Youssef Wahbi

Youssef Wahbi was born into an Egyptian family, from the Fayoum region.renowned in Egypt (and, particularly, in the other Arab lands) are Yusuf Wahbi and his confederates...He was born in a well-to-do Egyptian family of Egyptian origin from Al Fayoum region.{{citation|title=Sada El Balad : Nogoum FM commemorates 35 death anniversary of Youssef Wahbi|url=https://en.com/print.aspx?id=2352723|year=2017|publisher=Sada Al-Balad|quote=Youssef Wahbi was born into an Egyptian family of Turkish origin...|access-date=30 November 2017}} He was named after the place where he was born, Bahr Yussef and his father worked as an inspector in the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation.{{cite web|date=16 October 2014|title="يوسف وهبى" ابن محافظة الفيوم الذي عشق الفن وترك "البشوية".. بدأ التمثيل من "سوهاج" وعمل "مصارعًا" حتى طرده والده.. تتلمذ على يد الإيطالي "كيانتوني".. وارتقى بالمسرح العربي حتى لُقب "عميدًا له" - بوابة فيتو|url=https://www.vetogate.com/Section_3/%D8%A8%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%AA%D8%A8%D9%88%D9%8A%D8%A8/%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%B3%D9%81-%D9%88%D9%87%D8%A8%D9%89-%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%86-%D9%85%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B8%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B0%D9%8A-%D8%B9%D8%B4%D9%82-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D9%86-%D9%88%D8%AA%D8%B1%D9%83-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%B4%D9%88%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A8%D8%AF%D8%A3-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%85%D8%AB%D9%8A%D9%84-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%B3%D9%88%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%AC-%D9%88%D8%B9%D9%85%D9%84-%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B9%D8%A7-%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%89-%D8%B7%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%87-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D9%87-%D8%AA%D8%AA%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B0-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D9%8A%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D9%8A%D8%B7%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A-%D9%83%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AA%D9%88%D9%86%D9%8A-%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AA%D9%82%D9%89-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%AD-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A8%D9%8A-%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%89-%D9%84%D9%82%D8%A8-%D8%B9%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%A7-%D9%84%D9%87_1278659|website=www.vetogate.com|language=ar}}

In 1926, Turkish filmmaker Vedat Örfi Bengü approached Wahbi to play the role of the Prophet Muhammed in a European film which would be financed by the Turkish government and a German producer.{{citation|last=Shohat|first=Ella|year=2009|chapter=Sacred Word, Profane Image: Theologies of Adaptation |title=Cinema and Politics: Turkish Cinema and The New Europe|editor-last=Bayrakdar |editor-first=Deniz|publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing|isbn=978-1443804158|pages=17}} Whilst the President of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and the Istanbul council of ulamas gave their approval to the film, the Islamic Al-Azhar University in Cairo published a juridical decision stipulating that Islam forbids the representation of the prophet and his companions. Thereafter, King Fouad warned Whabi that he would be exiled and stripped of his Egyptian citizenship if he took part in the film. Consequently, the film was later abandoned.{{citation|last=Armes|first=Roy|year=2008|chapter=Orfi, Wedad|title=Dictionary of African Filmmakers|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=978-0253351166|page=105}}

Wahbi started acting in the golden age of the Egyptian Cinema in 1932,{{cite news|date=21 July 2020|title=كيف سابق يوسف وهبى الزمن ليدخل التاريخ من أوسع أبوابه؟.. اعرف الحكاية|work=Youm7|url=https://www.youm7.com/story/2020/7/21/%D9%83%D9%8A%D9%81-%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%82-%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%B3%D9%81-%D9%88%D9%87%D8%A8%D9%89-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B2%D9%85%D9%86-%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%AE%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%AE-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A3%D9%88%D8%B3%D8%B9-%D8%A3%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%87/4888543}} he has also starred in several plays which he translated into many languages due to his fluency in English, French, and Italian, along with his native Arabic tongue. He played many roles that were different and unusual for both Egyptian film and plays. He once played the Devil and he later on wanted to play Muhammad but the media and Al-Azhar University, the authoritative institution on Sunni Islam, were opposed to the idea and he was forbidden from going through with it.{{cite book|author=Alessandra. Raengo & Robert Stam |title = A Companion To Literature And Film |url=https://archive.org/details/companiontoliter00stam |url-access=registration |publisher = Blackwell Publishing |year = 2004|isbn=0-631-23053-X |pages=[https://archive.org/details/companiontoliter00stam/page/31 31]}}

He is one of the most respected and beloved artists of all time in the Cinema of Egypt and several French and English companies tried to save his movies by reissuing them again.

He died in 1982 at the age of 80 in Cairo, Egypt, sick with arthritis and with a fractured pelvis. He was survived by his wife.

Even though he came from a very rich family, throughout his career and life his focus was the film industry.{{cite news|date=17 October 2019|title=يوسف وهبى ابن باشا عاش حياة الملوك والصعاليك|work=Youm7|url=https://www.youm7.com/story/2019/10/17/%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%B3%D9%81-%D9%88%D9%87%D8%A8%D9%89-%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B4%D8%A7-%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%B4-%D8%AD%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%84%D9%88%D9%83-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B5%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%83/4462681}}{{cite news |title=في ذكرى وفاته.. معلومات لا تعرفها عن يوسف وهبي |url=https://alwafd.news/%D8%AB%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%A9-%D9%88%D9%81%D9%86/3250603-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%B0%D9%83%D8%B1%D9%89-%D9%88%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%87-%D9%85%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%88%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%84%D8%A7-%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%B1%D9%81%D9%87%D8%A7-%D8%B9%D9%86-%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%B3%D9%81-%D9%88%D9%87%D8%A8%D9%8A |work=Al-Wafd}}

{{Commons category|Youssef Wahbi}}

{{Reflist}}

• [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950CE4D8143BF93BA25753C1A964948260 "Youssef Wahby Dead at 84; Dean of the Egyptian Stage"], The New York Times, October 17, 1982.
• [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0906234/ Youssef Wahbi] at IMDb

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Category:1898 births

Category:1982 deaths

Category:People from Faiyum Governorate

Category:Egyptian male film actors

Category:Egyptian television actors

Category:Egyptian film directors

Category:Egyptian film producers

Category:Egyptian male stage actors

Category:20th-century Egyptian artists

Category:20th-century Egyptian male artists

Category:20th-century Egyptian male actors