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Yehia El-Fakharany

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Yehia el-Fakharany
يحيى الفخراني
Born
Yehia el-Fakharany

(1945-04-07) 7 April 1945 (age 79)
Mansoura, Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt
NationalityEgyptian
Alma materAin Shams University in Cairo
Occupation(s)Television, film, and stage actor
Years active1972–
Spouse
Awards
Carthage Film Festival Award (1984)
Mustafa Amin and Ali Amin Award (1993)
Faten Hamama Appreciation Award (2016)
Abu Dhabi Festival Award (2020)

Yehia el-Fakharany (Arabic: يحيى الفخراني); born 7 April 1945, in Mansoura, Dakahlia governorate, Egypt, is an Egyptian television and film actor.[1]

Early years

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El-Fakharany earned a bachelor's degree in medicine and surgery from Ain Shams University in Cairo in 1971.[2] He was a prominent member of the university's theatre troupe, and he won the best actor award at the level of Egyptian universities. After his graduation, El-Fakharany practiced medicine for a short period as a GP in the Medical Services Fund within the Egyptian television,[3] and he intended to specialize in psychiatric and neurological disorders, but his passion for acting pushed him to leave the medical profession and chose to fulfill his desire to be an actor. He thus began his artistic career on stage where he starred in the play "Everyone with His Own Truth" (LiKullin Haqiqatuhu, لكلٍ حقيقته). After that he moved to television where he was cast in "Carefree Days" series (Ayyam Al-Marah, أيّام المرح) in 1972,[4] and in 1979 he became famous with the series "My Dear Children, Thank You" (Abnai'y l-Aʿza', shukran, ًأبنائي الأعزاء شكرا) while the first film he starred in was "Ah, Ya Layl, Ya Zaman" in 1977 (آه يا ليل يا زمن)[5] beside Warda Al-Jazairia and Rushdy Abaza. Since then he has appeared in over 50 TV shows, 39 movies and 9 plays.

Personal life

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Yehia el-Fakharany is married to Lamis Gaber, a Coptic physician and writer, author of the screenplay of "King Farouq" series (2007). They have two children: Shady and Tarek,[6] two grandsons (Yehia and Adam El fakharany) and a granddaughters, Lamis, Salma.[7]

Shadi el-Fakharany, the elder son of the Egyptian artist, graduated from the Film Institute in the late 1990s, and worked as an assistant director in some cinematic productions, and he is now in film directing. He collaborated with his father in several projects, among them the 2012 Ramadan series "The Foreigner Abd el-Qader" (Al-Khawaga Abd al-Qader, الخواجة عبد القادر). El-Fakharany's younger son Tariq works in business management, and he previously acted alongside his father in the movie "Ali Baba's Trial" (Muhakamat Ali Baba, محاكمة علي بابا) in 1983.[7]

Public life

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In October 2020 Yehia el-Fakharany was sworn in as a member in the Egyptian Senate. El-Fakharany was appointed by the Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, after he and the artist Samira Abdel Aziz were chosen as representatives of Egyptian art within the Senate.[8]

In December 2015 Lamis Gaber was appointed by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi a member of the lower house of the Parliament from among the 28 representatives whom the President of the Republic is entitled to appoint.[9]

Major roles

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Main TV drama series

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One of the most important roles in Yehia el-Fakharany's career was in the Egyptian drama "El-Helmiyya Nights" (Layali el-Helmiyya, ليالي الحلمية), whose events embodied modern Egyptian history from the era of King Farouk until the early 1990s. The series was written by screenwriter Osama Anwar Okasha, and created together with his lifetime friend, director Ismail Abdel Hafez.[10] It was presented along 8 years in 5 parts, from 1987 to 1995. El-Fakharany plays Salim el-Badri Pasha, an aristocratic young man who returns to Egypt from his foreign mission during Sadat's "infitah," or open-door economic policy and inherits a property of his father, Ismail el-Badri. His role was played by the artist in the first four parts of the series, while he appeared as a guest of honour in the fifth part. Regarding the character of Salim el-Badri, El-Fakharany said: "The screenwriter offered me to play the character of the Mayor, but it was not clearly defined to me, so I did not accept it. Then he offered me the character of the Pasha, and I chose it immediately as it is a flesh and blood character that eats, drinks, loves and hates, so I loved it and made it real as much as the public loved it and was filled with its presence".[11] A large number of Egyptian artists participated in the series (more than 300 actors).

