Mona Zaki
{{short description|Egyptian actress (born 1976)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Mona Zaki
| image = Mona Zaki 2015.jpg
| caption = Zaki in 2015
| birth_name = Mona Ali Mohamed Zaki
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1976|11|18|df=yes}}
| spouse = {{marriage|Ahmed Helmy|2002}}
| children = 3
| occupation = Actress
| citizenship = Egyptian
| education = Cairo University
| years_active = 1991–present
}}
Mona Ali Mohamed Zaki ({{langx|ar|منى علي محمد زكي}}; born 18 November 1976) is an Egyptian actress and producer.{{Cite news |title=منى زكى تثير الجدل بصورة "المحجبة" فى "تحت الوصاية" |language=ar |work=BBC News عربي |url=https://www.bbc.com/arabic/trending-64791903 |access-date=31 March 2023}}{{Cite web |date=26 March 2023 |title=بعد الهجوم عليها.. سر عدم عرض مسلسل "تحت الوصاية" لـ منى زكي - المصريون |url=https://almesryoon.com/Section_439/%D8%A2%D8%AE%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1/%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%87%D8%AC%D9%88%D9%85-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%87%D8%A7-%D8%B3%D8%B1-%D8%B9%D8%AF%D9%85-%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%B6-%D9%85%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%84-%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%84%D9%80-%D9%85%D9%86%D9%89-%D8%B2%D9%83%D9%8A_1338566 |access-date=31 March 2023 |website=almesryoon.com |language=ar}}
Early life and education
Mona Ali Mohamed Zaki was born in Cairo to her parents Ali Mohamed and Tahini Zaki on 18 November 1976. Her father was a university professor who held a number of international posts. After living in the United States, the UK and then Kuwait, Zaki returned to Cairo when she was thirteen. Since her Kuwaiti diploma was not accredited in Egypt and not accepted by any school, Zaki had some free time and auditioned on a whim for Bil 'Arabi Al-Fasih (In Formal Arabic), a play directed by Mohamed Sobhi. She got the role and put her schooling on hold until the end of the play's year-and-half run, at which point Zaki returned to the United States to enroll in a two-year program at the Heritage Academy in Louisiana. Upon returning to Cairo in 1993{{Cite web |title=Mona tells a story |url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts/mona-tells-a-story-1.532599 |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=The National |language=en}} she briefly attended the Institute of Dramatic Arts before enrolling at the Faculty of Mass Communication, Cairo University.{{Cite news |last=Shahine |first=Gihan |date=November 29, 2001 |title=Expressions of Sympathy |url=https://www.masress.com/en/ahramweekly/23661 |access-date=November 15, 2024 |work=Al Arham Weekly}}
Career
= 1990s =
In 1989, when she was 13, Zaki landed her first acting role in Mohamed Sobhi's play Bel Araby El Faseeh (In Formal Arabic) after answering a casting call.{{Cite web |date=2017-12-29 |title=Mona Zaki to be honored in 2nd Aswan Women Film Festival |url=https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/38788/Mona-Zaki-to-be-honored-in-2nd-Aswan-Women-Film |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=EgyptToday}} The production ran for a year-a-half. Her next role came in 1994 while a student at Cairo University, in her TV debut in El A'elah, (The Family), a Ramadan television series. She appeared in a succession of popular TV series in the '90s including Al Helmeya Nights in 1995; Zizinia (1997–2000); Ahalina (Our Kin) in 1997 and El Daw' El Sharid (The Stray Light)'' in 1998.
Her first film role was in the 1998 crime drama El Katl ElLaziz (Sweet Killing), starring Mervat Amin, one of Egypt's most popular actresses at the time. Other films followed including Idhak El Soura Titla' Hilwa (Smile, the Photo Comes about Better) (1998); Sa'idi fil Gam'a Al-Amrikiya (Upper Egyptian in the American University) (1998); Omar 2000, El Hobb El Awal (The First Love), and Leih Khallitni Ahibbak all of which were box office hits.
During this period, Zaki continued to take to the stage in several plays, including Le'b Eyal (Child's Play), Ya Messafer Wahdak, (Lone Traveler), and Afrouto.
= The 2000s =
The year 2000 was prolific for Zaki who starred in four movies including Mustafa Qamar in El Hobb El Awwal (First Love); Omar, opposite Khaled El Nabawy and her husband, Ahmed Helmy—the first of several films they would subsequently film together; Leh Khalletni Ahebbak (Why Did You Make Me Love You Too) again alongside Helmy and Karim Abdel Aziz.
