Veteran Egyptian actress Madiha Youssri, an icon during the golden era of the cinema, died early on May 30 at a Cairo hospital, after a long struggle with illness. She was 96. She died of age-related diseases.
Nicknamed the “dark girl of the Nile”, Youssri had an acting career that spanned more than six decades. She made her debut in 1940 when filmmaker Mohammad Karim chose her for a cameo in the musical Love Is Forbidden starring legendary singer-composer Mohammad Abdul Wahab.
Her big break came some years later when Egyptian actor Youssef Wahbi nominated her to appear opposite him in three films. One of their fondly remembered films is the 1950 film Lawyer Madiha, a film tackling the issue of women’s independence.
Youssri was one of few actresses who co-starred in films opposite legendary Arab singers: Abdul Wahab, Farid Al Atrash, Mohammad Fawzy and Abdul Halim Hafez. She was famous for playing the dreamy and jovial girl. But she departed from the limelight when in 1962 she played the mother of Hafez in the hit film Sins. In the final years of her appearances, she portrayed the mum in several films including the 1999 thriller The Terrorist starring comic star Adel Imam.
She also starred in some musicals, including Yassmin (1950), opposite Anwar Wagdy; and Melody of Immortality starring Al Atrash and iconic actress Faten Hamama. Youssri’s last screen appearance was in the TV series My Heart Is Calling You shown in 2004 in which she plays a grandmother.
During her long career, Youssri appeared in dozens of films and TV dramas featuring big-name actors.
They included internationally renowned Egyptian star Omar Sharif, with whom she teamed up in the 1983 TV movie Ayoub, and comedian Fouad Al Mohandess in the 1979 comedy Beware of Your Neighbours. She also co-starred with leading actor Emad Hamdy in a number of films including Life or Death and Sins. These films are often rerun on Arabic TV channels, attracting mainly older viewers.
Youssri married four times. Three of her husbands were from the entertainment industry: singer Mohammad Ameen, actor Ahmad Salem and singer-actor Mohammad Fawzy. She co-starred with Fawzy in a series of films, including Eve’s Girls and Fatima, Raquel and Rachel. Her last marriage was to leading Sufi cleric Shaikh Ebrahim Salama.
In an interview, Youssri admitted that her toughest moments in her life was when her son Amr from her marriage to Fawzy died aged 26 in a car crash in 1989.
“His death devastated me so much that I shunned the [outside] world for more than a year,” she said.
In 1998, then president Hosni Mubarak appointed Youssri in the Shura Council, the upper house of Egypt’s upper house. She later said the decision came as a surprise to her and she learnt about it from television.
Last year, the state Egyptian Academy of Arts awarded her an honorary doctorate in recognition of her eventful career. Expressing her happiness at the gesture, a wheelchair-bound Youssri said at the time: “This boosts my morale. I want to stand up and run in joy. I feel reborn.”
The last time Youssri was seen in public was 10 days ago when Egyptian media ran a picture showing her at a military hospital in Cairo during a visit by Minister of Social Solidarity Ghada Wali and head of the Actors’ Syndicate Ashraf Zaky.
Youssri’s death has triggered an outpouring of tributes. “The Egyptian and Arab cinema has lost a big star, who for long enriched the artistic movement with immortal works,” Egypt’s Culture Minister Inas Abdul Dayem said in a statement. “She has left behind a huge artistic legacy inspiring to different generations.”
Youssri’s colleagues and fans paid homage to her. “Farewell to Madiha Youssri, who boasts an inspiring history, superiority and respect,” Egyptian actress Bushra said in a tweet.
Youssri will be buried in her family’s cemetery outside Cairo.
