Brief Biography

• Name: Mahmoud Hassan El-Meligy
• Date of Birth: 22 December 1910
• Place of Birth: al-Maghrablin district, Cairo, Egypt
• Date of Death: 6 June 1983
• Profession: Stage, film, and television actor
• Popular Nickname: “The Screen’s Villain” — despite delivering deeply humane, nuanced roles alongside his villainous portrayals
• Body of Work: Appeared in hundreds of productions; among the most prolific and enduring presences in the history of Egyptian cinema

Note on nickname: “The Screen’s Villain” (Sharir al-shasha) is a widely used cultural label in Egypt for actors renowned for playing antagonists; El-Meligy redefined it by bringing psychological depth and empathy to such roles.

Early Life and Beginnings

• Raised in Cairo, he stood out early for his acting talent through school activities.
• In the late 1920s, he joined professional theater troupes in Cairo, spending years on stage that honed his craft and technique.

Path to Cinema

• Began working in film in the 1930s, progressing from small parts to complex, layered roles.
• Became celebrated for his calm, intelligent, and charismatic villains, distinguished by subtle psychological variations. This made him a defining figure for powerful, domineering characters, while he also anchored major roles in social and historical dramas.

Artistic Traits and Style

• An economical performer: minimal movement, precise expression, and commanding screen presence.
• Mastery of accent, delivery, and emotional shading, enabling him to move convincingly between the harshness of the villain and the warmth of popular and rural characters.
• Left a lasting imprint across theater, cinema, and television, continuing to act into his final years.

Selected Works

• The Land (al-Ard, 1970)
• Jamila the Algerian (Gamila, 1958)
• Oh Islam! (Wa Islamah, 1961)
• Struggle in the Nile (Sira‘ fi al-Nil, 1959)
• A Hero to the End (Batal lin-Nihaya)
• Play: The Lesson Is Over, You Fool (Intaha al-Dars Ya Ghabi)
• Between Heaven and Earth (Bayn al-Sama wa al-Ard)

Notes on titles: - Some works are widely known by their Arabic titles; English renderings above are common translations used to clarify genre and theme for non-Arabic readers.

Awards and Honors

• Received official and festival recognitions in Egypt and abroad for multiple roles, reflecting his stature and pioneering contributions to acting.

Personal Life

• Married, and his marriage lasted until his passing.

Passing and Legacy

• Died on 6 June 1983 of a sudden heart attack while in the midst of work.
• Regarded as a pillar of acting in Egypt and the Arab world: a master of complex character work, and a touchstone for generations on how to craft a psychologically complete, profoundly human villain.