One of Egypt's most respected actors of the 1990s and 2000s, Saleh graced many productions of cinema and television series.

Born in Giza on 23 January 1964, Saleh studied law, yet as a young man he already started participating in several university theatre performances.

Upon the opening of Hanager Theatre in the 1990s at the Cairo Opera House grounds, he joined independent and amateur theatre troupes at the venue.

He was cast in several roles during this time, including his first main role in a theatre play Ehtefal Khas Ala Sharaf El A'ela (1992), written by Sayed Haggag, and directed by Hanaa Abdel Fattah. The role brought much attention to his unique acting skills, with film directors started noticing his potential for cinema.

Saleh's first cinematic appearance was in 1999 in the film Gamal Abdel-Nasser, directed by Anwar El-Quadry, where he played an intelligence officer. During the same year, he also appeared in the television production Um Kalthoum, which received a wide following during Ramadan.

His cinema career took off in the early 2000s through his roles as a villain or tyrant in films, such as Malaki Eskendereya and Tito.

During this time, he was performing supporting roles in up to four films a year, working in a variety of genres from drama to romantic comedies.

His role in Tarek El-Eryan's Tito, with Ahmed El-Sakka, was considered the real launching point of his cinematic career. 

Some of his other most memorable performances in cinema include the role of a corrupt government official in the 2006 adaptation of Alaa Al-Aswany's The Yacoubian Building and a corrupt police officer in Youssef Chahine's last feature film, Heya Fawda.

Besides cinema, his television career was also thriving, with almost yearly performances.

In 2009, he won the Best Actor Award for his role in the television series Tager El-Saada at the General Media Festival.

His most important roles in television include Al-Rayan, with director Khaled Youssef, and Faroan (The Pharaoh).

Saleh was known for his charitable work with Egyptian non-governmental organizations. He also donated money to the Luxor African Film Festival's fourth edition along with the Seventh National Theatre Festival. Moreover, Saleh actively adopted and trained other younger actors despite his busy schedule.

His last cinematic role was in El-Gezira, alongside Ahmed El-Sakka and Hend Sabry, directed by Sherif Arafa.

Saleh suffered several cardiac problems. In 2014, his condition deteriorated requiring surgical intervention. He passed away shortly after the open-heart surgery on 25 September at the age of 50.

Ahmed, the son of Khaled Saleh, followed in his father’s footsteps and is making a name for himself in the Egyptian cinema and television industry as an actor. Hala Zein, Khaled Saleh's widow, passed away in 2021 due to Covid-19 complications.