Ragaa el-Gedawy: The one of a kind queen of elegance

She was born on September 6, 1934.

 The majority of people see that elegance means being fashionable  and know how to dress but unlike what they think elegance  is not limited to this only it has different shapes and forms, elegance of feelings, thoughts and the way of dealing with people.

The one may have one or two types of elegance but very rare who have all forms of elegance and so was the late iconic actress Ragaa el Gedawy.

Gedawy was an elegance icon in every sense of the word; exactly as President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi told her on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 24, 2018, "You will always remain elegant in everything, not just your outfit."

Gedwy, who was raised by her aunt the late great actress and belly dancer Tahia Karioka, was born in Ismailia in 1938.

She won a modelling competition, and was hired by Greek Egyptian designer Pierre Klofass, to become the first Egyptian model, a career that was dominated at the time by Italians and Greeks. She represented Egypt in many fashion shows abroad, and entered the artistic field from the modelling gate.

In 1959, she won "The Cotton Beauty Pageant" and the award was a role in the famous Egyptian movie "Do’aa el-Karawan" (The Call of the Nightingale) and that was her debut role in cinema.

The late heartthrob has a vast repertoire of movies, series and plays under her belt. Gedawy participated with Adel Emam in two of his most successful plays "El-Wad Sayed El-Shaghal" (Sayed the Servant), and "El-Zaiim" (The Leader).

Her cinematic repertoire includes a number of movies such as "Banat el-Am" (The Cousins), "Ana Mesh Ma’ahom" (I am Not with Them), "Bobos", "Taymour w Shafika", "Sahar el Layali" (Sleepless Nights), and "Karkar".

Gedawy was married to late football coach Hassan Mokhtar, has one daughter named Amira and one granddaughter named Rawda.

Although she was well known for performing the role of the aristocratic mother and rich lady, Gidawy also brilliantly performed the role of the poor and humble woman in "Le'bet el-Nesian" (The Forgetting game) series which was broadcast in Ramadan 2020.

Gedawy's sense of humour allowed her to play comic roles in numerous movies and series such as "Bobos", "Taymour w Shafika" and "Tamer w Shawkia".

Gedawy was loved by all her fans and colleagues, who all confirm that she was even more elegant, kinder and classier in real life than on the screen. 

Gedawy tested positive for coronavirus on May 24. The veteran actress was infected with the novel coronavirus, after she finished shooting her last role in “Le'bet el-Nesian” series.

The veteran Egyptian actress health condition deteriorated and she was transferred to the ICU of Ismailia Hospital where she was receiving her treatment from COVID-19.

The tens of her colleagues who mourned her with deep grief today and the millions of her fans who cried over her showed to what extent she was both an exceptional artist and human being.

Gedawy  left behind an artistic career of over six decades and a long legacy of kindness, classiness and elegance that will immortalise her memory in our hearts forever.

Rest in peace queen of elegance, we will love you forever.