Ragaa Al Geddawy

Ragaa Al Geddawy (Arabic: رجاء الجداوي‎; 6 September 1934 – 5 July 2020) was an Egyptian actress, as well as, a model in her early life. She was one of the most beloved actresses and one of the most prominent in the Middle East with a fruitful six-decade career.

Ragaa Al Geddawy
Born
Najat Ali Hossin Al Geddawy

(1934-09-06)6 September 1934[1]
Ismailia, Egypt
Died5 July 2020(2020-07-05) (aged 85)
Ismailia, Egypt
OccupationActress, model
Years active1958–2020
Spouse(s)
Hassan Mokhtar
​
(
m. 1970; died 2016)
Children1

Career

Al Geddawy was born on 6 September 1934[1][lower-alpha 1] in Ismailia. In her early years, after moving to the big city of Cairo, she lived with her aunt, bellydancer and actress Taheyya Kariokka.

She received her primary education at the Franciscan schools in Cairo, before working in the translation department of an advertising company. She then moved onto modelling, after she was crowned Miss Egypt in 1958.

Al Geddawy then performed in Douaa Al-Kawrawan (The Nightingale's Prayer) in 1959.

In 1960, she appeared in Ishaaet Hob (A Rumor of Love) alongside Omar Sharif and Soad Hosni. The film revolves around young and shy Hussein (Sharif) who falls in love with his cousin Samiha (Husni), who is too busy pining over her other cousin. Al Geddawy played Samiha's friend.

In 1962, she starred in the comedy drama Al Forsan Al Thalatha (The Three Musketeers). The film followed an honourable lawyer (Ismail Yassine) who wrote about his virtues in a magazine, before inheriting a nightclub and having his world turned upside down. Al Geddawy played his daughter, Huda, who is in love with her cousin Nabil (Mahmoud Azmy), but promised to Sheikh Fadel (Abdel Salam Al Nabulsy).

In 1987, Al Geddawy appeared in Al Beh Al Bawab (The Doorman) alongside big names such as Ahmed Zaki, Safia El Emari and Fouad el-Mohandes. The film followed a man who worked as a doorman and hustled on the side as a broker.

In 2006, Al Geddawy embodied Taheyya Kariokka's role in the Cinderella series, directed by Samir Seif.

In the final phase of her career, she was more likely to be spotted in television series rather than films. One of her final major roles was Enayat in the successful Egyptian TV series Grand Hotel, which was released in 2016; it was an adaptation of a Spanish TV show, Gran Hotel, of the same name.

Her last acting role was in a TV series titled Lu'bat Al Nesyan (Forgetfulness Games) in 2020, then she contracted the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) a few days after finishing the shooting.[2]

Personal life

Al Geddawy married Hassan Mokhtar who was a goalkeeper in Ismaily SC on 22 November 1970, with whom she had one daughter, Amira.[3]

Death

Al Geddawy died on July 5, 2020, at the age of 85, after being in medical isolation for 43 days and was put on an artificial respiration at the Abu Khalifa Hospital in Ismailia after contracting the coronavirus.[4][5]

The body of the late artist was released from medical isolation after the funeral prayer was held inside the hospital. Her body was conveyed in a metal sealed coffin in an ambulance to the family cemetery at Al-Basatin in Cairo.[6]

Tribute

Hollywood star Jean-Claude Van Damme paid tribute to Al Geddawy by sharing an image of the duo on Instagram, in which he mentioned that he met her a few months before her death.[7]

Notes
  1. Several other sources mistakenly reported that she was born in 1938.
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References
  1. "تعرف على الاسم والسن الحقيقيين لـ رجاء الجداوى من واقع بطاقة الرقم القومى". youm7.com (in Arabic). 5 July 2020.
  2. "مسلسل "لعبة النسيان" ينهي حياة رجاء الجداوي وهذه وصيتها الأخيرة". ennaharonline.com (in Arabic). 6 July 2020.
  3. "Ragaa El Geddawy: Arab world mourns 'princess of Egyptian art'". msn.com. 6 July 2020.
  4. "Egyptian Actress Ragaa Al-Geddawy, 81, Dies Of Coronavirus". NDTV.com. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  5. "Egyptian actress Ragaa El-Gedawy dies in coronavirus quarantine". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  6. "Top Egyptian actress Ragaa Al-Geddawy dies from COVID-19". Saudigazette. 2020-07-05. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  7. "'May Allah Bless Her Soul'! Jean-Claude Van Damme Mourns Ragaa Elgedawy in a Heartfelt Post (Video)". albawaba.com. 6 July 2020.
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