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{{Short description|Egyptian singer-songwriter, actor, filmmaker (1918–1966)}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{more citations needed|date=December 2017}}
{{more citations needed|date=December 2017}}
<!-- Occupation(s) as given in the lead (see MOS:ROLEBIO) -->

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{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox musical artist
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Mohamed Fawzi
| name = Mohamed Fawzi
| image = Mohamed Fawzi.gif
| native_name = {{Lang|arz|محمد فوزى}}
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| native_name_lang = arz
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| caption =
| honorific_suffix = [[Order of Sciences and Arts (Egypt)|OSA]]
| alias =
| birth_name = Mohamed Fawzi Abbas Elhaw
| image = Mohamed Fawzi.gif
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1918|08|15}}
| caption =
| birth_place = [[Tanta]], Egypt
| alias =
| birth_name = Mehammad Fawzi Abbas Elhaww
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1966|10|20|1918|08|15}}
| death_place = [[Cairo]], Egypt
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1918|08|15}}
| occupation = Composer and singer
| birth_place = [[Tanta]], [[Sultanate of Egypt]]
| genre = [[Egyptian music]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1966|10|20|1918|08|15}}
| death_place = [[Cairo]], [[United Arab Republic|UAR]]
| instrument =
| occupation = {{Hlist | Singer-songwriter | actor | filmmaker}}<!-- Occupation(s) as given in the lead (see MOS:ROLEBIO) -->
⚫
| years_active = <!-- YYYY–YYYY (or –present) -->
| label =
| genre = [[Egyptian music]]
| website = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
| instrument =
⚫
| years_active = <!-- YYYY–YYYY (or –present) -->
| native_name = محمد فوزى
⚫
| label =
⚫
| native_name_lang = arz
| website = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
}}
}}


'''Mohamed Fawzi''' ([[Egyptian Arabic]]: ''محمد فوزى'', born '''Mohamed Fawzi Abbas Elhaw''', August 15, 1918<ref>{{cite news |last1=El-Dahabi |first1=Hiyam |title=محمد فوزي مات بمرض غامض أصاب خمسة أشخاص فقط في العالم |url=http://www.alriyadh.com/Contents/14-11-2002/Mainpage/Thkafa_2727.php |access-date=14 June 2021 |work=[[Al Riyadh (newspaper)|Al Riyadh]] |issue=12564 |date=November 14, 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304200333/http://www.alriyadh.com/Contents/14-11-2002/Mainpage/Thkafa_2727.php |archive-date=March 4, 2016}}</ref> – October 20, 1966) was an Egyptian singer-songwriter, actor, and filmmaker. He was a leading entertainer and impresario in the thriving [[musical film]] scene of Egypt in the 1940s and 1950s. He founded the El-Sharq El-Awsat record plant on April 30, 1959, and turned it into [[Sono Cairo]] /Sout El Qahira ([[Cairo|The voice of Cairo]]) Records on January 6, 1964. Fawzi composed the music for "[[Kassaman]]", the Algerian national anthem, with lyrics by “poet of the [[Algerian War|Algerian Revolution]]” [[Moufdi Zakaria]].
'''Mohamed Fawzi''' ({{Langx|arz|محمد فوزى}}, born '''Mohamed Fawzi Abbas Elhaw''', August 15, 1918<ref name=ElDahabi>{{cite news |last1=El-Dahabi |first1=Hiyam |title=محمد فوزي مات بمرض غامض أصاب خمسة أشخاص فقط في العالم |url=http://www.alriyadh.com/Contents/14-11-2002/Mainpage/Thkafa_2727.php |access-date=June 14, 2021 |work=[[Al Riyadh (newspaper)|Al Riyadh]] |issue=12564 |date=November 14, 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304200333/http://www.alriyadh.com/Contents/14-11-2002/Mainpage/Thkafa_2727.php |archive-date=March 4, 2016}}</ref> – October 20, 1966) was an Egyptian singer-songwriter, actor, and filmmaker. He was a leading entertainer and impresario in the thriving [[musical film]] scene of Egypt in the 1940s and 1950s. He founded the El-Sharq El-Awsat record plant on April 30, 1959, and turned it into [[Sono Cairo]] /Sout El Qahira ([[Cairo|The voice of Cairo]]) Records on January 6, 1964. Fawzi composed the music for "[[Kassaman]]", the Algerian national anthem, with lyrics by "poet of the [[Algerian War|Algerian Revolution]]" [[Moufdi Zakaria]].


