Remembering Mahmoud Morsi On His Birth Anniv.

The nation remembers the renowned actor Mahmoud Morsi on his birth anniversary today.

The legendary Morsi was inarguably one of the most talented and celebrated names in Egypt's cinema. The icon is regarded as the pioneer of realistic acting, something that helped him bring highly complex characters to life on the big screen. Here is a look at his rich legacy:

Often referred to as the "Atriss", Morsi has given a number of remarkable films like The Beggar (1973, directed by Hossam Eddine Mostafa), The Quail and Autumn (1967, directed by Hossam Eddine Mostafa), The Open Door (directed by Barakat), The Last Night (1963, directed by Kamal El-Sheikh), A Touch of Fear (1969, directed by Hussein Kamal) that garnered attention from people across the Arab world.

These movies have made the world of Drama and Cinema laugh, cry and feel for years and still continue to leave their charm.

He is known for playing negative roles and is fondly remembered for his performance as " Mahmoud Ab ElGwad" in the "Bin ElQaserin" TV Series.

Moreover, Morsi had an eye for talent and helped several up-and-coming artists get a break like Hala Fakher, Nour Elsherif, Abeir Sabry, Mahmoud El-Gendy and Bossi.

Apart from acting, he directed some programs about Egypt’s great artists such as Mahmoud Mokhtar, in addition to some international plays written by Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller and Ibsen.

Born in Alexandria in 1923, he received his degree from the Department of Philosophy at the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alexandria.

Following his passion, he traveled to France to study film directing and spent five years there, then moved to Britain to work in The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) until the tripartite aggression against Egypt in the 1950s.

At that time, Morsi decided to quit and resign from his job and returned to Egypt to work on the Egyptian radio and then on the Egyptian television.

He made his showbiz debut in I am the Fugitive (1962, Niazi Mostafa) and ended his run with The Sword’s Blade (1986, Atef Salem). Actually, he was endowed with a special style of performing these roles that distinguished him from others.

His breakthrough came with (A Song on the Corridor 1972) as Ali Abdel-Khalelk, who was an Egyptian soldier defending his position until his last breath during the 1967 war.

The late actor is well-known also for a variety of unforgettable villain roles. That includes playing police chief in Prince of Cunningness (1964, Barakat), the British commander in The Price of Freedom (1964, Nour El-Demerdash), the pagan tribe chieftain in Dawn of Islam (1971, Salah Abu-Seif) and as the extremely harsh prison warden in Night and Rods (1973, Ashraf Fahmi). However, his magnificent performance in 'Sheia Mn Khof ‘ film won his much praise from Arab fans and critics alike.

Throughout the 1960s and beyond, Morsi continued to play the villain in his own style. At that time, he managed to embody the character of curl person in (Prince of Cunningness, 1964, directed by Henri Barakat, (The Price of Freedom, 1964, Nour El-Demerdash), (Dawn of Islam, 1971, by Salah Abu-Seif), and (Night and Rods, 1973, Ashraf Fahmi).

Then he shifted from evil to good roles as he presented the idealistic character in the 80s films like (The Sad Night-Bird) and to name a few, according to Maspero Zaman.

In his final years, the late actor tried to break the villain or strongman mold by playing human and benevolent roles, perhaps the most prominent of which in Abu-Ela Al-Bishry (1985, Mohammed Fadel) and in The Family (1994, Ismail Abdel-Hafez).

Unfortunately, the remarkable actor passed away in his hometown of Alexandria on 24th April 2004 at the age of 81.

It's worth mentioning that Morsi had been married to his wife, Samiha Ayoub, the so-called "The Lady of Arab Theater", for over 40 years.