Many expected that Yehya el-Fakharany would remain a prisoner of the character Salim el-Badri Pasha for many years, but he surprised everyone with a different type of Ramadan roles and characters that he embodied throughout the past years and he achieved great success with them, some of which surpassed the fame of Salim el-Badri. One of these was the character of "Abd al-Mutaal Mahjoub" in the series "No" (Lā, لا), through which he became a "persecuted employee" and El-Fakharany excelled as usual to the point that the great screenwriter Mustafa Amin called him and said: “Had I not known Abd al-Mutaal, the hero of my novel personally, I would have imagined that he is you.” With this great testimony from Mustafa Amin, El-Fakharany became more dedicated and involved in his artistic path and he only agreed to play good parts. As for the role of Abd al-Mutaal, the actor said: "I find my first experience with Mustafa Amin a real pleasure, especially since my role in the series was completely new and never performed before [...]. The most beautiful thing about the whole work is the freedom the television provided in broadcasting this work without any objection".[11]

Another major role was in "The Foreigner Abd el-Qader" (Al-Khawaga Abd al-Qader, الخواجة عبدالقادر), an Egyptian series produced in 2012 and premiered in Ramadan. It was written by the screenwriter Abdel Rahim Kamal who was inspired by the stories heard from his father during childhood,[12] and directed by Shady el-Fakharany.[13] The events of the series alternate between two periods of time, the first during World War II, which tells the story of Herbert Dobberfield, an alcoholic English man with suicidal tendencies who's awaiting death, until he travels to Sudan to work in a stone quarry and his view upon life changes dramatically. He gets acquainted with the mystic sheikh Abd el-Qader of whom he had had visions back in England, and slowly comes out of the state of depression while embracing Sufism. He then moves to Upper Egypt where he falls in love with a spiritual woman (played by the Syrian actress Sulafa Memar) and struggles to marry her despite her brother's refusal; the second period deals with the modern times in which the story of Herbert Dobberfield or "Al-Khawaga" Abd al-Qader is narrated after he has passed away by people who were his contemporaries and were deeply fond of him. Even though it tackles the religious life that is so highly valued in Egypt especially during the month of Ramadan, the series through its directing techniques and plot had a very particular approach compared to other Ramadan series given the mystical atmosphere throughout the main character's journey. This effect is reinforced by the soundtrack signed by the renowned Egyptian composer Omar Khairat while using the lyrics of the Persian mystic, poet and teacher of Sufism Al-Hallaj from his collection of poems "Diwan al-Hallaj".[14]

About the reasons for him shining in the month of Ramadan on the small screen, El-Fakharany said: "There is no doubt that I am lucky for my television work, as all my roles are substantial and untried and they add to my experience. I'm also lucky because my work takes the blessing of the holy month and succeeds".[11]

Screenwriter Abdel Rahim Kamal has announced his return to cooperation with actor Yehya el-Fakharany and director Shady el-Fakharany in the upcoming Ramadan season (2021) with the TV series "Naguib Zahi Zarkash" (نجيب زاهي زركش), a comedy that talks about the relationship between a father and his children. The series "Naguib Zahi Zarkash" represents the fifth cooperation between Kamal and El-Fakharany, and the fourth between him and Yahya and Shadi el-Fakharany after "Eagerness", 2015 (Lahfa, لهفة), "The Foreigner Abd el-Qader" and "Devil", 2016 (Wanous, ونوس), while the series "Hammam, the Arab's Shaykh", 2010 (Shayẖ El-ʿArab Hammam, شيخ العرب همام) was directed by Hosni Saleh.[15]

El-Fakharany dubbed cartoon films produced by the Walt Disney Company, and in the film "The Yacoubian Building" (2006) he had the role of the narrator. The film is based on Alaa al-Aswany's famous novel and is one of the most expensive productions ever made in Egypt.

Theatre

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As for theatre, Yehya el-Fakharany's major role is that of "King Lear" in an adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy by director Ahmed Abdel Halim who turned it into a successful and popular theatrical work in Egypt. It was presented on the stage of the National Theatre in Cairo, using the music of the Egyptian composer Rageh Daoud and the poems of Ahmed Fouad Negm. As the director explained, he resorted to using Ahmed Fouad Negm's poetry because it is familiar to people, and because it is like an "analgesic" in terms of dramatic effects so it does not seem to interfere with the play. "This is an element of the theatrical performance, and one may have noticed the audience's response to it. There is no doubt that Yehya el-Fakharany's starring and his presence are a matter of attracting the masses. One of the characteristics of Yehya el-Fakharany is that he is an adventurous artist and that he invades the unknown – he invades it with his creative abilities in a field which is new for him: classical Arabic language and Shakespeare."[16] The play was attended by a very ordinary audience, and the actors feared that people would not appreciate the show, nor they would understand it, but the crew was surprised by the audience's reaction as soon as the show started. “King Lear" was first presented to the public in 2001 and was a great success while still being performed today.

