Zaki Fatin Abdel Wahab descends from a family of stardom but independently takes firm steps toward self-recognition as an actor and film director. Here are four features of his life.
He was born on 18 February 1961 to an artistic family. His father is Fatin Abdel Wahab, a prominent film director in the history of Egyptian cinema, and his mother is Laila Mourad, the legendary singer who was loved by millions in the Arab world for her warm voice.
Against his mother’s will, he joined the Cinema Institute to study film direction. He worked as an assistant director to Ali Badrakhan in the film “Ahl Al-Qimma” in 1981 and to Samir Seif in the film “Streets of Fire” before he decided to direct on his own.
In 1986, he worked as actor and assistant director to Youssef Chahine in the films “The Sixth Day” and “Alexandria Again and Again.” He played the leading role in Yousry Nasrallah’s “Mercedes” in 1993 of a communist who kicks off on a journey in search of his missing brother while his country was suffering from turmoil.
In 1996, 35-year-old Abdel Wahab directed his first film “Romantica,” a biography of his life. It is about a young man striving to write and direct a movie, but meets a group of young people who fall victims of addiction.
Although he did not direct another film, Abdel Wahab introduced in “Romantica” young actors like Mamdouh Abdel Alim, Lucy, Alaa Waley Eddin, Ashraf Abdel Baky and Mostafa Shaaban, who later became stars.
With the change in the cinema industry, Abdel Wahab left film directing to act in television series, such as Ahl Cairo, Citizen X, The Second Wife, Temporary Name, Adam's Apple and The Soothsayer.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