In 2001 Zaki took on the role of Jehan Sadat in the biopic The Days of Sadat about Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, among that year's highest grossing films in Egypt. She was awarded the Egyptian Order of Cultural Merit for her portrayal.{{Cite web |title=Expressions of sympathy |url=https://www.masress.com/en/ahramweekly/23661 |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=Masress}} That same year she starred in the comedy Africano which was a box office success, grossing 8 million EGPhttps://www.albayan.ae/five-senses/2001-09-19-1.1127286 and her second in a series of collaborations with co-star Ahmad Al-Sakka. They starred again in the action film Mafia (2002) which was another commercial hit bringing in about 13 million EGP at the box office https://www.filfan.com/news/70024 In 2003 Zaki appeared in Hani Khalifa's feature debut Sleepless Nights (2003), a commercial and critical success, that pushed Egyptian social boundaries in addressing sex and marital issues. It has since become a cult classic in contemporary Egyptian cinema.https://www.madamasr.com/en/2017/07/14/feature/culture/egypts-cinematic-gems-sleepless-nights/{{Cite web |last=Koehler |first=Robert |date=2004-01-20 |title=Sleepless Nights |url=https://variety.com/2004/film/awards/sleepless-nights-2-1200536943/ |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=Variety |language=en-US}} Khalifa and Zaki would again collaborate in the 2024 box office hit Flight 404.
In 2007 she starred in Taymour and Shafika, once again opposite Al-Sakka, playing childhood sweethearts whose love is put to test when her character is appointed a minister and he is charged as her bodyguard. While a romantic comedy, the film aimed to show the serious challenges faced by modern-Egyptian women in balancing career ambitions with love and marriage.{{Cite web |last=Saleh |first=Yasmine |date=2007-07-01 |title=Taymour and Shafika, a modern-day Egyptian couple |url=https://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2007/07/01/taymour-and-shafika-a-modern-day-egyptian-couple/ |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=Dailynewsegypt |language=en-US}}
= The 2010s =
In 2016, starred in the Ramadan TV series Afrah El-Qoba (The Ooba Weddings) adapted from a novel by Naguib Mahfouz which garnered Zaki the Best Actress Murex D'Or.
In 2019, Zaki became the first female Egyptian actor to be honored with her own star at the Dubai Stars Walk of Fame in Dubai.{{Cite web |last=Abouchala |first=Nour |date=2021-11-18 |title=8 of Egyptian Actor Mona Zaki's Best Career Moments |url=https://en.vogue.me/culture/mona-zaki-best-career-moments/ |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=Vogue Arabia |language=en-GB}}
= The 2020s =
In April 2021, Zaki appeared in the mega hit Ramadan drama series Newton's Cradle playing a pregnant woman whose plans go awry when she travels to the United States to have her child born on American soil. Egypt's most watched television series of the year, it became a global hit after it was picked up by Netflix and released in January of 2022.{{Cite web |last=Mullally |first=William |date=2023-03-20 |title=The 45 most popular Ramadan series of all time |url=https://www.esquireme.com/brief/most-popular-ramadan-series-ever |access-date=2024-11-16 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=MaFt.co.uk |title=Leaving Netflix USA Soon: The drama series 'Newton's Cradle' (2021) : |url=https://usa.newonnetflix.info/info/81495763 |access-date=2024-11-16 |website=New On Netflix USA}}
In 2022, Zaki appeared in Netflix's first ever Arabic language film Perfect Strangers, a huge hit in North Africa and Middle East. A remake of the 2016 Italian film, the film proved controversial with many Egyptians in light of its depictions of sexuality, including homosexuality, and cursing. Particularly strong criticism was directed at Zaki, the sole Egyptian cast member and with the long-held image of "the girl next door."{{Cite web |last=Levitt1 Shapiro2 Bior 3 |first=Michael1 Ari2 Ayen3 |date=February 3, 2022 |title=How a new Netflix film exposed a simmering tension in Egyptian society |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/02/03/1077379012/netflix-egypt-perfect-strangers-mona-zaki |access-date=November 15, 2024 |website=NPR}}
In February 2023, Zaki appeared in the Ramadan series Taht El Wesaya (Under Guardianship), in the role of a widow with two children whose struggles after her husband’s death are amplified by the Egyptian Guardianship Law that privileges the parental grandfather or guardian rights over those of the mother. The popular series prompted calls for reforming Egyptian family law.{{Cite news |last=Bower |first=Edmund |date=2023-04-21 |title=Hit TV drama sparks calls for reform of Egyptian family law |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/apr/21/hit-tv-drama-sparks-calls-for-reform-of-egypts-oppressive-guardianship-law |access-date=2024-11-15 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}
In January 2024 Flight 404 was released in Egyptian theaters with Zaki in the starring role. The film was a regional box office hit and broke Egyptian box office records for a female-led film.{{Cite web |last=Vivarelli |first=Nick |date=2024-02-28 |title=Egyptian Women Empowerment Thriller ‘Flight 404’ Gets U.S., Europe Release After Scoring at MENA Box Office (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/global/egyptian-thriller-flight-404-us-europe-release-1235924998/ |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=Variety |language=en-US}} In October of that year the film was selected as the Egyptian submission for the Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards.
