Omar El-Hariri (, his full birth name Omar Mohamed Saleh Abdel Hadi El-Hariri; 12 February 1926 – 16 October 2011) was an Egyptian actor whose career in cinema, television and theatre spanned more than seven decades. He is considered to be one of the most prolific supporting and character actors of Egyptian cinema's "golden age" and the decades that followed. He is remembered for his versatility across comic, dramatic and historical roles, for playing King Philip II of France in Youssef Chahine's epic Saladin the Victorious (1963), for helping found Libya's National Theatre in Benghazi in the early 1970s, and for the affectionate nickname "Abu El-Banat" ("Father of the Daughters"), which he was said to have embraced with pride.
Early life Omar El-Hariri was born on 12 February 1926 in the Abdeen district of Cairo. Some later sources have given his birth year as 1922, although 1926 is the date reported by most biographical sources. He appeared briefly as a child actor in the 1937 film Salama Fi Khair, starring Naguib el-Rihani.
El-Hariri studied at the Higher Institute of Arabic Acting and graduated in 1947. He was in the same graduating class as Shoukry Sarhan. He later worked with several actors from his generation, including Kamal El-Shennawi, Salah Zulfikar and Ahmed Mazhar.
Career
Stage beginnings After graduating, El-Hariri joined the Ramses theatrical troupe, which was headed by actor and theatre director Youssef Wahbi. He made his stage debut in 1948 in El-Ghira ("Jealousy"), playing Ehsan. He later worked with the Egyptian National Theatre and appeared in television theatre productions.
Film career El-Hariri made his adult film debut in 1950 in El Avocato Mediha ("Lawyer Mediha"), alongside Madiha Yousri and Youssef Wahbi. He went on to appear in films throughout the following decades, often in supporting roles. Among his credits were The Empty Pillow (1957), with Abdel Halim Hafez and Lobna Abdel Aziz; Lady of the Palace (1958), with Faten Hamama and Omar Sharif; Sokkar Hanem (1960), with Kamal El-Shennawi and Samia Gamal; River of Love (1960), with Omar Sharif and Faten Hamama; and The Traitress (1965), with Nadia Lutfi.
In 1963, El-Hariri appeared in Youssef Chahine's historical film Saladin the Victorious, playing King Philip II Augustus of France opposite Ahmed Mazhar, who played Saladin. He continued appearing in films during the 1970s and 1980s, including Said Marzouk's The Guilty (1976), The Judge and the Executioner (1978), Desire and Price (1978), People of the Summit (1981) and The Spider's Threads (1985). He also supplied the Arabic dubbed voice of Benito Mussolini for the Arabic-language version of Moustapha Akkad's Lion of the Desert (1981). His later film appearances included Ma'ali al Wazir (2002), in which he appeared with Ahmed Zaki.
Television El-Hariri was among the established Egyptian film actors who began working in television as the medium developed in Egypt. His television credits included the sitcom Saken Osady, in which he played Kamal El-Hamrawy in several related productions from 1990 onward. He also appeared in Dreams of the Flying Boy (1978), alongside Adel Imam, as well as My Aunt Safeya and the Monastery, several productions in the One Thousand and One Nights series, the historical drama The Hilali Epic (1997), and Omar ibn Abdel Aziz (1994), in which he portrayed the Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan.
In 2010, El-Hariri appeared opposite Yehia El-Fakharany in Sheikh El-Arab Hammam ("The Last Kings of Upper Egypt"), playing Sheikh Youssef, an elder of the Hawara tribe. His final television appearance was in the 2011 Ramadan series Samara, which was broadcast several months before his death.
Work in Libya In 1968, El-Hariri left Cairo to help establish Libya's National Theatre in Benghazi. He remained in Libya until 1974, working as an instructor in acting and directing and contributing to the establishment of the country's Popular Theatre. He later spoke positively about his time in Libya and reportedly declined a proposal to name the Popular Theatre after him.
Later stage work El-Hariri appeared in several successful stage productions during the following decades. His credits included The Witness Who Saw Nothing (1976), in which he played Lieutenant Colonel Ahmed Abdel Salam, Al-Wad Sayed Al-Shaghal (1985), and Manawar Ya Basha (1993). The first two productions starred Adel Imam.
In 2010, El-Hariri returned to the story of Sokkar Hanem, having played the young suitor Farid in the 1960 film. In the stage adaptation, he played Qadri, the father of Nabil, alongside Lobna Abdel Aziz, Talaat Zakaria and Ahmed Rizk. His final stage appearance was in the children's play Hadiqat El-Azkiyaa ("The Garden of the Clever") in 2011, in which he played Amm Hakim.
Personal life El-Hariri was married three times and had three daughters, Nevine, who died before him, Merit, and Beri. He had no sons. He was sometimes known by the nickname "Abu El-Banat" ("Father of the Daughters"). His mother was a sister of actresses Zouzou Shakib and Mimi Chakib, who were both active in Egyptian cinema.
Illness and death In 2007, El-Hariri was diagnosed with bone cancer.
In October 2011, while performing in the children's play Hadiqat El-Azkiyaa, El-Hariri collapsed and was taken to Al-Gala Military Hospital in Cairo. He remained there for about a week and died on 16 October 2011, aged 85.
Awards and recognition El-Hariri received several honors during his career. These included the Shield of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, the Shield of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, an award from Sudanese television, certificates of appreciation from Egypt's Ministry of Immigration and Egyptians Abroad and from an Egyptian cultural festival in the United States, and the Zaki Tolaimat Shield from the Academy of Arts. He was also honored by the Cairo International Festival for Experimental Theatre in 2004 and by the Free Theatre Festival. In 2003, he was among the actors honored at the 9th Egyptian National Film Festival.
A biography of El-Hariri's life and career, Omar El-Hariri... A Rainbow, was written by film critic Zeinab Aziz.
Selected filmography YearTitleRoleNotes1937Salama Fi KhairChild roleFilm debut, as a child1950El Avocato Mediha—Adult film debut1957The Empty PillowFouadWith Abdel Halim Hafez1958Lady of the PalaceDr. MustafaWith Faten Hamama, Omar Sharif1959Love Even to WorshipEngineer Ahmed FahmyWith Salah Zulfikar, Tahia Karioka1960Sokkar HanemFarid Abu WardaWith Kamal El-Shennawi, Samia Gamal1960River of LoveMamdouhWith Omar Sharif, Faten Hamama1963Saladin the VictoriousKing Philip II AugustusWith Ahmed Mazhar1965The TraitressShaker El-DamanhouryWith Nadia Lutfi1976The GuiltyInvestigator Hussein SedikDirected by Said Marzouk1978The Judge and the ExecutionerKamal1978Desire and Price—With Salah Zulfikar1979Qatel Ma Qatalsh HadRushdy, deputy prosecutor1981People of the SummitZaghloul RaafatWith Nour El-Sherif1981Lion of the DesertMussolini (Arabic dub)Directed by Moustapha Akkad1985The Spider's ThreadsAbdel Azim El-Damanhoury2002His Excellency the MinisterPrime Minister Hussein El-AhmadiWith Ahmed Zaki Selected television and stage credits include the television productions Saken Qsady, Dreams of the Flying Boy (1978), Omar ibn Abdel Aziz (1994), The Hilali Epic (1997), Sheikh El-Arab Hammam (2010) and Samara (2011), as well as the stage productions El-Ghira (1948), The Witness Who Saw Nothing (1976), Al-Wad Sayed Al-Shaghal (1985), Manawar Ya Basha (1993) and Sokkar Hanem (2010).
References