Mahmoud Zulfikar (Arabic: محمود ذو الفقار; 18 February 1914 – 22 May 1970) was an Egyptian film director, film producer, screenwriter, and actor. He was a figure in Egyptian film industry. He started his career as an architect, before starting his film career as an actor in 1939. Zulfikar was one of the most prominent artists in Egypt. He was known for his boldness and adventure with the new talents he presented to the Egyptian audience, later, he was nicknamed the "Talent Finder".

Growing up in an aristocratic family. He's also the elder brother of filmmaker Ezz El-Din Zulfikar and actor Salah Zulfikar. He obtained his high school diploma in 1930, then a bachelor's degree in architecture in 1935. He joined the Ministry of Endowments in the Islamic Decorations Department. There, he met the director Hussein Fawzy, who nominated him for the lead role in the film Bayayet El Tiffah (1939), and also the lead opposite the singer Malak in the film El awda il al rif (1939).

Afterwards, his films followed, thus beginning a long career in acting, followed by his career in filmmaking, being a notable multi-talented artist. He used technical calculations to film the scenes that were difficult to capture at the physical location. He also used his ideas to develop the final versions of his scripts for production. This earned him in Egypt the nickname of "The Event Maker". He assumed direct control over most aspects of his filmmaking, Zulfikar cultivated an expertise in screenwriting, directing, editing, and producing.

Mahmoud Qasdy Ahmed Mourad Zulfikar was born on 18 February 1914, in Tanta, Egypt. Born to an aristocratic family of a prominent position in Egypt. His father, Ahmed Mourad Bek Zulfikar, served as a senior police commissioner in the Ministry of Interior and his mother Nabila hanem Zulfikar was a housewife. He was the fourth among eight siblings. His brother Mohamed who would grow up to be a businessman, Soad, Fekreya, Ezz El-Dine who would grow up to be a famous filmmaker. They were followed by brothers Kamal, Salah, the famous actor and producer and finally Mamdouh who would grow up to be a businessman.

Zulfikar graduated from faculty of engineering and worked as an architect in the Design Department at the Ministry of Works, but his passion for movie business encouraged him to make a career shift and become a filmmaker. He was an actor, film producer, screenwriter, and film director.

He was a comprehensive artist. He is one of the most talented filmmakers in the history of Egyptian cinema. He started as an actor in 1939, and directed 44 films between 1947 and 1970. Zulfikar's films have been nominated for numerous awards both nationally and internationally. As an actor, his film debut was in Bayayet El Tiffah (1939). He starred in multiple commercial hits mostly as a director as well, including; Ibn El-balad (1942), El-Feloos (1945), Fauq Al Sahab (1947), Al lailu lana (1949), Akhlaq lil baye (1950), Qamar Arba'tashar (1950), and My Father Deceived Me (1951).

Zulfikar's notable films as a writer, director included; A Girl from Palestine (1948), which Zulfikar also played the lead, plot evolved around the 1948 Palestine War, while Zulfikar played the character of an Egyptian Air Force pilot, whose plane crashes in a Palestinian village, and falls in love with a Palestinian girl which helps him to treat his injuries. Other films include; Amint Bi Allah (1953) and El Ard El Tayeba (1954).

In 1959, Zulfikar wrote the screenplay and directed The Unknown Woman, based on the French play Madame X. The film was a huge success and a breakthrough for the lead Shadia in a dramatic role, and It was the highest-grossing film in the Soviet Union for 1961, the only African film to ever achieve that. The 1960 film El Robat el Mukadass was produced by Ezz El-Dine Zulficar Films Company owned by his younger brothers Ezz El-Dine Zulficar and Salah Zulfikar, with the latter starring in the film alongside Sabah and Emad Hamdy.