With deep grief, Egyptians said goodbye to the renowned actor Nabil Al-Halafawi, who passed away last Sunday at the age of 77 after being hospitalised for respiratory failure. His sons Khaled and Walid announced his death early on Sunday.

Al-Halafawi was born on 22 April 1947 in Al-Sayeda Zeinab neighbourhood of Cairo, and graduated from the Faculty of Commerce before pursuing his passion for acting by joining the Higher Institute of Theatrical Arts, from which he graduated in 1970. His acting career started in the theatre when he starred in the plays Antonio and Cleopatra (1976) and Afreit Li Kol Mowaten (A Goblin for Every Citizen), written by Lenin Al-Ramli, and in Saad Ardash’s Ragol fil Qalaa (A Man in the Citadel, 1987), written by Mohamed Abul-Ela Al-Salamoni.

His television career began in the late 1970s when he appeared in minor roles in Al-Garima (The Crime, 1977), starring Ezzat Al-Alaili, Soheir Al-Morshedi and Salah Qabil and directed by Ibrahim Al-Sahn. He made a remarkable appearance in the first part of the TV series Mohamed Rasol Allah (Mohamed the Messenger of God, 1980), directed by Ahmed Tantawi, starring alongside Mahmoud Al-Meleigi, Amina Rizk and Shoukri Sarhan.

The 1980s and 1990s were the peak of his acting career when he starred in films like Al-Mohakma (The Trial, 1982) by Nader Galal, also starring Mahmoud Yassin and Soheir Ramzi. He often played the role of an intelligence officer as in the comedy film Al-Amil Raqam 13 (Agent No. 13, 1989) directed by Medhat Al-Sebaei, starring alongside Mohamed Sobhi, Eman, Sabrine and Shaaban Hussein. He played the role of intelligence officer Nadim Hashem in the espionage epic TV series Raafat Al-Haggan, inspired by the story of the Egyptian spy Refaat Al-Gammal, directed by Yehia Al-Alami and starring Mahmoud Abdel-Aziz, Youssra and Youssef Shaaban.

Once again in 1994 he starred in the film Al-Tarik Ila Eilat (The Road to Eilat), directed by Inaam Mohamed Ali and starring Ezzat Al-Alaili and Salah Zulfiqar. This film holds a special place in the collective memory of Egyptians as it tells the story of a group of frogmen on a mission to destroy two Israeli warships at the Eilat Port during the Attrition War. And for his role in this film he was nicknamed among his fans as Al-Qobtan (The Captain).

Through the 1990s Al-Halafawi starred in numerous television dramas: Al-Zeiny Barakat (1995), directed by Yehia Al-Alami and based on Gamal Al-Ghitani’s novel, also starring Ahmed Bedeir, Sahar Rami, Abdel-Rahman Abu-Zahra, Hanan Turk and Tahani Rashed; Osama Anwar Okasha and director Gamal Abdel-Hamid’s hit Zizinia (1997), starring Yehia Al-Fakharani, Fardous Abdel-Hamid, Hoda Sultan, Gamil Rateb and Abu-Bakr Ezzat; and, in the same year, Dami wa Demoui wa Ebtesamati (My Blood, My Tears and My Smile), directed by Tayseer Aboud and based on Ihsan Abdel-Quddous’ novel, starring Sherihan, Mohamed Riyad, Laila Fawzi, Ahmed Khalil and Hassan Kami.

He also starred in Mohamed Khan’s film Supermarket (1990) alongside Naglaa Fathi, Adel Adham and Mamdouh Abdel-Alim.

He was known for his love and long time support of Al-Ahli football team. In the 2000s he starred with Al-Fakharani in the TV series Dahsha (Wonder, 2014), with Youssra Al-Louzi, Fathi Abdel-Wahab and Mohamed Wafik under the direction of Shadi Al-Fakharani, the actor’s son. He collaborated with Al-Fakharani and his son one more time in the Ramadan TV series Wannous in 2016, also starring in Li Aala Seir (For the Highest Price, 2017), starring Nelly Karim, Ahmed Fahmi and Zeina, and directed by Mohamed Gamal Al-Adl. In 2018 he appeared with Karim Fahmi and Naglaa Badr in the TV series Amr Wakei (Matter of Fact), directed by Mohamed Osama.

His last two appearances were in the Ramadan TV series Al-Qahira- Kabul (Cairo-Kabul, 2021), directed by Hossam Ali with the screenplay by Abdel-Rehim Kamal and starring Fathi Abdel-Wahab, Tarek Lotfi, Khaled Al-Sawi and Hanan Mutawei; and, the following year, in a film directed by his son Khaled Al-Halafawi, Tasleem Ahali (Handing Them Over), also starring Hisham Maged, Donia Samir Ghanem, Dalal Abdel-Aziz and Bayoumi Fouad.  

Al-Halafawi was married twice, first to actress Fardous Abdel-Hamid, with whom he had Khaled, and later to Nadia Kamal, who is not a celebrity. With Kamal he had another son, Walid, also a filmmaker.