Egyptian artistic community bids farewell to renowned actor Mohamed Metwalli
Ahram Online, Sunday 18 Feb 2018
Condolences for the late actor will be received during the wake scheduled for Wednesday, 21 February, at Hamdiyah Shazliya Mosque


Funeral prayers for late Egyptian actor Mohamed Metwalli were held at Cairo's Al-Sayeda Nafesa Mosque Sunday, followed by burial.

The prayers were attended by a large number of figures of the artistic community, including actors Kamal Abu Raya, Farouq Al-Fishawi, Mahmoud Abdel Ghaffar, and Ashraf Zaki, along with members of the Cinema Syndicate and Metwalli's family and friends.

Condolences for the late actor will be received during the wake scheduled to take place Wednesday, 21 February, at Hamdiyah Shazliya Mosque.

One of Egypt's most renowned film and theatre actors, Mohamed Metwalli passed away in the late hours of Saturday, aged 72, following months of deteriorating health.

Born in 1945 in Shebin El-Koum, Menoufia, Mohamed Metwalli was among Egypt's foremost actors whose acting career spanned over 40 years with more than 200 roles in theatre, film and television series.

Metwalli graduated from the Faculty of Science in Alexandria before moving to Cairo where he enrolled in the Higher Institute of Theatrical Arts. As a young actor, Metwalli appeared on theatre stages, but then moved to cinema and television where he created the most memorable characters, many of which were poignant supporting roles.

His first cinema appearance was in the film Take Care of Zuzu (Khally ballak men ZouZou, 1972), directed by Hassan Al-Imam, written by Salah Jahine and starring Soad Hosni, Taheya Cariocca and Hussein Fahmy.

He then worked in several films such as Sphinx (1981), Nader Galal’s Goodbye My Friend (Salam Ya Sahby, 1986) starring Adel Imam, Adel Awad’s Under Point Zero (Taht El-Sefr, 1990), and Scorpio (Al-Aqrab, 1990).

His other important roles include A Hot Night (Leila Sakhina, 1994), a drama directed by Atef E-Taieb where Metwalli starred alongside Ezzat Abou Aouf and Sanaa Younes.

This was followed by roles in such films as The Wedding (El-Farah, 2009) starring Khaled El-Sawy and Donia Samir Ghanem, Ramy Imam’s Hassan and Morcos (Hassan w Murkos, 2008) with Adel Imam and Omar Sharif, comedy Wahed Sa'idy (2014) starring Mohamed Ramadan, the comedy Abo Shanab (2016), and The Exit (El-Ghorog, 2016) starring Dhafer El-Abidine Sherif Salama and Dorra.

Metwalli was among the rare Egyptian actors who made it into the international scene in the 1980s. He acted in a US drama titled Sphinx (1981), directed by Franklin Schaffner and starring Lesley-Anne Down and Frank Langella.

He also acted in many television series, such as Arabesque: The Days of Hassan El Noa'many (1994).

Metwalli’s leading role in the television series The Family of Haj Metwalli (Aalet Al Hag Metwalli, 2001), aired during the month of Ramadan, brought him large attention from viewers not only due to his talent, but also due to the character he portrayed: Haj Metwalli and his four wives, each living in one apartment of the same building.

Other series featuring Metwalli include Hamam Shaykh Al-Arab (2010) where he acted alongside Yehia El-Fakharany and Sabreen.

Metwalli’s last television series appearances in supporting roles include Raouf Abd El-Aziz’s Taket Nour (A Spotlight), Moataz El-Tony’s Harbana Menha (She Is Nuts) and Magdi Ahmed Ali’s Wadaa Amni (Security Business), all aired during Ramadan 2017.

Metwalli’s name is also mentioned among the cast of the film A Fraud (Nasabaya, 2018), currently in production.

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