About the Artist

• Name: Ahmed Rateb
• Born: 23 January 1949 — Cairo, Egypt
• Died: 14 December 2016 — Cairo, Egypt
• Nationality: Egyptian
• Profession: Film, television, and stage actor
• Years active: Late 1960s–2016

Early Life and Education

• He grew up in Cairo, where his talent emerged early through school theatre and later university productions.
• He pursued formal study in acting and continued an active stage career before shifting more intensively to film and television.

Entering the Industry

• He moved from amateur and university theatre to professional work in the early 1970s.
• From the early 1980s onward, he stood out in roles portraying the everyday Egyptian—especially the civil servant—delivered with subtle, sharp satire. He had a rare ability to blend comedy and drama in influential supporting and second-lead parts.

Career Highlights

• He left an extensive body of work across cinema, television, and theatre, exceeding one hundred titles.

• Notable films:

• Wahda bi-Wahda (One by One, 1984)
• Hatta la Yatir al-Dukhan (So the Smoke Doesn’t Disperse, 1984)
• al-Irhab wal-Kabab (Terrorism and Kebab, 1992) — a landmark social satire
• Toyour al-Zalam (Birds of Darkness, 1995) — a political satire classic
• Ali Beih Mazhar wa 40 Harami (Ali Beih Mazhar and the Forty Thieves)

• al-Sefara fil-'Imara (The Embassy in the Building, 2005)

• Standout television work:

• Ra'fat al-Haggan (late 1980s–early 1990s) — a seminal spy series
• al-Mal wal-Banoun (Money and Sons)
• al-Da'iya (The Preacher)

• al-Gama'a (The Group)

• He also headlined several crowd-pleasing stage productions throughout the 1990s and beyond.

• He was renowned for sculpting secondary characters with such precision that they became memorable in their own right, and for a calm, understated comic presence built on quick one-liners and a realist tone. In Egyptian comedy, a short, punchy gag is often called an “ivyeh,” a concise line or look that lands the joke.

Awards and Honors

• He received honors and certificates of appreciation for his overall contribution from Egyptian and Arab festivals and cultural institutions.

Passing

• Ahmed Rateb died on 14 December 2016 in Cairo following a sudden health crisis. The artistic community and audiences mourned him as one of the most distinctive faces of influential supporting roles and refined, understated comedy.

Facts and Anecdotes

• He is regarded as a master of quiet comedy in Egyptian film and television—favoring economical performance and delivering humor through a look or a concise line.
• His career spanned more than four decades, and he remained active in both mainstream hits and serious dramas until his final years, without ever losing his unmistakable signature style.