Global film star Jean-Claude Van Damme mourned veteran Egyptian actress Ragaa al-Geddawy on Monday through his Instagram page, following her death from the coronavirus on Sunday.
Posting a photo of him and Geddawy together, Van Damme wrote: “I’m in shock! It’s very sad to read that legendary Egyptian actress Ragaa Al-Giddawy has passed away after a brave battle against coronavirus. I met her few months ago, she was so full of life, cheerful and majestic – I cannot believe she’s gone…but, she will always live in my memory with her lovely spirit and beautiful laughs. May Allah bless her soul.”
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Geddawy, 81, had contracted the coronavirus on May 24 and remained hospitalized ever since at the Abu-Khalifa isolation hospital in Ismailia.
Her last role had been in this Ramadan drama season’s “Lebet al-Nesian” (The Oblivion Game) series.
Born in Ismailia in 1934, Geddawy moved to Cairo with her older brother and enrolled in Cairo’s Franciscan schools where she learned French and Italian at an early age.
She then worked in the translation department of an advertising company, and later won the Miss Egypt Award in 1958. After working as a fashion model, Geddawy eventually moved on to a long, illustrious career in cinema.
Geddawy boasted a great artistic career spanning nearly half a century in distinguished works of cinema and television.
