Biography

• Name: Youssef Wahbi
• Popular epithet: Dean of Arab Theatre
• Date of birth: 17 July 1898
• Place of birth: al-Fayyum, Egypt
• Date of death: 17 October 1982
• Place of death: Cairo, Egypt
• Profession: actor, director, writer, and stage-and-film producer

Early Life and Education

• Born into an affluent family in al-Fayyum; his father, 'Abdullah Pasha Wahbi, was a leading notable in the province and an irrigation inspector.
• Schooled in al-Fayyum and later in Cairo. He showed an early passion for acting, performing with amateur groups before turning professional.
• In the early 1920s, he traveled to Italy, where he trained in theatre and cinema before returning to Egypt.

Entering the Arts

• After his return to Cairo, he founded the Ramses Troupe in 1923, which became the most influential platform for modern theatre in Egypt for decades.
• He moved swiftly into sound cinema, establishing the Ramses Film Company and working as an actor, director, and producer.

Key Milestones and Achievements

• Pioneer of modern Egyptian theatre, including:
• Introducing professional directing practices, modern set design, and innovative lighting.
• Staging world classics and socially engaged plays with realist depth.
• Early champion of Egypt’s sound cinema, through films he produced, acted in, and sometimes directed.
• Known for a stentorian voice, commanding presence, and portrayals of authoritative, high-status characters on stage and screen.
• Author of the celebrated memoir “I Lived a Thousand Years” (Arabic: ‘Ishtu Alf 'Aam).

Major Works

• Theatre:

• Through the Ramses Troupe, he presented dozens of social dramas, tragedies, and adaptations, making his name synonymous with serious theatre in Egypt.

• Cinema (selected highlights):

• Awlad al-Zawat (1932) — acting and production. (“Children of the Elite.”)
• al-Difa' (1935) — acting and production. (“The Defense.”)
• Gharam wa Intiqam (1944) — acting and directing. (“Romance and Revenge.”)
• Isha'at Hubb (1960) — acting. (“Rumor of Love.”)
• Ghazal al-Banat — acting. (“The Flirtation of Girls.”)
• Safir Jahannam — acting. (“Ambassador of Hell.”)

Awards and Honors

• Granted the title “Bey” by King Farouk in the 1940s in recognition of his artistic stature.
• Bey: a royal-Ottoman honorific used in Egypt’s monarchical era (below Pasha in rank).
• Received multiple official tributes in Egypt during his lifetime and after his passing.

Personal Life

• From a well-to-do al-Fayyum family, he devoted most of his life to the theatre—its management and craft—and remained closely identified with the Ramses Troupe, which he founded and directed.

Facts and Anecdotes

• The founding of the Ramses Troupe (1923) marked a turning point in Egyptian theatre, establishing professional standards in performance and direction.
• Among the earliest to embrace sound film in Egypt through the Ramses Film Company.
• His life and theatrical leadership are taught in Arabic sources as foundational to Egyptian arts in the first half of the 20th century.

Notes on terms: - Troupe: a professional theatre company. - Pasha: a high-ranking Ottoman-era honorific once used in Egypt; higher than the title Bey.