Also in 2024, Zaki appeared in Aserb: The Squadron, an Egyptian action film based on the actual events of the massacre of 21 Egyptian Copts in Libya and the ensuing Egyptian military operations against the responsible terrorists.{{Cite AV media |url=https://elcinema.com/en/work/2067013/ |title=Movie - Al Serb - 2024 Watch Online، Video، Trailer، photos، Reviews، Showtimes |language=en |access-date=2025-04-04 |via=elcinema.com}}
Later that year, an 18-minute preview of the El-Set (The Lady), a biopic of the iconic Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum with Zaki in the title role was shown at the Marrakesh International Film Festival.{{Cite web |date=2024-02-16 |title=Umm Kulthum Biopic: Mona Zaki To Star in The Film |url=https://www.harpersbazaararabia.com/culture/entertainment/umm-kulthums-biopic |access-date=2024-11-15 |language=en-US}} Directed by Marwan Hamed with a screenplay by Ahmed Mourad, the film is set for a June 2025 release in Egypt and several Gulf countries. {{Cite web |last=Belhiba |first=Meriem |date=2025-01-16 |title=New Egyptian Films to Watch in Cinemas in 2025 - MILLE WORLD |url=https://www.milleworld.com/new-egyptian-films-watch-cinema/ |access-date=2025-04-04 |language=en-US}}
== Production company ==
In January 2024 Zaki co-founded the production company, Her Story, with publishing entrepreneur May Abdel-Azim. The incubator program is aimed at supporting female Egyptian and Arab filmmakers. Its inaugural program funded 20 short films, and in late 2024, they established a sister chapter in Bahrain with the support of the Bahrain Ministry of Information and the Bahrain Film Festival.{{Cite web |title=HerStory Films Launches First Female-Focused Film Incubator in Bahrain |url=https://cairoscene.com/ArtsAndCulture/HerStory-Films-Launches-First-Female-Focused-Film-Incubator-in-Bahrain |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=CairoScene}} In March of 2025 Her Story's Egypt chapter opened applications for its second edition.{{Cite web |title=HerStory Films MENA Opens Submissions for Female Filmmakers in Egypt |url=https://cairoscene.com/buzz/herstory-films-mena-opens-submissions-for-female-filmmakers-in-egypt |access-date=2025-04-04 |website=CairoScene}}
Personal life
Mona is married to Egyptian actor Ahmed Helmy. They have three children: Lilly (born 2003), Selim (born 2014), and Younis (born 2016).
Philanthropy
Zaki has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2009 and in that capacity has appealed for donations surrounding regional events impacting children such as the 2020 Port of Beirut explosion or, in 2023, the conflict in Gaza. {{Cite web |last=Independent |first=Egypt |date=2020-08-18 |title=Egyptian star Mona Zaki launches charity campaign for Lebanese children |url=https://www.egyptindependent.com/egyptian-star-mona-zaky-launches-charity-campaign-for-lebanese-children/ |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=Egypt Independent |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2023-10-17 |title=UNICEF Egypt's Ambassador Mona Zaki Invites People To Donate To Children In Gaza |url=https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/127752/UNICEF-Egypt-s-Ambassador-Mona-Zaki-Invites-People-To-Donate#:~:text=UNICEF%20Egypt's%20Ambassador%20Mona%20Zaki%20invited,donate%20to%20children%20in%20Gaza.&text=Zaki%20is%20the%20quintessential%20star,women%20working%20in%20Egyptian%20cinema. |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=EgyptToday}} In 2010 she was a spokesperson for the Egyptian Springs of Life blood donation campaign conducted in cooperation with the World Health Organization.https://applications.emro.who.int/docs/message_2010_nov_13772.pdf{{Cite web |title=Muna Zaki ambassador for the “Fountains of Life” {{!}} Al Bawaba |url=https://www.albawaba.com/entertainment/muna-zaki-ambassador-%E2%80%9Cfountains-life%E2%80%9D |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=www.albawaba.com |language=en}}
Filmography
= Film =
class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style=font-size:100%
! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" | Title ! scope="col" | Original Title ! scope="col" | Role ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | {{abbr|Ref(s)|references}} | |
