Egyptian legend Mahmoud Abdel Aziz closes his eyes for the last time on Saturday night leaving millions of fans mourning his death and a legacy of drama films that will immortalise his name in the history of Egypt’s most prominent actors.
Abdel Aziz died at the age of 70 after a long illness. Reports said that the famous actor suffered from severe anaemia and his health deteriorated rapidly in the days before his death.
The super star is known as “the magician” from one of his most famous film roles. He acted in more than 84 films throughout his life, and more than 15 series, and some plays.
Abdel Aziz was born on 4 June 1946 in Alexandria. He graduated from the faculty of agriculture at Alexandria University. His first film role was in one of the most famous Egyptian classics, Al-Hafeed (The Grandson) in 1974.
He played some incredible roles that will never be forgotten, including Rafaat El-Hagan (1983), a series based on the true story of an Egyptian spy in Israel. The plot was inspired by real events chronicled at Egypt’s Intelligence Directorate, Al-Mukhabarat.
His remarkable role at El-Kit Kat in 1991 cannot be forgotten either. Abdel Aziz played the character of Sheikh Hosney, a blind old man who makes fun of all the depressing circumstances he, his old mother, and only child are surrounded by. He was awarded best actor at the Damascus International Film Festival for this character, along with his roles in Al-Qobtan (The Captain) in 1997 and Al-Saher (The Magician) in 2001.
He was married to Egyptian Poussy Sahalaby, and had two children, Mohammed and Karim.
Photos by Mohammed Omar and Ahmed El-Malky