El-Fakharany's most recent role on stage was in the vaudeville "A night of A Thousand Nights", 2015 (Layla min 'Alf Layla, ليلة من ألف ليلة), also performed at the National Theatre in Cairo (Al-Jumhuriyya Theatre), recently restored. On the evening of 27 September 2008, the stage and the auditorium had been subjected to a tremendous fire that severely damaged the theatre building, so the Ministry of Culture decided to conduct an integrated restoration and development project which lasted 6 years, with a cost that amounted to about 104 million Egyptian pounds.[17] "A night of a Thousand Nights" was thus among the first shows performed on the freshly restored stage and witnessed unprecedented popularity and financial success. The performance is based on the poetry of Egyptian poet Bayram al-Tunisi accompanied by the music of Egyptian composer Ahmed Sedki, and is directed by Mohsen Helmy.[18] The story revolves around Al-Shahhat (The Beggar) played by El-Fakharany, who is begging with his daughter by singing in the streets of a town where the Caliph took power at a young age after the death of his father. The caliph falls in love with the daughter of Al-Shahhat and disguises as the son of the gardener. The girl falls in love with him without knowing his identity. On the other hand, the wazir's wife, a playful woman, gets acquainted with Al-Shahhat without knowing his financial and social status, as she is deceived by his tidy clothes that her husband the wazir had given to him before.[19]

In an interview taken by the famous Egyptian TV host Mona el-Shazly in 2015 while sitting on the very stage of the National Theatre, El-Fakharany made some relevant remarks about the vaudeville "A night of A Thousand Nights" and about his career in general, mentioning that he acts for the ordinary people because it's them who make up the public. His deep respect for his work and the public has him arrive at the rehearsals with sharp punctuality which is not easy to meet by his colleagues, as timing is not always a strong feature of the Eastern artists. El-Fakharany compared theatre to marriage, saying that he has to like the people he works with, otherwise the outcome may be compromised. Related to picking up roles that turn into successful performances, he quoted an inspiring byword in English: "There's always a risk for every great decision, but the risk of doing nothing is always much greater".[20]

El-Fakharany rarely agrees to be interviewed as he prefers the public to associate him with his roles and he does not wish to interfere in their perception of him while appearing on social media.[12]

