Salah Zulfikar

Salah Zulfikar

Egyptian Actor and Film Producer (1926–1993)

🔹 Born: January 18, 1926 – El-Mahalla El-Kubra, Egypt

🔹 Died: December 22, 1993 (aged 67) – Cairo, Egypt

🔹 Cause of Death: Heart attack ❤️

🔹 Burial Place: Cairo

🔹 Nationality: Egypt 🇪🇬

🔹 Nicknames: The Dream Knight 🏇, The Genius 🧠

🔹 Height: 1.80 meters

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Personal Life

💍 Spouses:

Nafisa Bahgat

Zahra Alaa

Shadia

Bahija Mokbel

👶 Children:

Mona Zulfikar

Ahmed Zulfikar

🎓 Education & Career

🏛 Alma Mater: Police Academy 👮‍♂️

🎭 Profession: Actor, Film Producer

🗣 Languages: Arabic, English, French

🎬 Years Active: 1942 – 1993

🎖 Military Service

🪖 Branch: Egyptian Police

🎖 Rank: Lieutenant Colonel

🗓 Service Years: 1946 – 1957

🌟 Early Life & Career

📍 Background:

Salah Zulfikar was born in El-Mahalla El-Kubra into a family from Cairo. A skilled athlete, he won the King’s Cup in Boxing (Featherweight) in 1947. He initially studied medicine but later transferred to the Police Academy to stay close to his ill father.

📍 Police Career:

👮‍♂️ After graduating from the Police Academy in 1946, he served in Menoufia’s Security Directorate and later in the Prison Authority. He also worked as a Police Academy instructor from 1949.

📍 Connection with Anwar Sadat:

📜 As an officer at Egypt’s main prison, he was responsible for guarding future President Anwar Sadat, who was imprisoned for the assassination of Amin Osman. Zulfikar treated Sadat well and believed in his patriotism.

📍 Participation in National Events:

🛡 Battle of Ismailia (January 25, 1952):

He fought as a police officer in the Battle of Ismailia against British forces, holding his ground despite limited ammunition. This day later became Egypt’s National Police Day.

⚔ Tripartite Aggression (1956):

He led a group of Police Academy cadets in commando operations against British, French, and Israeli forces. He was awarded the Medal of Military Duty (First Class) by President Gamal Abdel Nasser.

🎬 Acting Career

🎞 Cinema:

His film debut was in 1956 after leaving the police force, starring in major films:

📽 Back to My Heart (1957) – First major role

📽 Saladin the Victorious (1963) – Played Commander "Issa Al-Awam"

📽 Soft Hands (1963) – Won Best Actor Award 🏆

📽 More Precious Than My Life (1965) – Start of his duo with Shadia 💕

📽 My Wife, the General Manager (1966), My Wife's Dignity (1967), My Wife’s Ghost (1968) – All with Shadia

📽 Sunset and Sunrise (1970) – Role as a patriotic pilot

📽 The Karnak (1975) – Powerful political role

📽 The Guilty (1976) – Played a corrupt CEO

📽 The Peacock (1982) – Won Best Actor Award 🏆

📽 The Terrorist (1994) – Final film, released posthumously

🎭 Theater:

🔹 A Bullet in the Heart (1964) – Co-starred with Layla Taher

🔹 Robabekya (1967) – With Tahia Carioca

🔹 One Wife is Enough (1979) – Comedy play

🔹 The Earthquake (1990) – Based on a Mostafa Mahmoud novel

📺 Television:

📡 He starred in hit TV series like:

📺 The Sea Bird (1972) – With Sana Jamil

📺 The Return of the Spirit (1977) – Based on Tawfiq Al-Hakim’s novel

📺 The Cat’s Head (1980) – With Ezzat Al-Alayli

📺 The Shalash Family (1990) – His most famous TV comedy

🎥 Film Production:

📽 He co-founded Ezz El-Din Zulfikar Films with his brother and produced legendary films:

🔹 Among the Ruins (1959)

🔹 Saladin the Victorious (1963)

🔹 A Taste of Fear (1969)

🔹 I Want a Solution (1975)

🏅 Awards & Honors

🏆 Best Actor Awards for:

✔ Soft Hands (1963)

✔ More Precious Than My Life (1965)

✔ My Wife's Dignity (1967)

✔ The Peacock (1982)

🎖 Medal of Military Duty (First Class) – For bravery in 1956 war

🏆 Centennial of Egyptian Cinema (1996) Honors:

✅ 10 films ranked among Egypt’s Top 100 Films as an actor

✅ 5 films ranked among Egypt’s Top 100 Films as a producer

🏁 Death

❤️ Suffered a heart attack while filming The Terrorist (1994) and could not complete it.

🕯 Passed away on December 22, 1993, at 67 years old, leaving behind a legendary legacy.

🔹 Salah Zulfikar was more than just an actor—he was a police officer, war hero, producer, and a cinematic icon