==Early life and studies==
==Early life and studies==
He was born in the village of Kafr Abou Gendi, a neighborhood of Qutour in the [[Gharbia Governorate]]. He was the twenty-first child out of twenty-five sons and daughters, the latter including singers [[Huda Sultan]] and Hend Allam.<ref name="jf-202">{{cite news |title=محمد فوزي.. صانع البهجة في السينما الغنائية |url=https://doc.aljazeera.net/news/%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF-%D9%81%D9%88%D8%B2%D9%8A-%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%87%D8%AC%D8%A9-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%8A%D9%86%D9%85%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%BA%D9%86%D8%A7/ |access-date=14 June 2021 |work=[[Al Jazeera]] |date=February 25, 2021}}</ref> He was an Oud player at a very young age.<ref>{{citation|url=http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/5/32/280108/Arts--Culture/Film/Remembering-Mohamed-Fawzi-Egyptian-singer,-actor-a.aspx&ved=0ahUKEwie7K69oYPZAhXD16QKHVldD-UQqQIIHigBMAE&usg=AOvVaw1Nh-_q39seVGF50kOyMArH|title=Remembering Mohamed Fawzi; Egyptian Singer, actor and joy maker}}</ref> His sister was the renowned actress and singer [[Huda Sultan]].<ref name="aljazeera">{{citation|year=2006|title=Leading Egyptian actress dies |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/archive/2006/06/200841015213400942.html|publisher=[[Al Jazeera]]|accessdate=September 21, 2017}}</ref> Fawzi attended elementary school in [[Tanta]], Egypt, where he was a quick study on music with his father’s friend, firefighter Mahmoud El Kharbaty, serving as initial tutor. El Kharbaty brought Fawzi along to sing at birthdays, nights, and weddings, where he was influenced by the songs of Mohamed Abdel Wahab and [[Umm Kulthum]].
He was born in the village of Kafr Abou Gendi, a neighborhood of Qutour in the [[Gharbia Governorate]]. He was the twenty-first child out of twenty-five sons and daughters, the latter including singers [[Huda Sultan]] and Hend Allam.<ref name="jf-202">{{cite news |title=محمد فوزي.. صانع البهجة في السينما الغنائية |url=https://doc.aljazeera.net/news/%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF-%D9%81%D9%88%D8%B2%D9%8A-%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%87%D8%AC%D8%A9-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%8A%D9%86%D9%85%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%BA%D9%86%D8%A7/ |access-date=June 14, 2021 |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |date=February 25, 2021}}</ref> He was an Oud player at a very young age.<ref>{{citation |url=http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/5/32/280108/Arts--Culture/Film/Remembering-Mohamed-Fawzi-Egyptian-singer,-actor-a.aspx&ved=0ahUKEwie7K69oYPZAhXD16QKHVldD-UQqQIIHigBMAE&usg=AOvVaw1Nh-_q39seVGF50kOyMArH |title=Remembering Mohamed Fawzi; Egyptian Singer, actor and joy maker}}</ref> His sister was the renowned actress and singer [[Huda Sultan]].<ref name="aljazeera">{{citation |year=2006 |title=Leading Egyptian actress dies |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/archive/2006/06/200841015213400942.html |publisher=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |accessdate=September 21, 2017}}</ref> Fawzi attended elementary school in [[Tanta]], Egypt, where he was a quick study on music with his father's friend, firefighter Mahmoud El Kharbaty, serving as initial tutor. El Kharbaty brought Fawzi along to sing at birthdays, nights, and weddings, where he was influenced by the songs of Mohamed Abdel Wahab and [[Umm Kulthum]].


After graduating from [[wikt:prep school|preparatory school]], he joined the [[King of Egypt|King]] [[Fuad I]] Institute of Music in [[Cairo]], but he gave up his studies two years later to work in the nightclub of sisters Ratiba and Ensaf Rushdie. Hired away by Badia Masabni’s disco, he met luminaries there such as Farid El Atrash, Mohamed Abd El Mottleb, and Mahmoud El Sherief, with whom he collaborated on composing and singing for sketches and revues. He took the radio exam in 1938 at the age of 20, failing a year after El Atrash had succeeded. Mahmoud El Sherief's success going the composing route first led Fawzi to choose that approach.
After graduating from [[wikt:prep school|preparatory school]], he joined the [[King of Egypt|King]] [[Fuad I]] Institute of Music in [[Cairo]], but he gave up his studies two years later to work in the nightclub of sisters Ratiba and Ensaf Rushdie. Hired away by Badia Masabni's disco, he met luminaries there such as Farid El Atrash, Mohamed Abd El Mottleb, and Mahmoud El Sherief, with whom he collaborated on composing and singing for sketches and revues. He took the radio exam in 1938 at the age of 20, failing a year after El Atrash had succeeded. Mahmoud El Sherief's success going the composing route first led Fawzi to choose that approach.


==Career==
==Career==
Arriving in [[Cairo]] in 1938, he at first made ends meet working in theatre companies and nightclubs, including those of Badia Masabni and Fatima Rushdi, and then the "Egyptian National Theatre" where his path to fame started to kick.
Arriving in [[Cairo]] in 1938, he at first made ends meet working in theatre companies and nightclubs, including those of Badia Masabni and Fatima Rushdi, and then the "Egyptian National Theatre" where his path to fame started to kick.


Fascinated by [[music of Egypt|music]], he was an aficionado in particular of pioneering singer-songwriter [[Sayed Darwish]]. An initial foray as understudy for Ibrahim Hamouda, in a production by the Egyptian Troupe for Acting and Music Darwish’s [[operetta]] Shahrazad ([[Scheherezade]]) with direction by Zaki Talimatt and an orchestra led by Mohammed Hassan El shougai, was a failure. However, Rushdi gave him a second chance to work in her group as actor, composer, and singer. In 1944, [[Youssef Wahbi]] cast Fawzi in a small part in the film Seif El gallad, in which he sang two songs of Darwish on the condition of dropping the Habs Abdel-Al Haw from his name. The role brought Fawzi to the attention of director [[Mohammed Karim]], who cast him as the lead in the 1946 film "Ashab El Saada (Happiness Owners)" alongside Suleiman Naguib and singer Ragaa Abdou. This time Fawzi was the one given a condition, namely [[plastic surgery]] for his slightly flat [[philtrum]]. The success of the film gave Fawzi the funds to start his eponymous production company in 1947.
Fascinated by [[music of Egypt|music]], he was an aficionado in particular of pioneering singer-songwriter [[Sayed Darwish]]. An initial foray as understudy for Ibrahim Hamouda, in a production by the Egyptian Troupe for Acting and Music Darwish's [[operetta]] Shahrazad ([[Scheherezade]]) with direction by Zaki Talimatt and an orchestra led by Mohammed Hassan El shougai, was a failure. However, Rushdi gave him a second chance to work in her group as actor, composer, and singer. In 1944, [[Youssef Wahbi]] cast Fawzi in a small part in the film ''Seif El gallad'', in which he sang two songs of Darwish on the condition of dropping the Habs Abdel-Al Haw from his name. The role brought Fawzi to the attention of director [[Mohammed Karim]], who cast him as the lead in the 1946 film ''Ashab El Saada (Happiness Owners)'' alongside Suleiman Naguib and singer Ragaa Abdou. This time Fawzi was the one given a condition, namely [[plastic surgery]] for his slightly flat [[philtrum]]. The success of the film gave Fawzi the funds to start his eponymous production company in 1947.


