Hassan El-Hassani
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Hassan El-Hassani (Arabic: حسن الحسني) whose real name was Hassan Bencheikh, was an Algerian comedian. Born on April 24, 1916 at Ksar Boukhari near Medea, Algeria, he died September 25, 1987 in Algiers.
Biography
Hassan El-Hassani was a Humorist and actor, militant popular comedian and founder of theater groups, he was also a member of the National Assembly (first term) and received the Resistance Medal.
In over thirty films he embodied "Boubagra", a naive peasant alter ego full of good sense and wisdom in the face of staggering socioeconomic changes. The chance he had wanted since childhood came in 1940 when Mahieddine Bachtarzi's theatre company travelled through region of Berrouaghia, where he was a hairdresser. Encouraged by Bachtarzi, El Hassani wrote his first play, Hassan's Dreams -- a satire denouncing colonialism. The ideas in the play led to his arrest and imprisonment on May 8, 1945. In prison, he created many sketches to boost morale among the prisoners.
Released at the end of World War II, he moved to the Casbah of Algiers where he worked as a barber, and also in theater. He created the character of Na'anaa in the play El-houria which became, in 1950, "the plot" then "tigoule ou ti ghoul pas." After the troupe disbanded, he was hired in 1953 to act on television under Mustapha Badie. His first drama was "La poursuite" (The Chase) When the Algerian war for independence broke out, he was totally committed to the fight. In 1968, he joined the Algerian National Theatre, then abandoned his favorite character Na'naa for the even more significant "Boubagra". With the Four Seasons theater troupe, he toured Algeria for ten years. In 1976 he was elected to the National People's Congress, and the company was dissolved. Hassan El-Hassani has been featured in the credits of many television and film productions since independence.
Filmography
- 1966: The Winds of the Aures (by Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina)
- 1968: Hassan Terro (by Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina) - Bahri
- 1969: Z (by Costa-Gavras) - The General's Driver[1]
- 1969: L'Opium et le Bâton (by Ahmed Rachedi) - Brahim Ben Brahim
- 1970: Brancaleone Alle Crociate (by Mario Monicelli)
- 1971: Les aveux les plus doux (The Most Gentle Confessions) (by Édouard Molinaro) - The Notary
- 1972: Sanaoud by Mohamed Slim Riad
- 1972: The Holiday of Inspector Tahar (by Moussa Haddad)
- 1973: December (by Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina)
- 1973: Les bonnes familles (The Best Families) (by Djaffer Damerdji)[2]
- 1975: Chronicle of the Years of Fire (by Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina)
- 1976: Les nomades (The Nomads) (by Sid Ali Mazif)
- 1976: Ech-Chebka (by Ghaouti Bendeddouche)
- 1976: Les déracinés (The Uprooted) (by Lamine Merbah)
- 1977: Barrières (Barriers) (by Ahmed Lallem)
- 1978: Le premier pas (The First Step) (by Mohamed Bouamari)
- 1982: The Damned (by El Hadi Guellal)
- 1982: Moissons d'acier (Harvests of Steel) (by Ghaouti Bendaddouche)
- 1982: A Wife for my Son (by Ali Ghanem)
- 1983: Les folles années du twist (The Wild Years of the Twist) (TV Series, by Mahmoud Zemmouri) - Mouloud
- 1983: Le moulin (The Windmill) (by Ahmed Rachedi)
- 1983: Tabûnat al-sayyid Fabre
- 1985: Buamama - Cheikh Tiout
- 1986: The Last Image (by Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina) - Touhami
- 1987: Les portes du silence (The Gates of Silence) (by Amar Laskri)
Bibliography
Dictionary of Film, Larousse, 2001.