Abdel Halim Hafez
Abdel Halim Hafez (
Arabic:
عبد الحليم حافظ) (
June 21 1929 –
March 30 1977), was an immensely popular
singer and
actor in
Egypt and the Arab world from the 1950s to the 1970s. He is widely considered to be one of the four 'greats' of Egyptian and Arabic music. Abdel Halim's music is still played on radio daily throughout the Arab world. His name is sometimes written as
'Abd el-Halim Hafez, and he was also sometimes known as
el-Andaleeb el-Asmar (the Brown Nightingale), on account of his sweet voice./He was born
Abdel Halim Ali Ismail Shabana (
Arabic: عبد الحليم علي إسماعيل شبانه) in
el-Hilwat, in
e-Sharqiyah Governorate, 80
kilometres (50
miles) north of
Cairo,
Egypt. Abdel Halim was the fourth child of Sheikh Ali Ismail Shabana. He had two brothers, Ismail and Mohammed, and one sister, Aliah. Abdel Halim's mother died from complications after giving birth to him, and his father died five years later, leaving Abdel Halim and his siblings orphaned at a young age. Abdel Halim was raised by his aunt and uncle in Cairo.
His musical abilities first became apparent while he was in primary school, and his elder brother Ismail Shabana was his first music teacher. At the age of 11 he joined the Arabic Music Institute in
Cairo and became known for singing the songs of
Mohammed Abdel Wahab. He graduated from the Higher Theatrical Music Institute as an oboe player. After singing in clubs in Cairo, Abdel Halim was drafted as a last-minute substitute when singer
Karem Mahmoud was unable to sing a scheduled live radio performance. Abdel Halim's performance was heard by Hafez Abdel el-Wahab, supervisor of musical programming for Egyptian national radio, who decided to support the then unknown singer. Abdel Halim took Hafez Abdel el-Wahab's first name as his stage-surname in recognition of his patronage.
Abdel Halim went on to become one of the most popular singers and actors of his generation, and is considered one of the four greats of Egyptian and Arabic music, along with
Umm Kalthoum,
Mohammed Abdel Wahab and
Farid el-Atrache.
Abdel Halim never married, although rumours persist that he was secretly married to actress
Souad Hosni for six years. Both Abdel Halim and Souad Hosni's friends continue to deny the marriage even to this day. Interestingly, Souad Hosni died on Abdel Halim's birthday (June 21) in
2001.
Despite this, Abdel Halim only truly fell in love once, in his youth. He fell in love with a young woman whose parents refused to allow them to marry. After four years, her parents finally approved, but the girl died of a chronic disease before the wedding. Abdel Halim never recovered from her loss, and dedicated many of his saddest songs to her memory, including
Fi Youm, Fi Shuher, Fi Sana (
In a Day, a Month, a Year) and the poignant
Qariat el-Fingan (
The Fortune-teller).
At the age of 11 Abdel Halim contracted
Bilharzia " a parasitic water-born disease " and was periodically and painfully afflicted by it. During his lifetime, many artists and commentators accused Abdel Halim of using his
Bilharzia to gain sympathy from female fans. His death of the disease put to rest such accusations.
Abdel Halim died on
March 30,
1977, a few months short of his 48th birthday, while undergoing treatment for
Bilharzia in
King's College Hospital,
London. His funeral (in Cairo) was attended by thousands of people " more than any funeral in Egyptian history except those of
President Nasser (
1970) and
Umm Kalthoum (
1975). Four women committed
suicide on hearing of his death.
His music can still be heard every day across the Arab world, and he is still considered one of the four 'greats' of Arabic music.
Abdel Halim Hafez's song
Khosara enjoyed international fame in
1999 when the
American rap superstar
Jay-Z used it as the background for his hit
"Big Pimpin'".
His most famous songs include
Ahwak ("I love you"),
Khosara ("A pity"),
Gana El Hawa ("Love, come to us"),
Sawah ("Wanderer"),
Zay el Hawa ("It feels like love"), and
El Massih ("The Christ"), among the 260 songs that he recorded. His last, and perhaps most famous, song,
Qariat el-Fingan ("The fortune-teller"), featured lyrics by
Nizar Qabbani and music by
Mohammed Al-Mougy. He starred in sixteen films, including
"Dalilah", which was
Egypt's first colored
motion picture.
In 2006 his biography will be released as a feature film, "
Haleem", starring the late actor
Ahmed Zaki in the title role, produced by the Good News Group [see International Movie Database http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0444641/].
