Shadia

Born as "Fatma Ahmad Kamal Shaker" in 1931, in Elhelmiyya Elgedida, in Cairo, Egypt. Shadia was born to an Egyptian father Ahmed Kamal Sahker,[3] from Sharqia and an mother of Turkish origin.[4][5] In 1947, she fell in love with an Egyptian officer from Upper Egypt, and she got heartbroken after his death during the 1948 war.[6] She had five sisters and brothers. She was the youngest of her sisters and the second youngest among all her siblings. Since her childhood, Shadia loved to sing and was encouraged to pursue music at primary school. Moreover, she began acting at the age of fifteen. Shadia was the voice of Egypt during hard and war times, she was famous of her Egyptian patriotic songs, especially "Ya Habibti Ya Masr" (Oh Egypt, My Love)[7] and "Aqwa Mn El Zaman" (Stronger Than Time). She participated in many operettas along with other notable Egyptian and Arabic singers about Egypt and the Arab world, including: "Al Watan Al Akbar" (The Great Nation), "El Geel El Sa'ed" (The Rising Generation), and "Soot El Gamaheer" (The Voice of the Masses).

Lobby Card for Wakeful Eyes (1956)

Shadia with Salah Zulfikar in Aghla Min Hayati (1965)

With Salah Zulfikar in My Wife, the Director General (1966)

Shaker was given the stage name "Shadia" by herself following the name of a newborn of one of her family's friends. In her heyday during the 1950s and 1960s, Shadia acted in numerous melodramas, romance, and comedy films. However, it was her musical talent as a singer that established Shadia as one of the most important Egyptian cinema stars of her era.[8] Overall, as "Shadia", she performed in more than 100 films.[8] Shadia is credited for acting alongside leading man Salah Zulfikar in his film debut, "Oyoun Sahrana" (Wakeful Eyes, 1956). Later, she paired with Zulfikar in 6 films forming a famous duet and achieving major commercial and critical success, this duet turned out to be an Egyptian cinema classic. She also starred in more than 30 films with the actor Kamal El Shennawy, and sang opposite Farid El Atrash and Abdel Halim Hafez, such as in "Ma'boudat El Gamaheer" (The People's Idol, 1967). She also appeared with Faten Hamama in Ezz El-Dine Zulfikar’s "Mawe'd Ma'a El Hayah" (Appointment with Life, 1954), and in "El Mar'a El Maghula" (The Unknown Woman, 1959) by Mahmoud Zulfikar, she played the role of Fatma in a heavy melodrama.

Notable films she starred in include "El les we El Kelab" (The Thief and the Dogs, 1962) and in her comedy roles in films "El Zouga raqam 13" (Wife Number 13, 1962), and her famous trilogy alongside Egypt's iconic actor and film producer Salah Zulfikar; "Merati Modir 'Am " (My Wife, the Director General, 1966), "Karamat Zawgaty" (My Wife's Dignity, 1967) and "Afrit Merati" (My Wife's Goblin, 1968), were huge successes.[8]

Indeed, Shadia was often cast in cunning and cheeky roles, however, she also played serious roles, such as in Salah Zulfikar Films production; "Shey Min El Khouf" (A Taste of Fear, 1969) and "Uyoon Sahranah" (Wakeful Eyes, 1956) by Ezz El-Dine Zulfikar and "El Tareeq" (The Road, 1964), and "Lamset Hanan" (A Toutch of Tenderness, 1971), her last film opposite Salah Zulfikar, and in the stage version of "Raya and Sakina", which was based on the true story of two Alexandrian serial killers and directed by Hussein Kamal (1953).[8]

Shadia also produced two films, and also appeared in several films in Japan.

Shadia with Salah Zulfikar and Russian actress at a cinematic event for A Taste of Fear in Cairo, 1969

Upon returning from the premiere of "Raya and Sakina", Shadia stated that she gave serious thought that night to the idea of repentance. The following morning, she informed her producers that she wanted no part in the play from then on, but eventually promised to finish her work when they insisted that she do so. Thereafter, Shadia retired from the film and music industry, and went on a Umrah to Mecca, where she met the popular Egyptian Azhari scholar Sheikh El Shaarawy. Her meeting with El-Shaarawy influenced Shadia to reach her final decision to start wearing the hijab.[9]

Her mega hit song "Ya Habibti Ya Masr" (My Lover Oh Egypt), was considered as one of the best patriotic songs ever. During a TV-interview, Shadia said regarding her famous patriotic song: "When I am singing to my homeland, it is even way more romantic and more honest than any romantic song. Here I am singing to my home, my land. There was a period when Egypt's name was erased (Nasser's era), Egypt’s name will never get erased from our hearts".[7] After almost 25 years of her retirement, Shadia's song became an anthem of the Egyptian Revolution of 2011.[10]

Shadia was hospitalized on 4 November 2017 after suffering a massive stroke in Cairo. She was placed under intensive care.[12] Her nephew, Khaled Shaker, said during a televised phone conversation that she recovered from the stroke and could identify her relatives and the people around her. He added, however, that her illness was complicated by pneumonia, despite her recovery.[13] Shadia's condition stabilized on 9 November,[12] and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi visited her that day at Al-Galaa Hospital. Shaker later said that the first words she spoke after recovering were "I want to go home", but had speech difficulties in general.[14]

On 28 November, Shadia died from respiratory failure caused by the pneumonia.[15]

On February 8, 2021, Google celebrated her 90th birthday with a Google Doodle. The Doodle was displayed in Egypt, Israel and Sweden.[16]

Source:[17]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shadia.

• Shadia at IMDb 
• Lost Continent: Cinema of Egypt