Hoda Sultan Birth Anniv.: Lesser Known Facts about Legendary Actress

Today, Aug. 15 marks the birth anniversary of the late remarkable actress Hoda Sultan.

Hoda Sultan, who was born on August 15, 1925, was a popular actress and singer in Egyptian films. She was really the most celebrated actress in the 1940's.

She was born in Kafr Abu-Gendy in El-Gharbiya governorate to a mother of Turkish origin and a father who married a lot and had many children. One of them was the remarkable actor, singer, and composer Mohamed Fawzy.

Despite the rejection she faced from breaking into the field, particularly from her father, she succeeded in breaking into Egyptian radio with her first song in 1949.

In 1950, she made her cinematic debut as a singer in the 'Set Elhusn' movie as a young princess.

Being accepted as an official singer was only the advanced step in fulfilling her huge ambitions. On this basis, she auditioned for a role that was announced by Nahas Studio, who was searching for a new face capable of singing to participate in Bella Donna (1950, Niazi Mostafa), and landed it.

Later, she was once noticed by the director Hassan Al-Imam for her charm and innocence; she was selected to play the role of A Wife from the Street and Men’s Huntress.

Hoda Sultan formed one of the best in Egyptian cinema with Farid Shawky, her husband at the time. The couple, the remarkable duet, made nineteen films together, starting with Bella Donna and The Rule of the Powerful.

They had a love-affair that continued for several years. Shawky was very passionate about her and she loved him so much that she was ready to forgo her singing career.

She was well-known for her seminal works, such as (1954, Niazi Mostafa), The Love of My Heart (1952, Helmy Rafla), Hamido (1953, Niazi Mostafa), They Made Me a Criminal (1954, Atef Salem), and The Swindler (1954, Helmy Rafla).

She was married five times, to  Mohamed Naguib,  film producer Fouad Algazirly, Lebanese prince Fouad Elatrash, renowned actor Shawky, and Theratical director Hassan Abdel salam. Sultan had three children: one daughter with Naguib, two daughters with Shawky.

Unfortunately, Sultan passed away on June 5, 2006, at the age of 80.