Filmography

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Television

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Year International Title Arabic Title Role
1973 The Man & the Smoke Al-Ragul Wa-l-Dukhan, الرجل والدخان Nofal
1979 Birds Without Wings Tuyur Bela Agniha, طيور بلا أجنحة Khalil
1979 My Dear Children, Thank you Abnai'y l-Aʿza', shukran, أبنائي الأعزاء..شكراً Ra'fat
1981 Fasting of Seyam Seyam Seyam, صيام صيام Seyam Afandy
1984 Life Again Al-Hayat Maratun Ukhra, الحياة مرة أخرى Ra'fat
1986 Passerby A'ber Sabeel, عابر سبيل D. Gameel Abou-Thoraya
1987 El-Ḥelmiyya Nights Layali el-Ḥelmiyya, ليالي الحلمية Selim el-Badry
1994 No La, لا Abdel-Met'al Mahgoub
1995 One Thousand and One Nights Alf Laila Wa Laila, ألف ليلة وليلة Shahryar/ Ali Baba/ Qasem
1996 Out of the Impasse Al-Khoroj men Al-Ma'zaiq, الخروج من المأزق Youssef El-Labban
1996 The Other Half of Rabie' Nesf Rabie' Al-Akhar, نصف ربيع الآخَر Rabie'
1997 Zezainya Zezainya, زيزينيا Beshr Amer Abdel-Zaher
1999 When the Fox Passed Lamma Al-Ta'lab Fat, لما التعلب فات Baher Al-Assal
2000 Opera Aida Opera Aida, أوبرا عايدة Sayed Opera
2001 Justice has Many Faces Lel-Adala Wuguh Kathera, للعدالة وجوه كثيرة Gaber Ma'moun Nassar
2002 Gohha the Egyptian Gohha El-Masry, جحا المصري Gohha
2003 The Night & the Last of it Al-Layl Wa Akhruh, الليل وآخره Rahaim Al-Menshawy
2004 Pure Abbas in a Black Day Abbas El-Abyad Fi-l-Yaum Al-Aswad, عباس الأبيض في اليوم الأسود Abbas El-Demairy
2005 The Berth & the Sailor Al-Marsa Wa-l-Bahhar, المرسى والبحار Fares Al-Araby
2006 El-Hilaly's Path Sekket El-Hilaly, سكة الهلالي Mostafa El-Hilaly
2007 Brought Up in His Strength Yetraba Fi Ezzo, يتربى في عزو Hamada Ezzo
2008 Sharaf Fath El-Bab Sharaf Fath El-Bab, شرف فتح الباب Sharaf Fath El-Bab Barakat
2009 The Son of El-Arandali (The Natty) Ibn El-Arandali, ابن الأرندلي Abdel-Badie' El-Arandali
2010 Hammam, the Arab's Shaykh Shaykh El-Arab Hammam, شيخ العرب همام Hammam
2012 The Foreigner Abd el-Qader Al-Khawaga Abd al-Qader, الخواجة عبد القادر Herbert Dopperfield (Abd el-Qader)
2014 Dahsha Dahsha, دهشة Basel Hamad El-Basha
2016 Wanoos Wanoos, ونوس Wanoos
2018 Family Size Bel Hagm El-A'ely, بالحجم العائلي Nader
2021 Naguieb Zahi Zarkash Naguieb Zahi Zarkash, نجيب زاهي زركش Naguieb Zahi Zarkash

Films

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Yehia el-Fakharany releases a press statement; while being honored at the 65th Catholic Cultural Center Film Festival
Year International Title Arabic Title Role
1983 Love in Jail Hub Fi-l-Zenzana, حب في الزنزانة Farouk
1984 Left and never came back Kharag wa lam ya'ud, خرج ولم يعد Attia
1984 The Trial of Ali Baba Muhakamat Ali Baba, محاكمة علي بابا Salah Sulaiman
1985 Drugs El-Keif, الكيف Salah
1985 Executing the Dead I'dam Mayet, إعدام ميت Abu-Gouda
1990 Humiliation Al-Zul, الذل Aziz Khazbak
1990 The Volcano Al-Borkan, البركان Hareedy
1992 Crime in the Depths Garemma fe Al-A'maq, جريمة في الأعماق Mohsin
1993 Land of Dreams Ard al-Ahlam, أرض الأحلام Ra'ouf
1995 Toy Story Hikayat Lubat, حكاية لعبة Woody (Egyptian Arabic dubbing)
1998 Mabrouk & Bolbol Mabrouk wa Bolbol, مبروك وبلبل Mabrouk
1999 Toy Story 2 Hikayat Lubat 2, 2 حكاية لعبة Woody (Egyptian Arabic dubbing)
2006 The Yacoubian Building ʿImarat Yakoubian, عمارة يعقوبيان Narrator

Awards and distinctions

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El-Fakharany won about 50 awards during his artistic career, among them the Carthage Film Festival Award for the film "He went out and never came back" (Kharag wa lam yaʿud, "خرج ولم يعد") in 1984, the Catholic Cultural Center Award for the film "Return of a Citizen" (ʿAudat muatin, "عودة مواطن") in 1984 and the State Encouragement Prize in Arts from the Supreme Council of Culture in 1993. He also won the Cairo Arab Media Festival Award, the Award for Excellence in Acting from the 4th National Fiction Film Festival for "The Land of Dreams" (Ard el-Ahlamm, "أرض الأحلام"), and the Mustafa Amin and Ali Amin Award for the series "El-Ḥilmiyya Nights" (Layaly el-Hilmiyya, "ليالي الحلمية") in 1993.[7]

El-Fakharany received the Faten Hamama Appreciation Award at the closing ceremony of the 38th Cairo International Film Festival in 2016.[21]

The actor was awarded at the Abu Dhabi Festival in 2020 during a grand ceremony at the Cairo Opera House. Hoda al-Khamis Kanoo, founder of the Abu Dhabi Group for Culture and Arts and artistic director of the Festival, said at the award ceremony, "Today we honour with all gratitude Yehya el-Fakharany, the physician who chose the most difficult and tough profession, the profession of arts. He chose it with the belief that arts, culture, science and enlightenment are the basic pillars of humanity's renaissance, and most of all the pulse of our existence. Yehya el-Fakharany takes us with an exceptional talent to another world, a world in which all differences fade, a world whose people share their different thoughts and feelings, laughing and crying together, and at the same time he takes us to the magic of drama whose wonderful stories we live in cinema, television and theatre."[22]