[[Egyptian Radio]], which had turned Fawzi down as a staff singer, broadcast his film songs nevertheless. After the [[Egyptian revolution of 1952]], he was put into heavy rotation with songs such as the patriotic “بلدي أحببتك يا بلدي” (“My Country, I Love You, My Country”) and the religious “يا تواب يا غفور” (“At Tawwaab (Oh Contrite), Oh Forgiving”) and “إلهي ما أعدلك” (“My God, What Do You Do?”). His children’s songs from the movie Moegezet Al Samaa, including “ماما زمانها جاية” (“Mama, Her Time Is Here”) and “ذهب الليل” ("Zahab El Lailou", “The Night Is Gone”), were also popular then. He participated in the government’s 1953 charitable donation drives throughout [[Lower Egypt]] and [[Upper Egypt]] known as the “Mercy Trains,” along with other celebrities (e.g., [[Madiha Yousri]], [[Emad Hamdy]], [[Shadia]], [[Farid Shawqi]], and [[Huda Sultan]]), to say nothing of impromptu concerts in hospitals and social care centers.
[[Egyptian Radio]], which had turned Fawzi down as a staff singer, broadcast his film songs nevertheless. After the [[Egyptian revolution of 1952]], he was put into heavy rotation with songs such as the patriotic "بلدي أحببتك يا بلدي" ("My Country, I Love You, My Country") and the religious "يا تواب يا غفور" (Oh Contrite, Oh Forgiving) and "إلهي ما أعدلك" ("My God, How Just You Are!"). His children's songs from the movie Moegezet Al Samaa, including "ماما زمانها جاية" ("Mom Is About to Arrive") and "ذهب الليل" ("Zahab El Lailou", "The Night Is Gone"), were also popular then. He participated in the government's 1953 charitable donation drives throughout [[Lower Egypt]] and [[Upper Egypt]] known as the "Mercy Trains", along with other celebrities (e.g., [[Madiha Yousri]], [[Emad Hamdy]], [[Shadia]], [[Farid Shawqi]], and [[Huda Sultan]]), to say nothing of impromptu concerts in hospitals and social care centers.


Fawzi wrote many songs for himself to sing in his films. He also composed for other singers of his time, including Mohamed Abd El Mottaleb, [[Leila Mourad]], Nazik, Huda Sultan, and Nagah Salam.
Fawzi wrote many songs for himself to sing in his films. He also composed for other singers of his time, including Mohamed Abd El Mottaleb, [[Leila Mourad]], Nazik, Huda Sultan, and Nagah Salam.


===National anthem===
===National anthem===
In 1956, two Algerian officials went to Egypt and met him at the headquarters of the [[Voice of the Arabs]] radio station, a Pan-Arabist radio station founded under the rule of Egypt's former president Gamal Abd El Nasser, to commission the Algerian anthem. When the head of the music office department, Mohamed Aboul Fotouh, remarked that a “light music” composer was unsuited to writing a national anthem, Fawzi rose to the challenge and wrote the one still in use.<ref name="jf-202" />
In 1956, two Algerian officials went to Egypt and met him at the headquarters of the [[Voice of the Arabs]] radio station, a Pan-Arabist radio station founded under the rule of Egypt's former president Gamal Abd El Nasser, to commission the Algerian anthem. When the head of the music office department, Mohamed Aboul Fotouh, remarked that a "light music" composer was unsuited to writing a national anthem, Fawzi rose to the challenge and wrote the one still in use.<ref name="jf-202" />


===Business interests===
===Business interests===
In 1958, Fawzi founded his own label, Sono Cairo. Their price of 35 [[piaster]]s an album beat the foreign majors’ 90-piaster fare. Hence, he was able to command sessions with greats of the era, including [[Umm Kulthum]] and [[Mohamed Abdel Wahab]]. The successful business was nationalized by the government in 1961, and though he was given a salary of [[Egyptian pound|£E]]100 to run it, he hardly got the chance and was marginalized within it. He fell into a depression and died of [[leukemia]] on October 20, 1966. Ahmed El-Samahi writes:
In 1958, Fawzi founded his own label, Sono Cairo. Their price of 35 [[piaster]]s an album beat the foreign majors' 90-piaster fare. Hence, he was able to command sessions with greats of the era, including [[Umm Kulthum]] and [[Mohamed Abdel Wahab]]. The successful business was nationalized by the government in 1961, and though he was given a salary of [[Egyptian pound|£E]]100 to run it, he hardly got the chance and was marginalized within it. He fell into a depression and died of [[leukemia]] on October 20, 1966. Ahmed El-Samahi writes:


<blockquote>The nationalization destroyed him. After he put his all into the company, his role in it began to shrink, until the promise of a monthly salary of one hundred pounds and a head office of his own yielded to the reality that his office was in a tea and coffee buffet.<ref name="jf-202" /></blockquote>
<blockquote>The nationalization destroyed him. After he put his all into the company, his role in it began to shrink, until the promise of a monthly salary of one hundred pounds and a head office of his own yielded to the reality that his office was in a tea and coffee buffet.<ref name="jf-202" /></blockquote>


