Faten Hamama
Acting • Born 1931-05-27 – Died 2015-01-17
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.
Filmography
102 credits
I Am the Past
Movie • 1950
Samia Farid
The Lady of the House
Movie • 1949
إلهام حامد عبد العزيز
Orphans' money
Movie • 1952
Zahira - زهيرة
Every house has a man
Movie • 1949
فاتن أنيس كامل
Farewell My Love
Movie • 1951
أشكى لمين
Movie • 1951
Cup of torment
Movie • 1952
نعمة
Love and Tears
Movie • 1955
Fatma
Isalu kalbi
Movie • 1952
The Last Night
Movie • 1963
Fawzia/Nadia
Sayedat el kasr
Movie • 1958
Sawsan
Sleepless
Movie • 1957
Nadia Lutfy
The Sun Will Never Set
Movie • 1961
Layla
Immortal Song
Movie • 1952
Wafa Riyad Hamdi
Ethics for Sale
Movie • 1950
Bayoumi Afandi
Movie • 1949
zenat
Like A Matchstick
Movie • 2016
Cairo
Movie • 1963
Amina
The Nightingale's Prayer
Movie • 1959
أمنة
The Blazing Sun
Movie • 1954
Amal أمال
Son of the Nile
Movie • 1951
زبيده
Dunia
Movie • 1946
Nadia Fathy Bey
Baba Amin
Movie • 1950
Huda
Empire M
Movie • 1972
Mona
House No. 13
Movie • 1952
نادية
Aisha
Movie • 1953
Aisha
Lak Yom Ya Zalem
Movie • 1951
انصاف
Ana bint Nass
Movie • 1951
People's secrets
Movie • 1951
Malak alrahma
Movie • 1946
Thurya - ثريا
Mouths and Rabbits
Movie • 1977
Nemat
The Open Door
Movie • 1963
Laila Sliman
Khulud
Movie • 1948
Laila (mother) / Amal (daughter)
Appointment with Love
Movie • 1956
Nawal
Appointment with Life
Movie • 1953
Amal
Qolob El Nas
Movie • 1954
Neama
The River of Love
Movie • 1960
نوال
Angels in Hell
Movie • 1946
The Barred Road
Movie • 1958
Fayza (teacher) - فايزة راشد
I Want a Solution
Movie • 1975
دريّة عزمي
Professor Fatima
Movie • 1952
Fatima (Lawyer)
No Time for Love
Movie • 1963
Fawzy
Happy Day
Movie • 1940
أنيسة - طفلة
The Two Orphans
Movie • 1948
نعمت
Bitter Day, Sweet Day
Movie • 1988
Aisha Muhammad Al-Mandali
Al-Malak Al-Zalem
Movie • 1954
Our Best Days
Movie • 1955
هدى
Abu Zeid el Hilali
Movie • 1947
Zalamoni El Nas
Movie • 1950
Nemat
The Sin
Movie • 1965
Aziza
Bein Al-Atlal
Movie • 1959
منى
A Bullet in the Heart
Movie • 1944
نجوى
Sands of Gold
Movie • 1971
Zebyda
The Thin Thread
Movie • 1971
Mona
Big Love
Movie • 1969
Hanan
The Time of Miracles
Movie • 1952
نعمت ابراهيم
The Miracle
Movie • 1962
Leila
The Night Of Fatima's Arrest
Movie • 1984
Fatma فاطمة
I Won't Confess
Movie • 1961
Amal (wife)
Traces in the Sand
Movie • 1954
Ragia
God Is on Our Side
Movie • 1955
نادية
The Great Clown
Movie • 1952
Land of Dreams
Movie • 1993
Narges
I'll Never Cry
Movie • 1957
Huda
Tarek Al Amal
Movie • 1957
سنية
Chair of Confession
Movie • 1949
Money slaves
Movie • 1953
فتحية
A Tale Behind Every Door
Movie • 1979
Sherin / Siham
Habibati
Movie • 1974
Samia Mahmoud
Always With You
Movie • 1954
Tafida
El Zuhur El Fatina
Movie • 1952
Karima
Dark Waters
Movie • 1956
Hamedah
Love In The Darkness
Movie • 1953
Pity My Tears
Movie • 1954
Amal Amin - آمال أمين
No Consolation For Women
Movie • 1979
Something in My Life
Movie • 1966
عايدة
The Confession
Movie • 1965
Nawal
Story of a Lifetime
Movie • 1965
Nadia
Shadow of Treason
Movie • 1963
Nadia
The Virgin Wife
Movie • 1958
منى
Till We Meet
Movie • 1958
Amal
Ways of the Heart
Movie • 1956
Karima
Appointment with Happiness
Movie • 1954
Ehsan / Amal
The Song of Death
Movie • 1973
I Want This Man
Movie • 1972
Witch
Movie • 1971
Land of Peace
Movie • 1957
Salma
Punishment
Movie • 1948
ابتسام بنت محسن
Towards glory
Movie • 1948
Confused life
Movie • 1948
The red mask
Movie • 1947
The beginning of the month
Movie • 1945
بعد الوداع
Movie • 1953
She was an angel
Movie • 1947
The white angel
Movie • 1946
الهانم
Movie • 1947
Light from the sky
Movie • 1947
الحلقة المفقودة
Movie • 1948
بيت النمل
Movie • 1979
The Little Millionaire
Movie • 1948
Cinépanorama
TV • 1956
Self
Conscience of Teacher Hekmat
TV • 1991
Hekmat Hashim