El-Fakharani was awarded the distinction of Doctor Honoris Causa twice, the first one from the University of Wales in Cairo in 2013, together with Egyptian actor Nour El-Sherif, Nabila Ebeid, and the renowned composer Omar Khairat,[23] and the second one from Cape Breton University in Cairo in 2017, together with the Emirati artist Hussain Al Jassmi.[24]

References

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  1. ^ "Yehia El-Fakharany – Biography – IMDb". imdb.com. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  2. ^ "يحيى الفخراني". El cinema (in Arabic).
  3. ^ "يحيى الفخراني". Al Jazeera (in Arabic). 30 July 2015.
  4. ^ طاقم العمل: مسلسل – ايام المرح https://elcinema.com/work/2025674/cast
  5. ^ "يحيى الفخرانى مسيرة فنية مميزة تكللت بالتعيين فى مجلس الشيوخ". alarabiya.net (in Arabic). 13 October 2020.
  6. ^ "‫#هنا_العاصمة | الحلقة الكاملة 30 سبتمبر 2014 | لقاء خاص مع الفنان " يحيى الفخراني "‬‎ – YouTube". youtube.com. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  7. ^ a b c "في عيد ميلاده الـ 71.. تعرف على عائلة يحيى الفخراني". alarabiya.net (in Arabic). 7 April 2016.
  8. ^ "السيسي يصدر قائمة المعينين في مجلس الشيوخ". Al-Masry Al-Youm (in Arabic). 13 September 2020.
  9. ^ "لميس جابر بين الطب والأدب والسياسة ومجلس النواب.. بروفايل". Akhbar el-Yom (in Arabic). 1 January 2016.
  10. ^ "يحيي الفخراني:(سليم البدري) أهم شخصياتي في الشهر الكريم". rotana.net (in Arabic).
  11. ^ a b c "بعد 21 عاما.. من يملأ فراغ نجوم "ليالي الحلمية" الغائبين؟". Al Jazeera (in Arabic).
  12. ^ a b "Strainul Abd al-Qader. Din tainele cinematografiei egiptene". Revistacultura.ro (in Romanian). 25 October 2012.
  13. ^ "الخواجة عبدالقادر". El Cinema (in Arabic).
  14. ^ "والله ما طلعت شمس ولا غربت". Aldiwan.net (in Arabic).
  15. ^ "يحيى الفخراني يعود إلى دراما رمضان". Alarab.co.uk (in Arabic).
  16. ^ "أحمد عبدالحليم مخرج الملك لير: مسرح شكسبير يتناول قضايا إنسانية تصلح لكل زمان ومكان". Al Bayan (in Arabic). 14 March 2002. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  17. ^ "المسرح القومى.. تاريخ طويل من الفن بناه الخديوى إسماعيل.. وصممه الإيطالى فيروتشى واحتضن الفرقة القومية لخليل مطران.. احترق فى 2008 واستغرق 6 سنوات لترميمه بتكلفة بلغت 104 ملايين جنيه". Youm7 (in Arabic). 20 December 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  18. ^ "Layla Min Alf Layla returns to Egypt's National Theatre during Eid". Al-Ahram. 20 June 2017. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  19. ^ "ليلة من ألف ليلة". Elcinema (in Arabic). Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  20. ^ "سهرة خاصة مع الفنان الكبير يحيي الفخراني من داخل المسرح القومي". YouTube (in Arabic). Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  21. ^ "فيديو يحيى الفخراني يكشف متأثراً تفاصيل آخر مكالمة مع محمود عبد العزيز". Layalina. 25 November 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  22. ^ "جائزة مهرجان أبوظبي 2020 للممثل المصري يحيى الفخراني". Reuters. January 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.[dead link]
  23. ^ "بالصور.. منح "الفخراني والشريف وصابرين ونبيلة عبيد" الدكتوراه من جامعة "ويلز"". Al-Masry Al-Youm. 19 January 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  24. ^ "الدكتوراه الفخرية ليحيى الفخراني وحسين الجسمي من "كيب بريتون"". El Watan newspaper. 16 October 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
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