== Filmography ==
== Filmography ==
At 36 films (in addition to a cameo in [[Layali Al-Qahira]] in 1939), he is likely the most prolific male singing star of the age. He sang other composers’ material in some of his films, including [[Qabelni Ya Abi]], [[Nargis (film)|Nargis]], [[Thawrat El-Madinah]], and [[Leila, Bint El-Shatie]], while Mohamed Abdel Wahab and [[Farid al-Atrash]] wrote all their own music.
At 36 films (in addition to a cameo in ''[[Layali Al-Qahira]]'' in 1939), {{According to whom|he is likely the most prolific male singing star of the age|date=December 2022}}. He sang other composers' material in some of his films, including in ''[[Qabelni Ya Abi]]'', ''[[Nargis (1948 film)|Nargis]]'', ''[[Thawrat El-Madinah]]'', and ''[[Leila, Bint El-Shatie]]'', while Mohamed Abdel Wahab and [[Farid al-Atrash]] wrote all their own music.


===Actor===
===Actor===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ List of acting performances by Mohamed Fawzi in film
|+ Filmography
|-
|-
! Title !! Release date !! Director
! scope="col" | Title !! scope="col" | Release date !! scope="col" | Director
|-
|-
| [[Saif Al-Jallad]] || October 9, 1944 || [[Youssef Wahbi]]
| ''[[Saif Al-Jallad]]'' || October 9, 1944 || [[Youssef Wahbi]]
|-
|-
| [[A Kiss in Lebanon]] || January 3, 1945 || [[Ahmed Badrakhan]]
| ''[[A Kiss in Lebanon]]'' || January 3, 1945 || [[Ahmed Badrakhan]]
|-
|-
| [[Ashab El Saada]] || April 1, 1946 || [[Mohammed Karim]]
| ''[[Ashab El Saada]]'' || April 1, 1946 || [[Mohammed Karim]]
|-
|-
| [[Magd Wa Domou]] || March 4, 1946 || [[Ahmed Badrakhan]]
| ''[[Magd Wa Domou]]'' || March 4, 1946 || [[Ahmed Badrakhan]]
|-
|-
| [[Woman’s Enemy]] || December 16, 1946 || Abdel Fattah Hassan
| ''[[Woman's Enemy]]'' || December 16, 1946 || Abdel Fattah Hassan
|-
|-
| [[Qabelni Ya Abi]] || September 8, 1947 || [[Ahmed Badrakhan]]
| ''[[Qabelni Ya Abi]]'' || September 8, 1947 || [[Ahmed Badrakhan]]
|-
|-
| [[The Mermaid (1947 film)|The Mermaid]] || September 27, 1947 || [[Abbas Kamel (director)|Abbas Kamel]]
| ''[[The Mermaid (1947 film)|The Mermaid]]'' || September 27, 1947 || [[Abbas Kamel (director)|Abbas Kamel]]
|-
|-
| [[The Mind Is On Vacation]] || May 12, 1947 || [[Helmy Rafla]]
| ''[[The Mind Is On Vacation]]'' || May 12, 1947 || [[Helmy Rafla]]
|-
|-
| [[The Landlord (1948 film)|The Landlord]] || March 18, 1948 || Abdel Fattah Hassan
| ''[[The Landlord (1948 film)|The Landlord]]'' || March 18, 1948 || Abdel Fattah Hassan
|-
|-
| [[Hub Wa Junun]] || March 27, 1948 || [[Helmy Rafla]]
| ''[[Hub Wa Junun]]'' || March 27, 1948 || [[Helmy Rafla]]
|-
|-
| [[Nargis (film)|Nargis]] || May 15, 1948 || Abdel Fattah Hassan
| ''[[Nargis (1948 film)|Nargis]]'' || May 15, 1948 || Abdel Fattah Hassan
|-
|-
| [[The Spirit and the Body]] || October 4, 1948 || [[Helmy Rafla]]
| ''[[The Spirit and the Body]]'' || October 4, 1948 || [[Helmy Rafla]]
|-
|-
| [[The Lucky One (1948 film)|The Lucky One]] || November 1, 1948 || Abdel Fattah Hassan
| ''[[The Lucky One (1948 film)|The Lucky One]]'' || November 1, 1948 || Abdel Fattah Hassan
|-
|-
| [[The Woman Is a Devil]] || February 28, 1949 || Abdel Fattah Hassan
| ''[[The Woman Is a Devil]]'' || February 28, 1949 || Abdel Fattah Hassan
|-
|-
| [[Al-Majnuna]] || January 31, 1949 || [[Helmy Rafla]]
| ''[[Al-Majnuna]]'' || January 31, 1949 || [[Helmy Rafla]]
|-
|-
| [[Fatma wa Marika wa Rachel]] || July 25, 1949 || [[Helmy Rafla]]
| ''[[Fatma wa Marika wa Rachel]]'' || July 25, 1949 || [[Helmy Rafla]]
|-
|-
| [[Owner of Piasters]] || September 26, 1949 || [[Ezzel Dine Zulficar]]
| ''[[Owner of Piasters]]'' || September 26, 1949 || [[Ezzel Dine Zulficar]]
|-
|-
| [[The Girl from Paris (1950 film)|The Girl from Paris]] || April 3, 1950 || [[Helmy Rafla]]
| ''[[The Girl from Paris (1950 film)|The Girl from Paris]]'' || April 3, 1950 || [[Helmy Rafla]]
|-
|-
| [[Oh, Men (1950 film)|Oh, Men]] || June 2, 1950 || [[Helmy Rafla]]
| ''[[Oh, Men (1950 film)|Oh, Men]]'' || June 2, 1950 || [[Helmy Rafla]]
|-
|-
| [[Gharam Raqisa]] || September 18, 1950 || [[Helmy Rafla]]
| ''[[Gharam Raqisa]]'' || September 18, 1950 || [[Helmy Rafla]]
|-
|-
| [[Miss Mama]] || October 7, 1950 || [[Helmy Rafla]]
| ''[[Miss Mama]]'' || October 7, 1950 || [[Helmy Rafla]]
|-
|-
| [[Al-Hob Fi Khatar]] || July 2, 1951 || [[Helmy Rafla]]
| ''[[Al-Hob Fi Khatar]]'' || July 2, 1951 || [[Helmy Rafla]]
|-
|-
| [[Nehayet Qessa]] || September 3, 1951 || [[Helmy Rafla]]
| ''[[Nehayet Qessa]]'' || September 3, 1951 || [[Helmy Rafla]]
|-
|-
| [[Ward El-Gharam]] || December 10, 1951 || [[Henry Barakat]]
| ''[[Ward El-Gharam]]'' || December 10, 1951 || [[Henry Barakat]]
|-
|-
| [[Men Ayna Laka Haza (film)|Men Ayna Laka Haza]] || June 9, 1952 || [[Niazi Mostafa]]
| ''[[Men Ayna Laka Haza (film)|Men Ayna Laka Haza]]'' || June 9, 1952 || [[Niazi Mostafa]]
|-
|-
| [[Ya Halawet El-Hob]] || October 29, 1952 || [[Hussein Fawzi (director)|Hussein Fawzi]]
| ''[[Ya Halawet El-Hob]]'' || October 29, 1952 || [[Hussein Fawzi (director)|Hussein Fawzi]]
|-
|-
| [[Fa’el Kheir]] || March 21, 1953 || [[Helmy Rafla]]
| ''[[Fa'el Kheir]]'' || March 21, 1953 || [[Helmy Rafla]]
|-
|-
| [[Abn Lil’Iijar]] || September 13, 1953 || [[Helmy Rafla]]
| ''[[Abn Lil'Iijar]]'' || September 13, 1953 || [[Helmy Rafla]]
|-
|-
| [[Banat Hawa]] || March 1, 1954 || [[Niazi Mostafa]]
| ''[[Banat Hawa]]'' || March 1, 1954 || [[Niazi Mostafa]]
|-
|-
| [[Always with You]] || August 2, 1954 || [[Henry Barakat]]
| ''[[Always with You]]'' || August 2, 1954 || [[Henry Barakat]]
|-
|-
| [[Thawrat El-Madinah]] || October 30, 1955 || [[Helmy Rafla]]
| ''[[Thawrat El-Madinah]]'' || October 30, 1955 || [[Helmy Rafla]]
|-
|-
| [[Maejazat Al-Sama]] || March 19, 1956 || [[Atef Salem]]
| ''[[Maejazat Al-Sama]]'' || March 19, 1956 || [[Atef Salem]]
|-
|-
| [[Leila, Bint El-Shatie]] || January 12, 1959 || [[Hussein Fawzi (director)|Hussein Fawzi]]
| ''[[Leila, Bint El-Shatie]]'' || January 12, 1959 || [[Hussein Fawzi (director)|Hussein Fawzi]]
|-
|-
| [[Every Beat of My Heart (film)|Every Beat of My Heart]] || February 9, 1959 || [[Ahmed Diaa Eddine]]
| ''[[Every Beat of My Heart (film)|Every Beat of My Heart]]'' || February 9, 1959 || [[Ahmed Diaa Eddine]]
|}
|}


