Shoukri Serhan
(1925–1997)
The Night Fatma Was Arrested
Although one of his names is Ibn el Nîl (Son of the Nile), Mohamed Shoukri el Husseiny Serhan (better known as Shoukri Serhan) was in fact born and educated in Alexandria. He went to St. Marc College and had some acting experience in high school that made him decide to take acting as a career following the steps of his elder brother actor Mohsen Serhan. After finishing school he joined The High Institute of Acting shortly after it opened its doors to cinema lovers.
He had just graduated when director Fatin Abdel Wahab chose him to participate in Nadia (Nâdiah) in 1949. The same year saw his first main part in Lahalibo (Lahâlîbou) with Naema Akef. He went on playing the roles of a gentleman for some time due to his good looks. But his typical Egyptian features that Alexandrian director Youssef Chahine in Son of the Nile (Ibn el Nîl) where he played the part of a hard working innocent farmer (fellah) whose ambition leads him to Cairo only to face a totally different society.
It was another Alexandrian actor too, Tewfik Saleh, who gave Shoukri Serhan's career another turn in Fools' Alley (Darb el mahâbîl) in 1955. Shortly afterward he played the main role in The Youth of a Woman (Shabâb imra'ah) with Tahiyya Carioca. The film was a success and went to international film festivals. Another significant film in his career was A Woman on the Road (Imra'ah fîl tarîq) in which he played the role of a weak husband who cannot meet the desires of his emotional wife who is in love with his strong manly brother played by Rushdi Abaza. It was said that director Ezz Eddine Zoulficar first offered Shoukri Serhan the role of Saber, the strong brother. However, after reading the script, Serhan found himself much more inclined to the role of the weak brother and decided to play that part recommending the then newcomer to film industry, Rushdi Abaza for his initial role. He is also remembered for I Claim my Heart Back (Roudda qalbî), a classic of love and patriotism.
But his best performance came perhaps in 1967 in The Second Wife (el Zawgah el thâniyah). The scene in which the corrupt Mayor played by Salah Mansour forces him to divorce his wife (Soad Hosni) is a landmark not only in his career but in Arab cinema as a whole.
Successful in all kind of roles, farmer, gentleman, student, criminal, policeman … he rightfully deserves the title of "Best Actor in the History of Egyptian Cinema" that he was given in a survey in 1996, only one year before he passed away.
Filmography:
1949: Nadia (Nâdiah)
1949: Lahalibo (Lahâlîbou)
1950: Dad is a Groom (Bâbâ 'rîs)
1951: I Come from a Good Family (Anâ bint nâs)
1951: Son of the Nile (Ibn el Nîl)
1951: The Outlaw (el Khârig 'n el qânoun)
1951: Secrets of People (Asrâr el nâs)
1952: Parents' Wrath (Ghadab el wâlidîn)
1952: Luring Flowers (el Zouhour el fâtinah)
1952: You are My Life (Hayâtî enta)
1952: Heaven and Hell (Ganah we nâr)
1953: Am Abdou's Ghost ('Afrît 'm 'abdou)
1953: Rayya and Sakinah (Rayyah we Skînnah)
1953: In Whose Law (Fî shar' mîn)
1953: The Road of Happiness (Tarîq el sa'âdah)
1953: My Soul Mate (Shirîk hayâtî)
1953: My Heart is with my Son (Qalbî 'la waladî)
1953: Between Two Hearts (Bîn qalbîn)
1953: The Bread Seller (Bâ't el khoubz)
1953: I have No One (Mâlîsh had)
1953: The Careless (el Moustahtirah)
1953: A Meeting with Life (Maw'id ma'a el hayâh)
1953: When it Smiles (el Doniâ lama tedhak)
1953: A Million Pounds (Million ginîh)
1954: People's Hearts (Qouloub el nâs)
1954: Hassan, Morcos and Cohen (Hasan we Morqous we Kohîn)
1954: People are in Different Ranks (el Nâs maqamât)
1954: The Happiest Jours (As'ad el ayâm)
1954: April Fool (Kidhbat Ibrîl)
1954: The Criminal (el Mougrim)
1954: Women Cannot Lie (el Sitât mayi'rafoush yekdibou)
1954: Have Pity on My Tears (Irham domou'î)
1954: Aziza ('Azîzah)
1954: For Your Sake ('alashân 'ouyounik)
1954: Guide Me People (Dilounî ya nâs)
1954: American from Tanta (Amrîcânî min Tantâ)
1955: Brides in Auction ('Ara's fî el mazâd)
1955: Kingdom of Women (Mamlakit el nisâ')
1955: God Stands in Our Side (Allaho ma'anâ)
1955: Those who Love (Ahl el hawâ)
1955: The Jingle of the Anklet (Ranit el khoulkhâl)
1955: Shore of Memories (Shâti' el zikrayât)
1956: The Youth of a Woman (Shabâb imra'ah)
1956: The Call of Love (Nidâ' el houbb)
1956: The Stranger (el Gharîb)
