Lesser-Known Facts about Youssef Wahbi on His Birth Anniv.

Today, July 17, marks the birth anniversary of legendary actor Youssef Wahbi, best known for his role in the play "The Lover Minister."

The late actor presented many classic plays and movies that clearly influenced society due to the valuable messages and principles they carry.

Wahbi was born in the Fayoum province, Upper Egypt, on 14 July 1898 to an aristocratic family.

He earned his degree from the High School of Agriculture, but he was wholeheartedly attracted to the arts, following theatrical performances by the George Abbayad company at the time, and finally joining the Hassan Fayek and Aziz Eid companies.

According to Maspero Zaman, the actor's father was furious upon discovering that he was working in the theater, and obliged him to leave the family's house.

After that, Wahbi decided to travel to Italy in 1919 to study theater and the nascent art of cinema, becoming familiar with its rules and participating in a number of films, as well as plays.

He married an Italian actress, Elena Lunda, which contributed to give him more opportunities in Italian cinema where he was known as Ramses in allusion to the Egyptian Pharaonic civilisation.

Despite the fact that Youssef Wahbi was known for his melodramatic performance and heartbreaking tragedies on both stage and screen, he suddenly changed tack later in his career, beginning to act in comedy films under Fateen Abdel-Wahab's direction.

His comedic spate began in Rumour of Love (1960) along with Omar Al-Sharif and Soad Hosny in which he displayed an astonishing capability in this film genre.

From this point on, he featured in a number of hit films, among which the most prominent were A Husband’s Confession (1960), Shanabo in the Trap (1968) and Searching for a Scandal (1973) made by various directors.

Throughout his career, he received recognition and appreciation in various forms, including a first class Order of Merit in 1960, a state appreciation award in 1970 and an honorary doctorate in arts in 1975.

He also served as director of the National Theatre many times. 

Unfortunately, he passed away at the age of  90 in 1982.