Soad Hosny (January 26, 1943 - June 21, 2001) was an Egyptian actress born in Cairo to a household known as "the artists' home". Her father was renowned Kurdish artist Mohamed Hosny, a pioneer in Arabic and Islamic calligraphy. Her half-sister Nagat El Saghira is a famous singer. Soad’s career began at a young age and her talents were first noticed by author Abdelrahman El Khamissy. She's one of the most influential actresses in the Middle East and is known as the "Cinderella of the Screen". Hosny appeared in no less than 9 movies listed in the "Top 100 Egyptian films", compiled in 1996 in celebration of the centenary of Egyptian cinema. Soad was known for her versatility as an actress and her ability to play a wide range of characters, from comedic and lighthearted roles to dramatic and tragic ones. She was also known for her singing, which was featured in many of her films. Due to illness, she retired from acting in 1991 at just 48. Hosny's final screen appearance was in The Shepherd and the Women (1991), directed by her ex-husband, Ali Badrakhan. She starred alongside actor Ahmed Zaki in the TV series "Hekayat Howa wa Heya" (1985), a show that tackled social issues such as gender inequality. She received numerous awards in her career for starring in movies such as Sunset and Sunrise (1970), Where Is My Mind (1974), A Dinner Date (1981), and many other films. Some consider her to be the only actress that rivaled Faten Hamama as the best Egyptian actress of the 20th century. She can be seen in her best form in Cairo 30 (1966), Too Young for Love (1966), Al Karnak (1975), Watch Out for Zouzou (1972), and Youssef Chahine's The Choice (1971). In 2001, Soad Hosny died after falling from the balcony of her friend's apartment in London; the real cause of her death is still unknown. She remains engraved in the Egyptian film industry and the hearts of many until today.
