Lesser-Known Facts about Shoukry Sarhan on death anniversary

Egypt’s cinema is commemorating the death anniversary of late Egyptian iconic actor Shoukry Sarhan, who was born on March 13, 1925.

Today, Mar. 19 marks the 24th anniversary of his death at the age of 72 after a struggle with heart disease.

Sarhan is the most prominent name in the history of Egyptian cinema. He was born in Alexandria, from a family originally from Al-Sharqia governorate.

The remarkable actor is also the brother of actor Samy Sarhan, who passed away in 2005.

He is well-known for some of his seminal works, such as (The Nile Boy), (A Woman’s Youth), (A Woman on the Road), and (The Thief and the Dogs).

Moreover, his first leading role was in “Lahalibo ” in the 1940s, according to Elcinema.

 In 1950, the veteran star participated in another group of commercial movies through which he aimed to be sure-footed in the acting scene while waiting for the suitable role that would push him up among the prominent stars.

Later on, the maven director Youssef Chahine cast the young actor as the star along with Faten Hamama and Yehia Chahine in The Nile Boy (1951), which represented Egypt in several international film festivals.

In the following year, director  Ezzeddine Zulfikar chose him to play the leading role in An Appointment with Life, with female lead Faten Hamama. Then came his lucky break in Darkness Fell The Thief and the Dogs (1963, Kamal El-Sheikh); putting Sarhan in the ‘jeune premier’ lineup, a position he retained for almost twenty years.

In the 1980s, Sarhan’s roles were rare to the extent that he has acted in only nine movies in this long period, the last of which was Al-Gabalawi (1991, Adel Al-Aasar), six years before his death. 

It's worth noting that the most prominent was the prophet muhammad, Part II (1981), before reaching the Age of Suicide (1987, Shafiq Shamyia) and Judges in Islam (1987). Indeed, these choices may have reflected his religious background.

Furthermore, he was the recipient of numerous awards and nominations for excellence throughout his successful career, including the Best Actor's award for his lead role, with Faten Hamama, in the movie Lelt El qabd 'Ala Fatema "The Night of Fatima's Arrest"), which was directed by Henry Barakat.

In the 1960s,  President Gamal Abdel Nasser honored Sarhan with "Egypt's decoration".

During the celebrations of centennial of cinema Sarhan was also nominated by Egyptian critics as the best actor of the century in Egypt, having participated more than any other actor in some of the best 100 Egyptian films, according to Elcinema.com.