===Producer===
===Producer===
Fawzi produced a number of films between 1947 and 1959, all of which starred him except for [[Fatawat el Husseinia]] and [[The Absent Lady]].
Fawzi produced a number of films between 1947 and 1959, all of which starred him except for ''[[Fatawat el Husseinia]]'' and ''[[The Absent Lady]]''.
Year Film(s)
Year Film(s)
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ List of films that Mohamed Fawzi produced
|+ Filmography
|-
|-
! scope="col" | Year
! Year !! Title(s)
! scope="col" | Title
|-
|-
| 1947 || [[The Mind Is On Vacation]]
| 1947 || ''[[The Mind Is On Vacation]]''
|-
|-
| 1948 || [[Hub Wa Junun]]; [[The Spirit and the Body]]
| rowspan="2" | 1948 || ''[[Hub Wa Junun]]''
|-
|-
| ''[[The Spirit and the Body]]''
| 1949 || [[Al-Majnuna]]; [[Fatma wa Marika wa Rachel]]; [[Owner of Piasters]]
|-
|-
| 1950 || [[Gharam Raqisa]]; [[Miss Mama]]
| rowspan="3" | 1949 || ''[[Al-Majnuna]]''
|-
|-
| ''[[Fatma wa Marika wa Rachel]]''
| 1951 || [[Nehayet Qessa]]; [[Ward El-Gharam]]
|-
|-
| ''[[Owner of Piasters]]''
| 1952 || [[Men Ayna Laka Haza (film)|Men Ayna Laka Haza]]
|-
|-
| 1953 || [[Fa’el Kheir]]
| rowspan="2" | 1950 || ''[[Gharam Raqisa]]''
|-
|-
| ''[[Miss Mama]]''
| 1954 || [[Fatawat el Husseinia]]; [[Always with You]]; [[Banat Hawa]]
|-
|-
| 1955 || [[The Absent Lady]]
| rowspan="2" | 1951 || ''[[Nehayet Qessa]]''
|-
|-
| 1956 || [[Maejazat Al-Sama]]
| ''[[Ward El-Gharam]]''
|-
|-
| 1959 || [[Every Beat of My Heart (film)|Every Beat of My Heart]]
| 1952 || ''[[Men Ayna Laka Haza (film)|Men Ayna Laka Haza]]''
|-
| 1953 || ''[[Fa'el Kheir]]''
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1954 || ''[[Fatawat el Husseinia]]''
|-
| ''[[Always with You]]''
|-
| ''[[Banat Hawa]]''
|-
| 1955 || ''[[The Absent Lady]]''
|-
| 1956 || ''[[Maejazat Al-Sama]]''
|-
| 1959 || ''[[Every Beat of My Heart (film)|Every Beat of My Heart]]''
|}
|}
{{Authority control}}


==Family==
==Family==
{{unreferenced section|date=December 2022}}
Fawzi is the brother of actress and singer [[Huda Sultan]] and singer [[Hend Allam]].
Fawzi is the brother of actress and singer [[Huda Sultan]] and singer [[Hend Allam]].


