Salah Zulfikar

Salah Zulfikar, (18 January 1926 – 22 December 1993) was an Egyptian actor. He started his career as a police officer in the Egyptian Army, before becoming an actor in 1955. He continued acting until his death in 1993 in Cairo, Egypt.

Early life

He was born on January 18, 1926 in El Mahalla El Kubra where his father, Ahmed Mourad Zulfikar, served as a senior police commissioner.He was the fourth of five brothers. His eldest brother, the movie actor and director Mahmoud Zulfikar, graduated as an architect. His second eldest brother Ezz-El-Din Zulfikar, also a movie director, and Kamal Zulfikar were military officers whilst Salahchose to join the Police Academy; he graduated from the Police Academy in 1946. His younger brother joined the Faculty of Commerce.

In 1949 Salah starting teaching at the Police Academy. In 1951 he volunteered and joined the police unit in Ismaïlia which was under attack by the British army.The local police force refused to hand over their weapons to the British forces, which led the British army to bring in tanks to capture the building.This incident was later commemorated and is now celebrated in Egypt on 25 January of every year as National Police Day.He received a national award for his bravery. In 1956 he took the initiative leading 19 of his students in the Police Academy and volunteered as commandos resisting the tripartite attack by the British, French and Israeli armies during the 1956 Suez war. For this, he also received a national award of honor.

Film acting and production

His brothers Ezz-el-Din Zulfikar and Mahmoud Zulfikar worked as film directors.During his free time he used to attend film shooting.In 1955 Ezz-el-Din Zulfikar, his elder brother, offered him the lead role in a film 'Eyoun Sahrana (Sleepless Eyes); he had to get a temporary permit from the Minister of the Interior, which was headed at that time by Zakaria Mohieddin. He made his second and third films Rodda Qalbi and Djamila respectively also with temporary permissions.

His second movie Rodda Qalbi of 1957 was Salah Zulfikar's first success. He continued to make movies until his death in 1993.His production "More Precious Than MY Life" or (Aghla Men Hayatto) and his romantic comedies, like "My Wife Is The General Manager" or (Merati Moudir Aam), "My Wife's Dignity" or (Karamet Zawgati), "My Wife's Ghost" or (Afreet Merati) with the actress Shadia, as well as his action movies like "The Second Man" or (Elragol Elthani) and "Saladin" of Youssef Shahine were hits and won him awards for best actor during the sixties and early seventies. Similarly, his TV movies and series were popular and successful during the eighties and early nineties, including for example "Handy-Man General Manager" (Elosta el-Moudir) and "The Family of Mr. Shalash" with famous actress Laila Taher.