Lahn El Wafa (The Song of Truth) as Galal
**Released: March 1, 1955
**Starring: Abdel Halim Hafez,
Shadia**Directed by: Ibrahim Amara
Ayamna El Helwa (Our Beautiful Days) as Ali
**Released: March 1, 1955
**Starring: Abdel Halim Hafez,
Faten Hamama,
Omar Sharif, Ahmad Ramzi
**Directed by: Helmi Halim
Ayam We Layali (Days and Nights)
**Released: September 8, 1955
**Starring: Abdel Halim Hafez
**Directed by: Henry Barakat
Mawed Gharam (Promised Love) as Samir
**Released: January 3, 1956
**Starring: Abdel Halim Hafez,
Faten Hamama**Directed by: Henry Barakat
Dalila (Dalila) as Ahmed
**October 20, 1956
**Starring: Abdel Halim Hafez,
Shadia**Directed by: Mohamad Karim
**Notes: This was the first
Egyptian colored movie in
Cinemascope.
Banat El Yom (The Girls of Today) as Khaled
**Released: November 10, 1957
**Starring: Abdel Halim Hafez, Magda, Amal Farid
**Directed by: Henry Barakat
**Notes: In this movie, Abdel Halim Hafez the song "Ahwak" for the first time.
Fata Ahlami (The Man Of Dreams)
**Released: March 7. 1957
**Starring: Abdel Halim Hafez, Amal Farid
**Directed by: Helmi Rafleh
Alwisada El Khalia (The Empty Pillow) as Salah
**Released: December 20, 1957
**Starring: Abdel Halim Hafez, Lubna Abed El Aziz
**Directed by: Salah Abu Yousef
Share' El Hob (Love Street)
**Released: March 5, 1958
**Starring: Abdel Halim Hafez,
Sabah**Directed By: Ez El Deen Zol Faqar
Hekayit Hob (A Love Story) as Ahmed Sami
**Released: January 12, 1959
**Starring: Abdel Halim Hafez, Mariam Fakher El Deen
**Directed by: Helmi Haleem
El Banat Wel Seif (Girls and Summer)
**Released: September 5, 1960
**Starring: Abdel Halim Hafez,
Suad Husni, Zizi El Badrawi
**Directed by: Salah Abu Yousef, Ez El Deen Zol Faqar, Fateen Abed El Wahhab
**Notes: This movie consisted of 3 stories. Abdel Halim Hafez acted in one
Yom Men Omri (A Day of My Life) as Salah
**Released: February 8, 1961
**Starring: Abdel Halim Hafez, Zubaida Tharwat
**Directed by: Atef Salem
El Khataya (The Sins) as Hussien
**Released: Novemeber 12, 1962
**Starring: Abdel Halim Hafez, Madiha Yousri, Hasan Yousef
**Directed by: Hassan El Imam
**Songs: Wehyat Alby, Maghroor, Last Adry, Olly Haga, El Helwa
Maabodat El Gamahir (The Beloved Diva) as Ibrahim Farid
**Released: January 13, 1963
**Starring: Abdel Halim Hafez,
Shadia**Directed by: Helmi Haleem
**Songs: Haga Ghareeba, Balash Etaab, Last Kalby, Gabbar, Ahebek
Abi Foq El Shagara (My Father Atop a Tree) as Adel
**Released: February 17, 1969
**Starring: Abdel Halim Hafez,
Nadia Lutfi**Directed by: Hussein Kamal
**Songs: Ady El Belag, El Hawa Hawaya, Ahdan El Habayeb, Ya Khali El Alb, Gana El Hawa
**Notes: This was the last film Abdel Halim Hafez acted in.
From the song
Qariat el-Fingan (lyrics by
Nizar Qabbani):
"She sat with fear in her eyes, contemplating the upturned cup. She said: do not be sad, my son, you are destined to fall in love. My son, he who sacrifices himself for his beloved, is a martyr. For long, I have studied fortune-telling and astrology, but never have I read a cup similar to yours. For long, I have studied fortune-telling and astrology, but never have I seen sorrows similar to yours. You are predestined to sail forever, sail-less, on the sea of love..."*
7alim.com - Contains many songs, videos and lyrics for Abdel Halim Hafez.
*
AbdelHalimHafiz.com - Contains many songs, videos and pictures for Abdel Halim Hafez.
