An icon of Egyptian cinema has just left us: “the mayor of Egyptian drama” is no more. Details of his life
HIBAPRESS-RABAT-Ahraminfo
Prominent Egyptian artist Salah Saadani or “the Mayor of Egyptian Drama”, as he was called, died yesterday Friday April 19 at the age of 80.
The president of the Egyptian Actors Union Achraf Zaki announced the death of the great artist in a press release published yesterday Friday:
“The Union of Acting Professions and all Egyptian Artists mourn the great artist Salah Saadani. We will return our sincere condolences to the artist Ahmed Saadani and his honorable family,” the statement said.
The funeral prayer of the late artist took place after the Al Assr prayer (afternoon at 3:30 p.m. Cairo time) at the Police Mosque in the city of Sheikh Zayed.
Salaheddine Othman Ibrahim Saadani was born on October 23, 1943. He is the father of the young artist Ahmed Salah Saadani and the younger brother of the late famous satirist Mahmoud Saadani.
The series Layali Al-Helmeya, (the nights of Helmeya), popular neighborhood in Egypt, with its successive seasons, by author Osama Anwar Okacha and director Ismail Abdel Hafez, remains the icon of his artistic career, in which he played the role of “Mayor Soleiman Ghanem”.
Art’s critics later called him “the mayor of Egyptian drama.”
Early in his career, Saadani played small roles on stage and also accompanied the launch of television in Egypt.
Throughout his career, which spanned five decades, Saadani appeared in countless radio series, more than 20 stage plays, 70 films, and double those numbers of television series.
He participated in the series Addahiya (The Victim), Arrahil (The Departure), Al Qahira Wa Nass (Cairo and the People).
Its television success continued in the 1970s and 1980s with the series Oumm Al Aroussa (Mother of the Bride), Quitar Montassaf Elléil (Midnight Train), Abnaii Al Aézae Chokrane (My dear children, Thank you), and Arabesque in 1994. The Layali Al-Helmeya series remains the icon of his artistic career.
His last work was a leading role in the series Al Qasirat (The Miners) in 2013.
His health then deteriorated and since 2013, he has spent most of his days at home, far from the spotlight.
Saadani left a great artistic legacy and a long career between theater and cinema, in which he presented striking and unforgettable roles.