Line 161: Line 180:


==Death and legacy==
==Death and legacy==
{{unreferenced section|date=December 2022}}
He had established the first [[record label]] in the [[Middle East]], including an in-house recording studio. The nationalization of the label was perhaps the greatest shock of his life, and his health deteriorated from there on as international doctors struggled to diagnose him. He traveled to [[London]] in early 1965, returned to Egypt, and traveled to [[Germany]] two months later, but the German hospital noted the difficulty treating something only five people in the world had so far that brought him down to {{convert|36|kg|lb}}. Nowadays known as idiopathic [[retroperitoneal fibrosis]], the German doctor labeled it Fawzi’s disease. It claimed his life on October 20, 1966.
He had established the first [[record label]] in the [[Middle East]], including an in-house recording studio. The nationalization of the label was perhaps the greatest shock of his life, and his health deteriorated from there on as international doctors struggled to diagnose him. He traveled to [[London]] in early 1965, returned to Egypt, and traveled to [[Germany]] two months later, but the German hospital noted the difficulty treating something only five people in the world had so far that brought him down to {{convert|36|kg|lb}}. Nowadays known as idiopathic [[retroperitoneal fibrosis]], the German doctor labeled it Fawzi's disease. It claimed his life on October 20, 1966.


He wrote around 400 songs, about 300 of which were featured in films. Among the highlights are “Habibi Wa Aynaneh,” “Shahat El Gharam,” “Tamali Fi Qalbi,” “Wahshuna Al Habayeb,” “I Love the One Who Loves You,” and “Mal Elkamar”. His children’s songs have endured, including “[[Mama Zamanha Gaya]]” and “Zahab Al-Layl.” Thematic and seasonal novelties include the patriotic song “Balady Habibty,” the Ramadan favorite “Bring the Lanterns, Boys,” and “It’s You, Mother,” a popular [[Mother’s Day]] dedication. [[Ya Mustafa]] became a pan-European hit when it was covered by [[France|French]]-[[Egypt]]ian singer [[Bob Azzam]].
He wrote around 400 songs, about 300 of which were featured in films. Among the highlights are "Habibi Wa Aynaneh", "Shahat El Gharam", "Tamali Fi Qalbi", "Wahshuna Al Habayeb", "I Love the One Who Loves You", and "Mal Elkamar". His children's songs have endured, including "[[Mama Zamanha Gaya]]" and "Zahab Al-Layl." Thematic and seasonal novelties include the patriotic song "Balady Habibty", the Ramadan favorite "Bring the Lanterns, Boys", and "It's You, Mother", a popular [[Mother's Day]] dedication. [[Ya Mustafa]] became a pan-European hit when it was covered by French-Egyptian singer [[Bob Azzam]].

⚫
== References ==
⚫
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
*{{webarchive |url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20051206003147/http://www.algeria-un.org/images/anthem/arabic.jpg |title=Lyrics in Arabic |date=December 6, 2005}}
* {{webarchive |url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20051206003147/http://www.algeria-un.org/images/anthem/arabic.jpg |title=Lyrics in Arabic |date=December 6, 2005}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100613055432/http://algeria-un.org/audio/algeria.mp3 MP3 version of Kassaman]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100613055432/http://algeria-un.org/audio/algeria.mp3 MP3 version of Kassaman]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110711065209/http://www.el-mouradia.dz/francais/symbole/hymne/symbolefr.htm The musical score, the text in arabic and french, on the Presidency's Website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110711065209/http://www.el-mouradia.dz/francais/symbole/hymne/symbolefr.htm The musical score, the text in arabic and french, on the Presidency's Website]
*{{YouTube|mHGkAwl7UQY|Watch the Algerian Anthem, with Arabic lyrics and war pictures archives}}
* {{YouTube|mHGkAwl7UQY|Watch the Algerian Anthem, with Arabic lyrics and war pictures archives}}
* [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0269532/ IMDb page]
* {{IMDb name|nm0269532}}
* [https://elcinema.com/en/person/1023332/ El Cinema page]
* [https://elcinema.com/en/person/1023332/ El Cinema page]
* [https://musicbrainz.org/artist/7d6ecfab-1a9a-4d6f-a55d-d7ecf1a55b61 MusicBrainz page]
* [https://musicbrainz.org/artist/7d6ecfab-1a9a-4d6f-a55d-d7ecf1a55b61 MusicBrainz page]
Line 176: Line 199:
* [https://www.sama3y.net/publications/ellahn/fawzi.pdf Sama3y page]
* [https://www.sama3y.net/publications/ellahn/fawzi.pdf Sama3y page]
* [http://data.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb162566563 National Library of France page]
* [http://data.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb162566563 National Library of France page]

⚫
== References ==
⚫
{{Reflist}}


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}

Latest revision as of 09:39, 9 November 2024

Mohamed Fawzi
محمد فوزى
OSA
Background information
Birth nameMehammad Fawzi Abbas Elhaww
Born(1918-08-15)August 15, 1918
Tanta, Sultanate of Egypt
DiedOctober 20, 1966(1966-10-20) (aged 48)
Cairo, UAR
GenresEgyptian music
Occupations
  • Singer-songwriter
  • actor
  • filmmaker

