Accomplished Egyptian actor Mahmoud Abdul Aziz, best known for the Arab world’s most popular spy thriller 'Raafat Al Hagan', died on Saturday night at a Cairo hospital, state television reported. He was 70.
Abdul Aziz, one of Egypt’s most versatile actors in the past four decades, was taken to hospital last month after suffering from anaemia and an immunity system disorder.
Born in Alexandria in June 1946, Abdul Aziz displayed his talent for acting in shows at the Alexandria University’s agriculture school where he earned a master’s degree.
His popularity soared with the film, 'The Beasts’ Race', in which he played a downtrodden father who strikes a deal with a childless wealthy man.
In 2000, the actor was awarded the Best Actor Prize for his role in the acclaimed film 'The Pleasure Market', at the Cairo International Film Festival.
In recent years, the Egyptian cinema industry saw a decline amid economic hardships.
The situation curtailed Abdul Aziz’s cinema appearances; he only acted in four films after 2001. The last was 2009’s 'Ibrahim the White', in which he depicted a powerful gangster.
Since the early 2000s, Abdul Aziz, like many other heavyweight Egyptian actors, focused on television serials. His last appearance was in the soap opera 'Heads of the Ghoul',which aired in mid-2016.
Abdul Aziz’s death triggered an outpouring of condolences.
Egyptian Minister of Culture Helmi Al Namnam eulogised him in a statement, calling him a "magician", a reference to a film of the same name in which Abdul Aziz starred in 2001.
“Mahmoud Abdul Aziz is a great Egyptian artist who enriched the artistic life with his gift that made him a magician in his own right,” the official said.
"He was an actor of his own class," said Dawoud Abdul Seed, who directed Abdul Aziz in 'Kit Kat'. "There are very few like him in the world," he added in TV remarks.
"Goodbye you, magician", comic sensation Mohammad Heneidi tweeted.
Abdul Aziz was due to be buried in his hometown later on Sunday.
He is survived by wife, TV host Boussy Chalabi and two children, Mohammad, a producer, and Karim, an actor.