Faten Hamama

ORE Faten Hamama
فاتن حمامه
Faten Hamama in 1963
Born	Faten Ahmed Hamama (1931-05-27)27 May 1931 Mansoura, Kingdom of Egypt
Died	17 January 2015(2015-01-17) (aged 83) Cairo, Egypt
Nationality	Egyptian
Other names	"The First Lady of Egyptian and Arabic Cinema"
Occupations	Actress film producer screenwriter
Years active	1940–2001
Notable work	Full list
Spouses	Ezz El-Dine Zulficar ​ ​ (m. 1947; div. 1954)​ Omar Sharif ​ ​ (m. 1955; div. 1974)​ Mohamed Abdel Wahab Mahmoud ​ ​ (m. 1975)​
Children	2
Relatives	Omar Sharif Jr. (grandson)
Honours	Order of the Republic - Grand Cordon Order of Sciences and Arts

Faten Ahmed Hamama (Egyptian Arabic: فاتن حمامه  pronounced [ˈfæːten ħæˈmæːmæ] ^ⓘ; 27 May 1931 – 17 January 2015) was an Egyptian film and television actress and film producer.^[1] She was the first wife of Ezz El-Dine Zulficar. She made her screen debut in 1939, when she was only seven years old. Her earliest roles were minor, but her activity and gradual success helped to establish her as a distinguished Egyptian actress. Later revered as an icon in Egyptian cinema. In 1996, nine of the films she starred in were included in the Top hundred films in the history of Egyptian cinema by the cinema critics of Cairo International Film Festival.^[2]

After a seven-year hiatus from acting, Hamama returned in 2000 in what was a much anticipated television series, Wageh El Amar (وجه القمر, Face of the Moon). Hamama substantially helped in improving the cinema industry in Egypt and emphasizing the importance of women in cinema and Egyptian society. In 2000, she was selected as Star of the Century by the Egyptian Writers and Critics organization.^[3]