Adel Emam
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| Born | Adel Mohammed Imam May 17, 1940 Aswan, Egypt |
Adel Imam (sometimes credited as: Adel Emam), (Arabic: عادل إمام), born May 17, 1940 in El Mansoura (المنصورة), is a popular Egyptian movie and stage actor. He is primarily a comedian, but he has starred in more serious works and, especially in his earlier films, has combined comedy with romance.
Emam earned a Bachelor's Degree in Agriculture from Cairo University. Since then he has appeared in over 100 movies and 10 plays. He is one of the most famous actors in Egypt, and has received critical and popular praise throughout his career. Emam's roles have displayed a wide range of humour including slapstick, farce, and even the occasional double entendre. His character archetype is an individual down on his luck who rises above powerful outside pressures. This has proved an extremely resilient archetype in Egypt.
In January 2000, the United Nations appointed Emam as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR. Since then, he has worked tirelessly for the cause of refugees. He has been cast several times by the producer Emad Adeeb in movies like Morgan Ahmed Morgan and Hassan and Marcus.
In 2005, he starred in Sifaara fil'Aimara (Embassy in the Building), playing a Cairene everyman inconvenienced when the Embassy of Israel moves into his apartment building. In 2006, Emam appeared as one of the many stars of The Yacoubian Building, a film reputed to be the highest-budgeted in Egyptian cinema and adapted from the novel of the same name. The story is a sharp look at contemporary Egyptian life through the prism of a faded downtown Cairo apartment building. Emam portrays an aging roué whose misadventures form a central strand of the film's complex narrative. In 2011, he starred in an ad campaign for Vodafone Egypt titled 'Kowetna' (Our Power).
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[edit] Personal Life
Adel Emam is married and has three children: the young director Rami Imam, Sarah Emam, and Mohamed Imam, who also starred in the movie The Yacoubian Building as Taha Shazli. He is the brother of Esam Imam and Iman Imam. His brother-in-law is the late actor Mustafa Metwalli. Adel Emam stated on a talk show with host Hala Sarhan that Amin Shalaby and the late Younes Shalaby as well as Saeed Saleh were his best friends since university. He is also an important figure in the Arab community largely because of the political roles he took on in many of his films and plays. These roles, whether he intended it or not, often put him in a critical position vis-à-vis the president or the government. He was recently (February, 2012) sentenced (in absentia) to three months in jail for offending Islam, and had lost some of his audience appeal for his 2011 support of Hosni Mubarak during the 2011 18-day revolt.
[edit] Works
[edit] Selected Filmography
| Year | Film | Name Translation | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Zahaymar | Alzheimer's | Mahmoud |
| 2009 | Bobbos | Bobbos | Mohsen Hendawi |
| 2008 | Hassan w Morqos | Hasan and Marcus | Paulus / Hassan |
| 2007 | Morgaan Ahmed Morgaan | Morgaan Ahmed Morgaan | Morgaan |
| 2006 | Emaret Yaqubian | The Yacoubian Building | Zakki |
| 2005 | Al-Sefara Fil-Emara | The Embassy Is In The Building | Shereef |
| 2004 | Arees Menn Gehha Amneya | A Security Service Groom | Khattaab |
| 2003 | Al-Tagroba Al-Danemarkeya | The Danish Experience | Qadri |
| 2002 | Ameer Al-Zalaam | Prince of Darkness | Saeed Al-Masri |
| 2000 | Bekheet Wa Adeela 3: Hello America | Bekheet And Adeela 3: Hello America | Bekheet |
| 1999 | El-Wad Mahroos Betaa El-Wazeer | Mahroos; The Minister's Guy | Mahroos |
| 1998 | Ressala Ila Al-Wali | A Message to the Governor | Harfoosh |
| 1997 | Bekheet Wa Adeela 2: El-Gardal wel-Kanaka | Bekheet and Adeela 2: The Pail and the Coffeepot | Bekheet |
| 1996 | Al-Nom Fil-Assal | Sleeping In The Honey | Colonel Magdi |
| 1995 | Bekheet Wa Adeela | Bekheet And Adeela | Bekheet |
| 1995 | Toyoor Al-Zalaam | Birds Of Darkness | Fathy Nofal |
| 1994 | Al-Erhabi | The Terrorist | Ali[1] |
| 1992 | El Erhab Wal Kabab | Terrorism and Kebab | Ahmed |
| 1987 | Al-Nemr Wal-Ontha | The Tiger And The Female | Waheed |
| 1983 | Al-Motasawel | The Beggar | Hasanin |
[edit] Plays
Ana Wa Howa Wa Heya (1964)
Al-Nassabeen (1966)
Dhat Al-Bijama Al-Hamraa (1967)
Ana Feen W Enti Feen (1970)
Madrast Al-Moshagebeen (1973)
Gharameyat Afifi (1975)
Shahed Ma Shafsh Haga (1975)
Al-Wad Sayed Al-Shaghal (1984)
Al-Zaeem (1998)
Body Guard (1999)
Al Erhab w Al Kabab
[edit] References
- ^ Murphy, Kim (12 April 1994). Movie Breaks Arab World's Silence on Terrorism Issues, Los Angeles Times, Retrieved December 14, 2010
[edit] External links
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