Hosni’s death left the Egyptian artists’ community in grief, as many young actors considered him a mentor, a friend, and an uncle
Rabat – Egyptian actor Hassan Hosni died tonight at the age of 89 in Cairo due to a heart attack, declared the National Union of Egyptian Comedians.
“He was admitted to hospital the day before yesterday [Thursday, May 28] and then died of a heart attack yesterday night (Friday to Saturday),” said President of the Union, Achraf Zaki.
Hosni is considered as one of the most iconic actors in the Egyptian cinema and television, with hundreds of roles, including in the drama and comedy genres.
His last appearance on television was during the holy month of Ramadan in the series “Sultana Al Moez,” where he played a character also named Hosni.
Hosni led a career of more than 50 years, including several participations in plays. The Egyptian icon usually appeared in secondary roles in movies, being the father of the family, or the school teacher.
The actor was born on October 15, 1931 in Cairo, and showed an early interest in drama as a student.
According to Al Jazeera, the artist introduced over 500 works. He started in theatre. Hosni was part of a military theatre troupe that performed plays during the month of Ramadan for Egyptian soldiers and their families.
Hosni mainly worked on plays before officially becoming a celebrity thanks to his participation in television series, to which the comedian attributed his success.
“Despite my love for the theater, it was not the reason for my popularity. People did not know that there was an actor named Hassan Hosni until after my participation in the series ‘My dear children, thank you,’” said Hosni, according to the same source.
“At that time I entered the homes of the Egyptians and achieved the fame that I dreamed of, which drew my attention to the importance of television work and its impact on the artist’s achievement of popularity,” he added.
Hosni’s death left the Egyptian artistic community in grief, as many young actors considered him a mentor, a friend, and an uncle.
Egyptian actor Ahmed Elsaka tweeted, “We will miss you uncle,” while comedian Mohamed Henedy, who acted with him in several comedies, also tweeted a message of condolence, saying “you broke my heart uncle Hassan.”
