Commemorating Egyptian cinema Cinderella Souad Hosny

CAIRO – 21 June 2020: Today marks the 19th anniversary of Egyptian cinema sweetheart Soad Hosny’s death. To honor the great actress, Egypt Today presents a profile about her life and career.

Hosny was born in Cairo on January 26, 1942. She was known as the "Cinderella of Egyptian Cinema" and is one of the most influential actresses in the Middle East and the Arab world.



Her sweet smile, bashful spirit and beautiful voice inspired audiences and artists alike.
Hosn's striking beauty, free spirit, and unique talent enabled her to portray a wide variety of roles along her rich acting career.


She ascended to stardom at the end of the 1950’s, performing in more than 83 films between 1959 and 1991.



The majority of her films were shot in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Her final screen appearance was in the 1991 film, “The Shepherd and the Women”, directed by her ex-husband, Ali Badrakhan.



Her most prominent roles include her roles in "Al- Ashqya' al-Thalatha" (Three Naughty Boys) (1962), directed by Hossam Eddine Mostafa; "Be'r el-herman" (The Well of Deprivation) (1969), directed by Kamal el-Sheikh; "Khaly Balak Men Zouzou" (Take Care of Zouzou) (1974), written by the exceptional poet Salah Jaheen and directed by Niazi Mostafa, and "Sagheera 'Al Hob" (Too Young to Fall in Love) (1966), which was also directed by Niazi Mostafa.

Hosny used her outstanding talent to call for gender equality in the TV series "Hekayat Hwa we Heyain" (1985) that achieved booming success.

She was not only a great performer, but also a great fashion icon; lots of young girls during her time idolized Hosny on so many levels, including fashion.

Hosny was raised in an artistic family. Her father was a calligrapher who adored music, her older half-sister was famous singer Nagat, while her older half-brother was a composer and an oud player in Umm Koulthoum’s ensemble.

Hosny was forced to withdraw from public life and film production as she suffered from a reputed ailment with her spine, which led to various complications, affecting her ability to move.

In 2001, Hosny fell to death from her friend's apartment in London, which brought her glamorous life to an end.

"Before her death, she was preparing for a play which she discussed with producer and screenwriter Samir Khafaga. She had lost 15 kilograms and conducted some plastic and dental surgeries.

All these factors deny the assumption that she committed suicide. Soad was much stronger than she seemed to be," veteran actor Samir Sabri stressed. Meanwhile, great actor Hassan Youssef said, "Soad was incredibly talented; she had the ability to perfectly play any role whether it is comedic or tragic. She had charisma and charm. Yet, she was unappreciated and died alone."

"We were close friends; she was too kind, down to earth and polite. She never responded to offenses to the extent that when one of the producers fired her, she went to shoot her scenes the following day out of her great discipline," Youssef added.

May God bless the incomparable soul of Soad Hosny that still lives in the hearts of her fans.

The poster of Sharm El-Sheikh Asian Film Festival that ran from March 2-8, 2019 illustrated a rare portrait of Hosny. The poster portrays the Asian culture representing the nature of the festival.

The poster was designed by fine artist Ahmed el-Labad. The head of the festival director Magdy Ahmed Ali previously announced that this edition from the festival is dedicated to the late actress, reflecting the deep appreciation for Hosny’s enriching and everlasting cinematic contributions that greatly influenced the Egyptian Cinema.


He further stated that Hosni has never been properly honored in previous film festivals after her death, which caused a massive shock to the Egyptian cinema and community.