1956: Devils of the Air (Shayâtîn el gaww)
1956: I Granted You My Life (Wahabtak hayâtî)
1956: The Spring of Love (Rabî' el houbb)
1956: Our Green Land (Ardinâ el khadrâ')
1956: Zanouba (Zanoubah)
1957: Love Trip (Rihlah gharâmiyyah)
1957: Crime and Punishment (el Garîmah wa-l-'iqâb)
1957: Port-Said (Por Saîd)
1957: Den of Pleasures (Wakr el maladhât)
1957: The End of a Love (Nihâyyit houbb)
1957: The Road of Hope (Tarîq el amal)
1957: I Claim my Heart Back (Roudda qalbî)
1957: Temptation (Ighrâ')
1957: A Horrible Night (Layla rahîbah)
1958: A Fierce Love (Houbb min nâr)
1958: I Love You Hassan (Ahibak ya Hasan)
1958: Closed Road (el Tarîq el masdoud)
1958: My Dark Lover (Habîbî el asmar)
1958: The Runaway (el Haribah)
1958: A Woman on the Road (Imra'ah fîl tarîq)
1959: I am Free (Ana Hourrah)
1959: Thinking of the One who has Forgotten Me (Bafakkar fi-llî nâsînî)
1959: Virgins' Prison (Sign el 'adhârah)
1959: Girls' Dreams (Ahlam el banât)
1959: Kiss Me in the Dark (Qabbilnî fi-l-dhalâm)
1959: Swimmer in Fire (el Sabihah fil nâr)
1959: We are the Students (Ihnâ el talâmdhah)
1959: Mrs. X (el Mar'ah el maghoulah)
1960: Qais and Laila (Qais wa Layla)
1960: Between your Hands (Bayn îdîk)
1960: The Gypsy (el Ghagariyyah)
1960: A Man with No Heart (Ragoul bila qalb)
1960: Immortals' Bridge (Gisr el khâlidîn)
1960: Lovers' Call (Nidâ' el 'oushâq)
1960: Hunter of Men (Sâ'idat el rigâl)
1961: Why Should I Live (Limadhâ a'îsh)
1961: Lady Aziza (el Safîrah 'azîzah)
1961: The Road of Heroes (Tarîq el abtâl)
1961: My Dearest Love! (A'azz el habâyib)
1961: A Man in My Life (Ragoul fî hayâtî)
1961: Do not let the Sun Set (Lâ totfi’ el shams)
1962: Almaz and Abdou el Hamouli (Almaz we ‘abdou el hamoulî)
1962: Three Naughty Men (el ashqiyâ’ el thalâthah)
1962: Remains of a Virgin (Baqâyâh ‘azrâ’)
1962: Salwa in Danger (Salwâ fî mahab el rîh)
1962: The Struggle of Heroes (Sirâ’ el abtâl)
1962: All My Sons (Kolohom awlâdî)
1962: Thief and Dogs (el lis wa-l-kilâb)
1963: Life of a Single Man (Hayât ‘azib)
1963: Banned Story (Kisah mamnou’ah)
1963: The Secret of the Runaway (Sirr el hâribah)
1963: Night Prisoner (Sagîn el layl)
1963: Love Years (Sanawât el houbb)
1963: The Price of Love (Thaman el houbb)
1963: The Pretty and the Students (el Hasnâ’ wa-l-talabah)
1964: If I were a Man (Law kont ragoulan)
1964: The Black Bag (el Haqibah el Sawdâ’)
1964: Escaping from Life (Harb min el Hayah)
1964: Daughter of the Neighbourhood (Bint el hitah)
1964: Life is Only Jours (el ‘Omar ayâm)
1964: Flames (el lahab)
1964: Story of a Marriage (Hikayet Gawaz)
1965: Silence of a Storm (Sikon el ‘asifah)
1965: Son of Cleopatra (Ibn Cleobatra)
1966: Farewell to Night (Wadâ’an ayohâ el layl)
1967: The Rain Dried Up (Gafat el amtâr)
1967: The Second Wife (el Zawgah el thâniyah)
1968: The Postman (el Boustagî)
1968: The Rebels (el Moutamaridoun)
1968: The Headmistress (el Sett el nâzirah)
1968: The Student and the Teacher (el Tilmîdhah wa-l-oustâz)
1968: Om Hashim’s Lantern (Qandîl Oum Hâshim)
1969: Three Women [Tawhida] (Thalathat Nisâ’) [Tawhîdah]
1969: A Story from our Country (Hikayah min baladnâ)
1969: Pretty Aziza (el Helwah ‘Azizah)
1970: No My Love (Lâ lâ ya habîbî)
1970: The Yellow Valley (el Wâdî el asfar)
1971: University Girls (Banât fî-l-gâmi’ah)
1971: Forbidden Love (el Houbb el Moharam)
1971: El Gabalawy (el Gabalâwî)
1971: Something Within (Shay’ fî sadrî)
1971: A crime of Honour (Hâdithat sharaf)
1971: The Secrets of Houses (el Biyout asrâr)
1972: Naughty Sailors (Shayâtîn el bahr)
1972: In Love With Herself (‘Ashiqat nafsihah)
1973: A Woman from Cairo (Imra’ah min el Qahirah)
1973: Strangers (Ghourabâ’)
1975: Dawn Visitor (Zâ’r el Fager)
1975: Divorced (el Motalaqât)
1975: The Caller (el Nadâhah)
1976: Return of the Prodigal Son (‘Awdat el ibn el dâll)
1978: Journey Inside a Woman (Rehlah dâkhil Imra’ah)
1978: Desire and Price (el Raghbah wa-l-thaman)
1978: Behind the Sun (Warâ’ el shams)
1981: Lovers’ Struggle (Sirâ’ el ‘oushâq)
1983: The Heroes of Bab el Shireya (Gid’ân bâb el shi’riyyah)
1983: The Singer (el Moughanawâtî)
1984: The Night Fatma was Arrested (Laylat el qabd ‘ala fatmah)
1984: Heroes of the Harbour (Osoud el mînâ’)
1984: Guard Dogs (Kilâb el hirâsah)
1985: The Angels of the Street (Malâ’ikat el shawâr’)
1987: A Man from Upper Egypt (el Ragoul el si’îdî)
1988: The Legitimate Father (el Abb el shar’î)
