Egyptian Actress & Dancer Kitty Dies in Greece at 96

Egyptian actress Kitty Fotsaki, widely known to audiences as “Kitty, the Afrita of Ismail Yassin,” has passed away at the age of 96 in Greece, where she had been living in recent decades.

News of her death circulated on social media earlier Friday before being confirmed by a family member in Greece, writer and researcher Karim Kamal, who cited Greek physician and author Manolis Tassoulas, a close associate of the late actress.

Born on February 21, 1930, in Alexandria, Kitty, whose full name was Kitty Fotsaki, rose to fame during the golden age of Egyptian cinema. 

She appeared in numerous black-and-white films, most notably alongside Ismail Yassin, becoming one of the familiar faces of 1950s popular cinema.

In the late 1950s, she gradually withdrew from public life for reasons that remained largely private. 

She later left Egypt and spent the final chapter of her life in Greece, maintaining a strict distance from media appearances.

Over the years, several prominent Egyptian media figures attempted to host her for interviews, but she consistently declined, choosing instead to preserve her privacy. 

She had previously been married for a period to director Hassan El Seifi before stepping away from artistic work in the mid-1960s.

Despite persistent rumors over the years, including incorrect reports in the 1980s claiming she had died, Kitty remained alive and in contact with a limited circle of acquaintances. 

According to close sources, she was mentally sharp and attentive to her health in her final years.

With her passing, tributes have begun to pour in, recalling not only her artistic contributions but also her place within a generation of artists who shaped Egypt’s cinematic heritage before quietly fading from the limelight.

Her death marks the end of a chapter in classic Egyptian cinema, as admirers remember her performances and the enduring charm she brought to the screen.