Facts about veteran actress Madiha Yousri

CAIRO – 31 May 2019: In honor of veteran actress, Madiha Yousri, who was known as “The Brown Lady of the Arabic screen”, Egypt Today casts light on the facts about her life and career, commemorating her first death anniversary.

Yousri was of one the stars of the golden era of Egyptian cinema because of her talent in acting and the diversity of her roles.

She was nicknamed “The Brown Lady of the Arabic screen” for her features that projected the idea of Egyptian brown women’s beauty. Time magazine chose Yousri as one of the 10 most beautiful women in the world in the 1940s.

Originally Turkish

Born on December 3, 1921 in Cairo to a Turkish father and Sudanese mother, her real name is Hanouma Habib Khalil.

Her career

She started her career in acting when distinguished filmmaker and director Mohammed Karim introduced her to great composer and singer Mohamed Abdel-Wahab in “Mamnou'a el Hub” (Love is Prohibited) in 1942. This was followed by her second small role with Abdel-Wahab in “Russassa Fil-Qalb” (Bullet Through the Heart) in 1944.

This success was pursued by her first protagonist character with the invincible Farid El-Atrash in “Ahlam el Shabab” (Dreams of Youth) in 1943.

The actor Youssef Wahba offered her roles in three films: “Ibn el haddad” (Blacksmith's Son) in 1945, “Al Fanan Al Azeem” (The Great Artist) in 1945, and “Awladi” (My Children). Additionally, she starred as the protagonist with Farid El-Atrash in “Shahr el Asal” (The Honeymoon) in 1945.

Hence, she is one of the few actresses who starred in movies with the four leading musicians in the 20th century, including Farid El-Atrash, Abdel-Wahab, Abdel-Halim Hafez and Mohamed Fawzi.

She also produced and starred in a series of romantic films based on writer Youssef El-Seba'i's novels, the most popular of which is “Inni Rahila” (I Shall Depart) in 1955.

Her last movie was “El-Erhaby” (The Terrorist) in 1994, in which she starred with the country’s best-loved movie stars, Adel Emam.

She also performed in popular television series, such as “Hawanim Garden City” (The Ladies of Garden City) and “Yahia El Adel” in 2002, which was the last of her various TV appearances.

The veteran Egyptian actress died Tuesday at a Cairo hospital at the age of 97 after a long struggle with a disease.

Her funeral will be held at Al-Sayeda Nafisa Mosque in Cairo on Wednesday afternoon.