and described his patriotism as having been “without limits”. Afterwards, Zulfikar volunteered in the Battle of Ismailia of 1952, and in the 1956 Suez War. He was awarded the Medal of Military Duty (first class) from Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, in appreciation for his efforts in serving his country.[6]
In 1955, he started his career as a part-time actor with temporary permits from Ministry of Interior to have his first film; Wakeful Eyes released in 1956. Later, he went on to be a full time actor in late 1957. He established his first film production company with his elder brother Ezz El-Dine Zulficar in 1958. He ran his new business under the trade name of Ezz El-Dine Zulficar Films. In 1962, he founded Salah Zulfikar Films Company and operated in Egypt and the Arab world for almost 16 years. Through Zulfikar's two production companies, which he ran throughout his 20-year career as a film producer, he won numerous awards, with the majority of his films becoming box office successes.[7][8] Despite starting his acting career as a film actor, he worked in theater throughout his career, playing celebrated theatrical roles. Zulfikar is one of the most famous artistic figures in Egypt and the Arab world.[9] His contributions to film, television and stage as an actor and film producer earned him a worldwide reputation that made him one of the most influential Middle Eastern and Arab public figures in the 20th century.[10][11] In 1996, in the centenary of Egyptian cinema, ten of his films as an actor and five of his films as a producer were listed in the top one hundred Egyptian films of the 20th century.[12][13][14]