People may come, people may go but their memories stay forever and remain in our minds. And this is exactly what happens with legends like Farid Shawqi, fondly known as The King.
The late actor has been one of the most celebrated artists of Egyptian cinema. With more than 350 films in his career, Shawqi was allocated many awards for his immense contribution to Egyptian cinema including the State's Award of Arts in 1962, presented by former president Gamal Abdel Nasser and the Cairo Cinema Festival award.
Born in Cairo on July 30, 1920, Shawqi earned his degree from the Higher Institute of Theatrical Arts, where he studied acting. Take a look at the legendary star’s lesser-known facts:
At the beginning of his career, he was clever at playing the villain, but he was a special kind of villain, not like the one to which the Arab cinema audience was accustomed; instead, he relied on wile and guile to drive a wedge between the films’ protagonists, according to Egyptian media.
During this time, Shawqi began to move towards what could be called justified villainy, or shady roles where benevolent characteristics were still present, despite the character’s deviant behavior.
He made his film debut in the 1947 “Mala’eka Fi Gohanam” ` Angels in Hell'.
In 1951, Shawqi married Huda Sultan, who was a prominent singer and actress at that time.
The couple made a famous partnership in more than 80 films. The marriage lasted 18 years and produced two daughters Maha and Nahid who is a successful film producer in her own right.
His second and last marriage was to Soheir Tork, who gave him two daughters Abir and Rania.
The actor did many notable roles in films like The Strong Men of Boulaq (1981), The Devil Sermonising (1981), and The Queen Bee Honey (1985) all of which are adapted from the seminal works of Naguib Mahfouz, who was fascinated by the world of strong men.
The remarkable actor passed away on 27 July 1998 of old age.
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