scope=row| 1997
|The Delicious Killing |El Atl el Laziz | Sherin | | | |
---|---|
scope=row rowspan="2"| 1998
|Upper Egyptian in the American University |Se'idi fi el Gam'a el Amrikiyya |Syadah | | |
Laugh, Picture Be Sweet
|Edhak El Sura Tetla Helwa |Tahani | | | |
scope=row rowspan="4" | 2000
|The First Love | El Hobb El Awwal | Ranya | | | |
Horseback Knight
| Fares Zahr el Khel |Zin | | | |
Why You Let Me Love You
| Leh Khalletni Ahebbak | Dalya | | | |
Omar 2000
| Omar 2000 |Bibo | | | |
scope=row rowspan="2" | 2001
|Ayyam Elsadat | | | |
Africano
| Africano | Gamilah | | | |
scope=row| 2002
| Mafia | Mafia |Maryam | | | |
scope=row rowspan="2" | 2003
|From Look Of Eye | Men Nazret En |Sarah | | | |
Sleepless Nights
| Sahar el Layali |Berihan | | | |
scope=row| 2004
|My Aunt France | Khalti Faransa |Battah | | | |
scope=row rowspan="2" | 2005
| Abu Ali | Abu Ali |Salma | | | |
Dreams Of Our Life
| Ahlam Omrena |Nada | | | |
scope=row rowspan="3" | 2006
| Blood Of Gazelle | Dam el Ghazal |Hanan | | | |
About Longing and Love
| 'An el sho' w el Hawa |Alya | | | |
Halim
| Halim | Nawal | | | |
scope=row| 2007
|Taymur and Shafi'ah | Taymur w Shafi'ah |Shafi'ah | | | |
scope=row rowspan="2" | 2009
|Scheherazade, Tell Me a Story |Ehki Ya Shahrzad | Hebah | | | |
Escaping Tel Aviv
| Welad El Am | Salwa | | | |
scope=row| 2011
|18 Yom | Mona | | | |
scope=row| 2016
|Men 30 Sanah | Hanan | | | |
scope=row|2020
|Black Box |El Sandu' el Eswed |Yasmin | |{{Citation |last1=Hamza |first1=Mohamed Nasser |title=The Black Box |date=28 October 2020 |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11570526/ |type=Crime, Thriller |access-date=28 December 2022 |last2=Kamel |first2=Mahmoud}}{{Cite web |last=Al-Youm |first=Al-Masry |date=19 October 2020 |title=Mona Zaki reurns to the big screen with 'The Black Box' after a four-year hiatus |url=https://egyptindependent.com/mona-zaki-reurns-to-the-big-screen-with-the-black-box-after-a-four-year-hiatus/ |access-date=28 December 2022 |website=Egypt Independent |language=en-US}} | |
scope=row|2022
|Ashab, Wala Aaz |Mariam |Netflix film | |
scope=row|2022
|El Ankabout |Laila | | | |
scope=row rowspan="2"|2024
|Rehla 404 |Ghada | | | |
Aserb: The Squadron
| | | |
= Series =
class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style=font-size:100%
! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" | Title ! scope="col" | Original Title ! scope="col" | Role ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Platform/Network ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | {{abbr|Ref(s)|references}} |
scope="row" |1994
|The Family |El 'Elah |Awatef | | |
---|
scope="row" |1995
|Nights of the Helmiyyah 5 |Layali el Helmiyyah 5 |Sonia | | |
scope="row" |1997–2000
|Zizinia |Zizinia | | | |
scope="row" |1997
|Our Kins |Ahalina | | | |
scope="row" |1998
|El Du el Shared | | | |
scope="row" |2002–2003
|Egyptian Goha |Goha el Masri | | | |
scope="row" |2006
|Cindrella |Cindrella | | | |
scope="row" |2007
|Critical Moments |Lahazat Haregah | | | |
scope="row" |2013
|Asia |Asia |Asia | | |
scope="row" |2014
|Equal 100 Man |Be 100 Ragel | | | |
scope="row" rowspan="2" |2016
|Saturday Night Live | Letet el Sabt mobasher |Guest | | |
Wedding of El'obbah
|Afrah El'bbah |Tahiat Abdeh | | |
scope="row" |2021
|Newton’s Game |Le’bet Newton | | | |
scope="row" |2023
|Under Guardianship | |Hanan | |
= Theatre =
class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style=font-size:100%
! scope="col" | Title !Original Title |
By Fluent Arabic
|B el 'Arabi el Fasih |
O Traveling Alone
|Ya Msafer Wahdak |
So Ok
|Kedah OK |
Demon
|Afrotto |
Awards and Distinctios
- 2017: Murex D’Or Best Actress (for the 2016 TV series Afrah El Qoba)
- 2020: Faten Hamama Award of Excellence, Cairo International Film Festival
- 2023: Best Actress Award (for Tahet El Wesaya series), Cairo Drama Festival
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons}}
- {{IMDb name}}
- {{instagram}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zaki, Mona}}
Category:Egyptian film actresses
Category:Egyptian television actresses
Category:Egyptian stage actresses
Category:20th-century Egyptian actresses