Tributes are being shared for renowned Egyptian actor Salah El Saadany, who died aged 80. The news of his death was announced by Ashraf Zaki, head of the Egyptian Actors Syndicate, on Friday.
Since the announcement, celebrities from the Arab world have taken to social media to express their condolences and pay tribute to his illustrious career.
Fellow Egyptian actor Mohamed Sobhy tweeted that he was mourning the loss of his "best friend and best support", and revealed how El Saadany had always encouraged him at the beginning of his career. He also remarked that even though El Saadany was gone, his artistic works would remain.
Pop star Mohamed Hamaki uploaded a photo of the actor, sharing his condolences. Egyptian actress and singer Youssra expressed a similar sentiment and also apologised for not being able to attend his funeral as she was not in Egypt.
The Egyptian football club Al Ahly shared a post mourning his death, calling him a "great artist".
Nicknamed "Omda", El Saadany was born on October 23, 1943, in Giza. He came from a family with a notable cultural background. As a student, he joined a variety of amateur theatre troupes, even performing with fellow talent Adel Imam on the university stage.
El Saadany initially began his career in theatre and radio, but eventually made his way to films and television. In the 1970s and 1980s, he became a household name thanks to roles in TV shows such as Oghnia Ala Al-Mamar (A Song on the Passage, 1972), Shelet El Moshaghbeen (The Troublemakers, 1973), Le piege (1982), and the long-running series Layali Al-Helmaya, which he appeared on from 1985 to 1990.
Throughout his five-decade-long career, El Saadany appeared in countless radio series, more than 20 plays, 70 films, and numerous television shows. Notable other series include Abnaee al-A’izaa Shokran (Thank You My Dear Children, 1979), Arabesque (1994) and Helm al-Ganouby (My Southern Dream, 1997).
Since 2013, his health began to deteriorate, and El Saadany spent most of his days at home in bed. His last work was a leading role in the TV series Al-Qasirat (The Minors, 2013). His son, Ahmed, is also an actor.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
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What are the regulations?
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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