Hubbry Logo
search
logo
Shadia
Shadia
current hub
2056399

Shadia

logo
Community Hub0 Subscribers
Write something...
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
See all
Shadia

Fatma Ahmad Kamal Shaker (Arabic: فاطمة أحمد كمال شاكر; 8 February 1931 – 28 November 2017), better known by her stage name Shadia (Arabic: شادية, Shādya), was an Egyptian actress and singer. She was famous for her roles in light comedies and drama in the 1950s and 1960s. She was the third wife of Salah Zulfikar. Shadia was one of the iconic actresses and singers in Egypt and the Middle East region and a symbol of the golden age of Egyptian cinema and is known of her many patriotic songs.

Shadia's films and songs are popular in Egypt and all the Arab world. Critics consider her the most successful comprehensive Egyptian and Arabic artist of all time. Her first appearance in a film was in "Azhar wa Ashwak" (Flowers and Thorns), and her last film was "La Tas'alni Man Ana" (Don't Ask Me Who I Am).

She is also known for her patriotic song "Ya Habibti Ya Masr" (Oh Egypt, My Love.) Her breakthrough leading role came in the 1959 Egyptian film "Al Maraa Al Maghoula" (The Unknown Woman) directed by Mahmoud Zulfikar. Six of her movies are listed in the top 100 Egyptian movies of the 20th century.

In April 2015, Shadia became the first actress to be awarded an honorary doctorate by the Egyptian Academy of Arts. She was given the nickname "Idol of the Masses" following her successful movie "Ma'budet el Gamahir" (Idol of the Masses).[citation needed] Other notable nicknames include "The Guitar of the Egyptian Singing" (Arabic: جيتارة الغناء) and "The Golden Guitar" (Arabic: الجيتارة الذهبية).[citation needed]

Shadia was born "Fatma Ahmad Kamal Shaker" on 8 February 1931, in Elhelmiyya Elgedida, in Cairo, Egypt, to an Egyptian father Ahmed Kamal Sahker from Sharqia and a mother of Turkish origin. In 1947, she fell in love with an Egyptian officer from Upper Egypt, and was heartbroken by his death during the 1948 war. Shadia had five sisters and brothers. She was the youngest of her sisters and the second youngest among all her siblings. Since her childhood, Shadia loved to sing and was encouraged to pursue music at primary school.

Shaker gave herself the stage name "Shadia", after the name of a newborn of one of her family's friends. She began acting at the age of fifteen. In her heyday during the 1950s and 1960s, Shadia acted in numerous melodramas, romance, and comedy films. However, it was her singing talent that established Shadia as one of the most important Egyptian cinema stars of her era.

Overall, as "Shadia", she performed in more than 100 films. Shadia is credited for acting alongside leading man Salah Zulfikar in his film debut, "Oyoun Sahrana" (Wakeful Eyes, 1956). Later, she paired with Zulfikar in six films, forming a famous duet, achieving major commercial and critical success, and becoming an Egyptian cinema classic. She also starred in more than 30 films with the actor Kamal El Shennawy, and sang opposite Farid El Atrash and Abdel Halim Hafez, such as in "Ma'boudat El Gamaheer" (The People's Idol, 1967). She appeared with Faten Hamama in Ezz El-Dine Zulfikar's "Mawe'd Ma'a El Hayah" (Appointment with Life, 1954), and in "El Mar'a El Maghula" (The Unknown Woman, 1959) by Mahmoud Zulfikar, she played the role of Fatma in a heavy melodrama.

Other films she starred in include "El les we El Kelab" (The Thief and the Dogs, 1962) with Shoukry Sarhan, where she played the role of a prostitute for the first time. She starred in comedy roles in films such as "El Zouga raqam 13" (Wife Number 13, 1962). She also starred alongside Salah Zulfikar in the romantic drama "Aghla Min Hayati" (Dearer than My Life, 1965), and the film was a success and it turned out to be a romantic classic in Egyptian cinema and the two main characters of Ahmed and Mona became a symbol of love and affection among Egyptians.

See all
User Avatar
No comments yet.