Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

Remembering Karima Mokhtar on Her 7th Death Anniv.


Fri 12 Jan 2024 | 11:13 AM
Ahmed Emam

It's been seven years since the death of Egypt's legendary actress Karima Mokhtar, the so-called “Mama Nona”.

Born on January 16, 1934, in Cairo, Egypt, she received her degree from Theater Arts Institute, where she studied acting.

The veteran actress was married to renowned Egyptian director Nour El-Demrdash and had four sons, Ahmed, Heba, Sherif, and Moataz, who is a notable media anchor.

She made her career debut in the Radio children's program "Baba Sharou", as a young presenter and then got into acting in the late 1950s.

Her breakthrough came with the 1974 hit film 'El-Hafeed' (The Grandson) starring the late Nour El-Sharif and Mervat Amin.

Thereafter, the iconic actress became one of the Egyptian and Arab world’s top female stars for much of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s in the heydays of Egyptian cinema and drama.

Mokhtar is well known for her seminal works, such as "The Grandson", The Price of Freedom, The Kids Have Grown Up, and 'Thaman El-Horeya' (The Price of Freedom).

While portraying "the mother" and the humble woman characters, the maven Egyptian star did not shy away from dramatic and psychological roles.

In 1996, she shifted her career to television, starring in series like "The Vergine Paradise", and "Heroes".

The iconic actress, who is best known for playing “Mama Nona” in the “Yetrabba Fe Ezzo”, passed away on 12 January 2017.

Critics praised the actress' performance saying she managed to add depth to the character of iconic Mama Nona, which was no mean feat.

Throughout her longstanding career, Mokhtar earned numerous awards and nominations for excellence, including an award from critics for her role in “Wa Mada Qattar al-‘Umr” (“The Train of Time Has Passed”), and the iconic award of Cairo Cinema Festival.