Mahmoud Kabil
Mahmoud Kabil | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador |
| Years active | 1973—present |
| Spouse | Leila Moharram (Divorced) |
Mahmoud Kabil (Arabic: محمود قابيل, born May 19, 1946) is an award-winning Egyptian actor and political activist. He is also the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for the Middle East and North Africa. He served as an officer in the Military of Egypt's Special Forces before becoming a leading actor in Egyptian cinema during the 1970s. After a 14-year hiatus in the United States, Kabil returned to Egypt in 1993 and made a successful acting comeback and has since starred in more than 50 films and TV series. Kabil was named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in November 2003.
Life & Career
One of Egypt's most popular actors, Mahmoud Kabil was born in Cairo, Egypt. He was educated at the Lycee Francais of Alexandria before joining the Military of Egypt in 1964 at the age of 17. He served until 1973 as an officer and captain in the Special Forces participated in the Yemen War, the Six-Day War, the War of Attrition, and the Yom Kippur War.
After his time in the military, Kabil turned to film, and between 1973-1979 was a leading actor in Egyptian cinema. Some of his more notable roles during this period include "Love Under the Rain" (based on the Naguib Mahfouz novel), "The Damned" (an adaptation of King Lear), and acclaimed director Youssef Chahine's "The Sparrow." He also dabbled in business during his acting career; from 1974-1979 he served as general manager of Cosmopolitan Tours, a travel agency based out of Geneva, Switzerland.
Kabil spent the last few years of the 70's attempting to have a short story he penned, "Sinai 73" turned into a full-length film. Based off of his experience of capturing Israeli pilot Yair Barak in the Six-Day War in 1967, the film was ideally to be a joint Israeli-Egyptian production, now seen as possible because of warming relations between the two countries after President Anwar Sadat's visit to Jerusalem. By 1979, Dustin Hoffman had signed on to play the role of Kabil's prisoner for $3.5 million, but the project ultimately never advanced past the preliminary stages. Due to his perceived pro-Israeli stance, Kabil was then unable to find work in Egypt, and in response left to the United States shortly after marrying his second wife Leila Moharram in 1980.
Kabil moved to McAllen, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley, founding Kabil Enterprises with his brother Hussein. Utilizing the large citrus supply of the Rio Grande Valley, Kabil Enterprises oversaw Kabil Farms, Green Grove Citrus, Rio Ag, and Micropower Plant. Kabil served in his capacity as Vice President until 1993 when he decided to return to Egypt with his family and attempt an acting comeback. Since then, Kabil has starred in more than 50 films and TV series.
After years of involvement with the United Nations, he was named UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for the Middle East and North Africa in November 2003. He has spoken publicly about several important issues concerning children in the Middle Eastern region, including the plight of the children in Gaza, Female Immunization, Female Genital Mutilation, HIV/AIDS, and the education of young girls. He has also been an outspoken critic of the Darfur genocide. Following a visit to the region, Kabil appealed to the Arab countries to play a more active role in offering support to UNICEF activities designed to help the women and children who have carried the brunt of the conflict.[1]
In the aftermath of the Gaza Crisis, Kabil in February 2009 paid a visit to the El-Arish Hospital near the Gaza border crossing in Rafah. He met with injured Palestinian children and pledged UNICEF support to the development of an effective and speedy relief effort. [2]. He concluded 2009 with a trip to Yemen and a joint visit to Gaza with fellow UNICEF Ambassador Mia Farrow [3] [4].
Kabil currently resides in Cairo, Egypt.
