Soad Hosny (سعاد حسني) was an Egyptian actress and singer born in Cairo on the 26th of January 1943. She was known as the “Cinderella of Egyptian cinema” and one of the most influential actresses in the Middle East. She ascended to stardom in the end of the 1950s, performing in more than 83 films between 1959 and 1991.
The majority of her films were shot in the 1960s and 1970s. Her final screen appearance was in the 1991 film The Shepherd and the Women (الراعي والنساء), directed by her ex-husband Ali Badrakhan.
Souad Muhammad Kamal Hosny Al Baba was born on January 26, 1943 in Cairo, Egypt. She was the tenth sibling of 17 brothers and sisters. She never went to school, but instead was educated at home.
Khamisis discovered her talent and gave her a role in a theatrical production of Hamlet. She drew attention by her performance and was given her first role in a movie called Hassan wa Naima (حسن ونعيمة), where she played the role of Naima.
After the great success of her first movie, she was given roles in many important films, e.g. Too Young to Fall in Love (صغيرة على الحب), Sunrise and Sunset (غروب وشروق), The Second Wife (الزوجة الثانية), Where is my Sanity (أين عقلي), Karnak (الكرنك), My Beloved Amira (أميرة حبي أنا). She was famous for the role of a beautiful lively young woman who is very attractive. She also has a famous TV soap called He and She (هو وهي)
Soad Hosny was married four times. Around 1968, she was married to cinematographer Salah Kurayyem; the marriage lasted for approximately one year. In 1970, Soad Hosny was married to film director Ali Badrakhan; this marriage lasted for approximately eleven years. She was married to Zaki Fateen Abdel-Wahab in 1981; this marriage lasted only five months. Finally, in 1987, she was married to Maher Awwad, and she died while still married to him. There are also unconfirmed accounts that she was married to Abdul Halim Hafiz, the famous singer.
Hosny died in London, England in 2001. On the 21st of June 2001, she was found on the sidewalk below the building in which she was living. Courts in England could not decide whether Hosny had committed suicide or had been killed.
