Kamal El-Shennawy — Concise Biography

Brief Profile

• Name: Kamal El-Shennawy (full name: Mohamed Kamal El-Shennawy)
• Profession: A prominent Egyptian actor in cinema and television, popularly dubbed the “Don Juan of the screen” — a nickname used in Egypt for a charming, romantic leading man.
• Not a singer, though he occasionally performed light musical numbers within some of his works.
• Date of Birth: 26 December 1921
• Place of Birth: Al-Mansoura, Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt
• Date of Death: 22 August 2011
• Place of Death: Cairo, Egypt

Early Life and Education

• Graduated from the Faculty of Art Education (later part of Helwan University) and initially worked as a drawing teacher before dedicating himself to acting.
• His artistic inclinations emerged early, and he moved to Cairo, where his connection to cinema began in the late 1940s.

Beginnings and Entry into the Industry

• Broke through in the late 1940s with on-camera roles and quickly rose to leading-man status thanks to his screen presence and his flair for romantic and social characters.

Career Highlights

• A career spanning more than six decades, with over 200 credits in film and television.
• Distinguished by his ability to move smoothly between the romantic lead, the suave villain, the authority figure, and light comedy.
• Over time, he gravitated toward weightier dramatic roles and appeared prominently in television series, especially throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

Selected Works (Highlights)

• Amir al-Intiqam (Prince of Revenge)
• Al-Dunya Helwa (Life Is Sweet)
• Al-Liss wal-Kilab (The Thief and the Dogs, 1962) — adapted from Naguib Mahfouz’s novel.
• Al-Karnak (1975) — a political drama adapted from a work by Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz; “Karnak” references a famed locale and the café setting in the story.
• Ta’ta, Rika wa Kazem Bey — “Bey” is an Ottoman-era honorific used in Egypt to denote social status.
• Al-Irhab wal-Kabab (Terrorism and Kebab) — a satirical comedy about bureaucracy and everyday life.
• El-Wad Mahrous Beta’ el-Wazir — roughly, “Mahrous, the Minister’s Man”; “el-wad” is colloquial for “the lad.”
• Zaza
• Numerous television series throughout the 1980s and 1990s, in which he maintained a strong presence.

Awards and Honors

• Received acting awards and lifetime honors from Egyptian and Arab festivals, earning widespread appreciation from both the industry and the public.

Personal Life

• Married more than once and had children and grandchildren.
• Known for professionalism on set and for maintaining balanced, respectful relationships within the industry.

Passing and Artistic Legacy

• Died on 22 August 2011 after an illness. He left a substantial body of work often cited when discussing the evolution of the Egyptian romantic leading man into a nuanced dramatic actor capable of portraying complex characters.