Mohamed Fawzi (Egyptian Arabic: محمد فوزى, born Mohamed Fawzi Abbas Elhaw, August 15, 1918[1] – October 20, 1966) was an Egyptian singer-songwriter, actor, and filmmaker. He was a leading entertainer and impresario in the thriving musical film scene of Egypt in the 1940s and 1950s. He founded the El-Sharq El-Awsat record plant on April 30, 1959, and turned it into Sono Cairo /Sout El Qahira (The voice of Cairo) Records on January 6, 1964. Fawzi composed the music for "Kassaman", the Algerian national anthem, with lyrics by "poet of the Algerian Revolution" Moufdi Zakaria.

Early life and studies

[edit]

He was born in the village of Kafr Abou Gendi, a neighborhood of Qutour in the Gharbia Governorate. He was the twenty-first child out of twenty-five sons and daughters, the latter including singers Huda Sultan and Hend Allam.[2] He was an Oud player at a very young age.[3] His sister was the renowned actress and singer Huda Sultan.[4] Fawzi attended elementary school in Tanta, Egypt, where he was a quick study on music with his father's friend, firefighter Mahmoud El Kharbaty, serving as initial tutor. El Kharbaty brought Fawzi along to sing at birthdays, nights, and weddings, where he was influenced by the songs of Mohamed Abdel Wahab and Umm Kulthum.

After graduating from preparatory school, he joined the King Fuad I Institute of Music in Cairo, but he gave up his studies two years later to work in the nightclub of sisters Ratiba and Ensaf Rushdie. Hired away by Badia Masabni's disco, he met luminaries there such as Farid El Atrash, Mohamed Abd El Mottleb, and Mahmoud El Sherief, with whom he collaborated on composing and singing for sketches and revues. He took the radio exam in 1938 at the age of 20, failing a year after El Atrash had succeeded. Mahmoud El Sherief's success going the composing route first led Fawzi to choose that approach.

Career

[edit]

Arriving in Cairo in 1938, he at first made ends meet working in theatre companies and nightclubs, including those of Badia Masabni and Fatima Rushdi, and then the "Egyptian National Theatre" where his path to fame started to kick.

Fascinated by music, he was an aficionado in particular of pioneering singer-songwriter Sayed Darwish. An initial foray as understudy for Ibrahim Hamouda, in a production by the Egyptian Troupe for Acting and Music Darwish's operetta Shahrazad (Scheherezade) with direction by Zaki Talimatt and an orchestra led by Mohammed Hassan El shougai, was a failure. However, Rushdi gave him a second chance to work in her group as actor, composer, and singer. In 1944, Youssef Wahbi cast Fawzi in a small part in the film Seif El gallad, in which he sang two songs of Darwish on the condition of dropping the Habs Abdel-Al Haw from his name. The role brought Fawzi to the attention of director Mohammed Karim, who cast him as the lead in the 1946 film Ashab El Saada (Happiness Owners) alongside Suleiman Naguib and singer Ragaa Abdou. This time Fawzi was the one given a condition, namely plastic surgery for his slightly flat philtrum. The success of the film gave Fawzi the funds to start his eponymous production company in 1947.

Egyptian Radio, which had turned Fawzi down as a staff singer, broadcast his film songs nevertheless. After the Egyptian revolution of 1952, he was put into heavy rotation with songs such as the patriotic "بلدي أحببتك يا بلدي" ("My Country, I Love You, My Country") and the religious "يا تواب يا غفور" (Oh Contrite, Oh Forgiving) and "إلهي ما أعدلك" ("My God, How Just You Are!"). His children's songs from the movie Moegezet Al Samaa, including "ماما زمانها جاية" ("Mom Is About to Arrive") and "ذهب الليل" ("Zahab El Lailou", "The Night Is Gone"), were also popular then. He participated in the government's 1953 charitable donation drives throughout Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt known as the "Mercy Trains", along with other celebrities (e.g., Madiha Yousri, Emad Hamdy, Shadia, Farid Shawqi, and Huda Sultan), to say nothing of impromptu concerts in hospitals and social care centers.

Fawzi wrote many songs for himself to sing in his films. He also composed for other singers of his time, including Mohamed Abd El Mottaleb, Leila Mourad, Nazik, Huda Sultan, and Nagah Salam.

National anthem

[edit]

In 1956, two Algerian officials went to Egypt and met him at the headquarters of the Voice of the Arabs radio station, a Pan-Arabist radio station founded under the rule of Egypt's former president Gamal Abd El Nasser, to commission the Algerian anthem. When the head of the music office department, Mohamed Aboul Fotouh, remarked that a "light music" composer was unsuited to writing a national anthem, Fawzi rose to the challenge and wrote the one still in use.[2]

Business interests

[edit]

In 1958, Fawzi founded his own label, Sono Cairo. Their price of 35 piasters an album beat the foreign majors' 90-piaster fare. Hence, he was able to command sessions with greats of the era, including Umm Kulthum and Mohamed Abdel Wahab. The successful business was nationalized by the government in 1961, and though he was given a salary of £E100 to run it, he hardly got the chance and was marginalized within it. He fell into a depression and died of leukemia on October 20, 1966. Ahmed El-Samahi writes:

The nationalization destroyed him. After he put his all into the company, his role in it began to shrink, until the promise of a monthly salary of one hundred pounds and a head office of his own yielded to the reality that his office was in a tea and coffee buffet.[2]

Filmography

[edit]

At 36 films (in addition to a cameo in Layali Al-Qahira in 1939), he is likely the most prolific male singing star of the age[according to whom?]. He sang other composers' material in some of his films, including in Qabelni Ya Abi, Nargis, Thawrat El-Madinah, and Leila, Bint El-Shatie, while Mohamed Abdel Wahab and Farid al-Atrash wrote all their own music.

