Who is Ahmed Zaki, the subject of the Google doodle today?

Google has paid tribute to legendary Egyptian actor Ahmed Zaki with a Google doodle on his 71st birthday. He was born on November 18, 1949. Zaki died due to complications from lung cancer on March 27, 2005, at the age of 55.

Ahmed Zaki was born Ahmed Zaki Metwally Abdelrahman Badawi in the city of Zagazig, Egypt, on November 18, 1949. Nicknamed the 'Black Tiger' after his titular role in a 1984 boxing film, Zaki was one of the first dark-skinned actors to play leading roles in Egyptian films, in effect changing the face of the Arab film industry forever.

Zaki discovered his love for acting in school where he put on a number of memorable productions – his headmaster saw the potential in him and encouraged Zaki to pursue his passion.

He went on to graduate from Cairo Higher Institute for Drama Studies in 1974 before his big break. His movies include ‘Al Nimr Al Aswad ‘(The Black Tiger), ‘Kaboria’ (The Crab), ‘Edhak El Sora Tetlaa’ Helwa’ (Smile, the Picture Will Come Out Fine), and ‘Arba’a Fi Muhimma Rasmiya’ (Four on an Official Mission).

Zaki would go on to act in more than 60 films and two dozen plays over three decades. He was known for taking on films with socio-political backbone, earning plaudits for his nuanced take on complex characters.

A favourite of Zaki’s was a biographical project. He worked on Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s biography, ‘Nasser 65’, and Egyptian President Anwar Al Sadat’s biography, ‘Ayam El Sadat’.

Even years after Zake’s death, his popularity endures. In June TV channel OSN played a number of his movies. And the career of popular Egyptian singer Mohamed Ramadan was launched after he played the actor in the 2006 drama ‘Cinderella’.

Zaki was a heavy smoker and had contracted lung cancer. When his health deteriorated and he was sent to intensive care at Dar Al Fouad Hospital in Sixth of October City, the then President of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, offered to send him to France for treatment. He had said the government would take on the expense. Unfortunately, before this could happen, the actor died on March 27, 2005.

Haitham, Zaki's son with actor Hala Fouad, died a few years later, in 2019 after a sudden circulatory collapse. He was 35 years old.