Rabat – Moroccan cinema lost a star yesterday night, May 14, as actor and artist Hammadi Ammor passed away at 90 after a protracted illness. Born in Fez in 1930, Ammor had a talent for the dramatic arts which he expressed first in 1948 in the amateur theater scene of Morocco.
His passion became a career three years later when in Casablanca he created the “Al Manar” acting group in 1951. A shining star, he grew famous as the years passed, expressing his talents across various forms of Moroccan media and arts.
Fans will remember Hammadi Ammor for his memorable performances on the stage, as well as his prominent role in Moroccan cinema and radio. Ammor shared his passion for the arts with many during his more than a decade-long hosting of “Alam Al Founoun” (The world of the arts).
His written work has been an inspiration to several other prominent Moroccan stars of the stage and screen, including Mohammed El Idrissi and the singer Maati Belkacem, famous for classics such as “Ya Bent Lamdina” and “Mkhasamni.”
Several of Ammor’s cinematic performances have become classics in Moroccan movie history, including his memorable role in 1999s “Keid Ensa” and “Al Mohima,” released in 2002.
Ammor was celebrated for his contributions to Morocco’s dramatic arts and media. In 2005, during an event in his honor, his colleagues described Hammadi Ammor as “one of the most emblematic figures of our audiovisual landscape” and thanked him for his long career.
At the time, Ammor had joked that he had briefly left the art world to work in business for a time because it was difficult to make a living in the arts. “But, very soon I returned to my passion because it is this which really enriches me,” he told the crowd.
At the time, journalist, actor, and writer Abdelrahim Bargache described Hammadi Ammor as “this modest man who, despite his success, has kept his simplicity.” Actor Abdelkader Moutaa in 2005 said Ammor “taught me everything, to see with my ears and not with my eyes,” adding that it was “a pleasure to perform with him, I felt safe. Even when he does not say a word, he works, transmits energy.”
Ammor’s legacy will continue in the inspiring influence he had on young Moroccan drama students, of whom he said “you represent the future, you must be strong, it’s when you go out that everything will start.”