Actor

[edit]
List of acting performances by Mohamed Fawzi in film
Title Release date Director
Saif Al-Jallad October 9, 1944 Youssef Wahbi
A Kiss in Lebanon January 3, 1945 Ahmed Badrakhan
Ashab El Saada April 1, 1946 Mohammed Karim
Magd Wa Domou March 4, 1946 Ahmed Badrakhan
Woman's Enemy December 16, 1946 Abdel Fattah Hassan
Qabelni Ya Abi September 8, 1947 Ahmed Badrakhan
The Mermaid September 27, 1947 Abbas Kamel
The Mind Is On Vacation May 12, 1947 Helmy Rafla
The Landlord March 18, 1948 Abdel Fattah Hassan
Hub Wa Junun March 27, 1948 Helmy Rafla
Nargis May 15, 1948 Abdel Fattah Hassan
The Spirit and the Body October 4, 1948 Helmy Rafla
The Lucky One November 1, 1948 Abdel Fattah Hassan
The Woman Is a Devil February 28, 1949 Abdel Fattah Hassan
Al-Majnuna January 31, 1949 Helmy Rafla
Fatma wa Marika wa Rachel July 25, 1949 Helmy Rafla
Owner of Piasters September 26, 1949 Ezzel Dine Zulficar
The Girl from Paris April 3, 1950 Helmy Rafla
Oh, Men June 2, 1950 Helmy Rafla
Gharam Raqisa September 18, 1950 Helmy Rafla
Miss Mama October 7, 1950 Helmy Rafla
Al-Hob Fi Khatar July 2, 1951 Helmy Rafla
Nehayet Qessa September 3, 1951 Helmy Rafla
Ward El-Gharam December 10, 1951 Henry Barakat
Men Ayna Laka Haza June 9, 1952 Niazi Mostafa
Ya Halawet El-Hob October 29, 1952 Hussein Fawzi
Fa'el Kheir March 21, 1953 Helmy Rafla
Abn Lil'Iijar September 13, 1953 Helmy Rafla
Banat Hawa March 1, 1954 Niazi Mostafa
Always with You August 2, 1954 Henry Barakat
Thawrat El-Madinah October 30, 1955 Helmy Rafla
Maejazat Al-Sama March 19, 1956 Atef Salem
Leila, Bint El-Shatie January 12, 1959 Hussein Fawzi
Every Beat of My Heart February 9, 1959 Ahmed Diaa Eddine

Producer

[edit]

Fawzi produced a number of films between 1947 and 1959, all of which starred him except for Fatawat el Husseinia and The Absent Lady. Year Film(s)

List of films that Mohamed Fawzi produced
Year Title
1947 The Mind Is On Vacation
1948 Hub Wa Junun
The Spirit and the Body
1949 Al-Majnuna
Fatma wa Marika wa Rachel
Owner of Piasters
1950 Gharam Raqisa
Miss Mama
1951 Nehayet Qessa
Ward El-Gharam
1952 Men Ayna Laka Haza
1953 Fa'el Kheir
1954 Fatawat el Husseinia
Always with You
Banat Hawa
1955 The Absent Lady
1956 Maejazat Al-Sama
1959 Every Beat of My Heart

Family

[edit]

Fawzi is the brother of actress and singer Huda Sultan and singer Hend Allam.

In 1943, Fawzi married his first wife, Mrs. Hedaya, with whom he had three children: engineer Nabil (born in 1944), engineer Samir (born in 1946), and doctor Mounir (born in 1948). They divorced in 1952, after which he married actress Madiha Yousri and had a son named Amr in 1955 and one other son with her. In 1959, he divorced again and married his third wife, Karima, with whom he had his youngest daughter Iman in 1961. They remained together until his death.

Death and legacy

[edit]

He had established the first record label in the Middle East, including an in-house recording studio. The nationalization of the label was perhaps the greatest shock of his life, and his health deteriorated from there on as international doctors struggled to diagnose him. He traveled to London in early 1965, returned to Egypt, and traveled to Germany two months later, but the German hospital noted the difficulty treating something only five people in the world had so far that brought him down to 36 kilograms (79 lb). Nowadays known as idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis, the German doctor labeled it Fawzi's disease. It claimed his life on October 20, 1966.

He wrote around 400 songs, about 300 of which were featured in films. Among the highlights are "Habibi Wa Aynaneh", "Shahat El Gharam", "Tamali Fi Qalbi", "Wahshuna Al Habayeb", "I Love the One Who Loves You", and "Mal Elkamar". His children's songs have endured, including "Mama Zamanha Gaya" and "Zahab Al-Layl." Thematic and seasonal novelties include the patriotic song "Balady Habibty", the Ramadan favorite "Bring the Lanterns, Boys", and "It's You, Mother", a popular Mother's Day dedication. Ya Mustafa became a pan-European hit when it was covered by French-Egyptian singer Bob Azzam.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ El-Dahabi, Hiyam (November 14, 2002). "محمد فوزي مات بمرض غامض أصاب خمسة أشخاص فقط في العالم". Al Riyadh. No. 12564. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "محمد فوزي.. صانع البهجة في السينما الغنائية". Al Jazeera. February 25, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  3. ^ Remembering Mohamed Fawzi; Egyptian Singer, actor and joy maker
  4. ^ Leading Egyptian actress dies, Al Jazeera, 2006, retrieved September 21, 2017
[edit]
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