Adel Imam

Birthday

May 17, 1940

Birthplace

Cairo, Egypt

Bio: Adel Emam (sometimes credited as: Adel Imam), (Arabic: عادل إمام), born May 17, 1940, is a popular Egyptian movie and stage actor. He is primarily a comedian, but he has starred in more serious works and, especially early in his earlier films, combined comedy with romance.

He earned a Bachelor's Degree in… More Bio: Adel Emam (sometimes credited as: Adel Imam), (Arabic: عادل إمام), born May 17, 1940, is a popular Egyptian movie and stage actor. He is primarily a comedian, but he has starred in more serious works and, especially early in his earlier films, combined comedy with romance.

He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Agriculture from Cairo University. Since then he has appeared in over 100 movies and 10 plays. He is probably the most famous actor in the Arab World. He has received critical and popular praise throughout his career. Short, slight, and with a face seemingly more appropriate a character actor than a leading man -- let alone a star whose career has flourished since the late sixties -- Adel Imam is able to portray characters from all social strata and backgrounds.

His roles have displayed a wide range of humor including slapstick, farce, and even the occasional double entendre. His characters tend to be down on their luck rising above powerful outside pressures. This has proved an extremely resilient type in the Arab World.

In January 2000, the United Nations appointed him as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR. Since then, he has worked tirelessly for the cause of refugees.

In 2005, he starred in Sifaara fil'Aimara (Embassy in the Building), playing a Cairene everyman inconvenienced when the Embassy of Israel moves into his apartment building.

In 2006, he appeared as one of the many stars of The Yacoubian Building, a film reputed to be the highest-budgeted in Egyptian cinema and adapted from the novel of the same name. The story is a sharp look contemporary Egyptian life through the prism of a faded downtown Cairo apartment building. Emam portrays an aging roué whose misadventures form a central strand of the film's complex narrative.

Emam is married and has three children, the young director Rami Imam, Sarah Emam who is married to the son of the Muslim Brotherhood Leader , and lastly Mohamed Imam who is currently studying at The American University in Cairo who also starred in the movie Yacoubian Building as Taha Shazli. He is the brother of Esam Imam and Saleh Imam. His brother-in-law is the late actor Mustafa Metwalli. As Adel Emam stated in his latest talk show with the host Hala Sarhan, Amin Shalaby is considered one of his best friends since college.