Faten Hamama

Acting · 0.8 popularity

Age

Movies

100

Born: May 27, 1931 – January 17, 2015
From: El Mansoura, Egypt

Biography

Faten Hamama (May 27, 1931 - January 17, 2015) was an Egyptian actress and producer. Dubbed "The Lady of the Arabic Screen", she was born in El Mansoura, Egypt. 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 her as the leading actress, and her father hugged her with a vision of helping his daughter 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 scripted initially 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 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. Faten left Egypt from 1966-1971 because she resisted the 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 in 1971 breathed life back into Egyptian cinema. She insisted that her films reflect the values of society through family relationships. Her first film upon return was Witch (a short film) with Salah Zulfikar. Her role in Emberatoriet Meem (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 in the Soviet Union 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 Hamama is the fourth Pyramid in Egyptian cinema, a legend in her platinum anniversary, the diamond that remained shining and kept glowing over the decades on the silver screen.

Works

100 films

No Time for Love

19637.3

Bitter Day, Sweet Day

19886.3

Appointment with Life

19536.5

Shadow of Treason

19635.2

The Blazing Sun

19546.9

Struggle in the Harbor

19566.5

Dunia

194610.0

Orphans' money

19527.0

House No. 13

19527.7

Aisha

195310.0

House of Ants

197910.0

Our Best Days

19557.4

Cairo

19635.1

Towards glory

19487.0

The Nightingale's Prayer

19597.8

The Barred Road

19588.5

Land of Peace

195710.0

Land of Dreams

19936.8

Ways of the Heart

19567.0

The River of Love

19608.2

Sleepless

19576.3

The red mask

1947

The Last Night

19637.5

Empire M

19726.3

Baba Amin

19506.2

Immortal Song

19525.0

No Consolation For Women

1979

I Want a Solution

19757.5

Story of a Lifetime

19657.0

Cup of torment

195210.0

The Open Door

19636.4

The Sun Will Never Set

19617.7

I Won't Confess

19619.0

Khulud

1948

The Time of Miracles

19529.0

Son of the Nile

19517.2

Appointment with Love

19566.6

The Miracle

19627.0

Traces in the Sand

19548.3

Something in My Life

1966

Sayedat el kasr

19586.8

Among the Ruins

19598.0

The Night Of Fatima's Arrest

19847.4

Love In The Darkness

19539.0

Professor Fatima

19526.0

The Sin

19657.7

Chair of Confession

1949

Bayoumi Afandi

194910.0

Witch

19718.0

The Great Clown

19527.0

Happy Day

19408.0

The Two Orphans

194810.0

The Road of Hope

19578.5

I Want This Man

19727.0

Lak Yom Ya Zalem

19519.0

A Bullet in the Heart

19448.5

I'll Never Cry

19578.5

El Zuhur El Fatina

19529.5

Appointment with Happiness

19549.0

Mouths and Rabbits

19777.0

Punishment

1948

She was an angel

1947

Like A Matchstick

20167.0

Qolob El Nas

1954

The Confession

1965

The Thin Thread

19716.7

The beginning of the month

1945

Ana bint Nass

19517.0

Pity My Tears

195410.0

Sands of Gold

197110.0

Big Love

19697.0

Malak alrahma

19467.5

Ethics for Sale

1950

Money slaves

19539.0

The Song of Death

19738.5

Light from the sky

1947

A Tale Behind Every Door

19797.5

Abu Zeid el Hilali

19477.0

Habibati

19749.0

God Is on Our Side

19557.0

Al-Malak Al-Zalem

195410.0

Angels in Hell

1946

Love and Tears

19555.8

الهانم

1947

People's secrets

19518.0

Always With You

195410.0

The white angel

1946

I Am the Past

19507.0

الحلقة المفقودة

1948

Farewell My Love

1951

Till We Meet

1958

Every house has a man

19499.0

Isalu kalbi

19529.0

The Little Millionaire

1948

Zalamoni El Nas

19509.0

أشكى لمين

1951

بعد الوداع

1953

The Lady of the House

19499.0

Confused life

1948

The Virgin Wife

1958