Leila Mourad

Leila Mourad
Born	17 February 1918
Origin	Cairo, Egypt
Died	21 November 1995 (aged 77)
Genres	Egyptian classical
Occupations	Singer, Actor
Years active	1930s-1950s

Leila Mourad (Arabic: ليلى مراد‎; February 17, 1918- November 21, 1995) was an Egyptian singer. She is also credited as "Laila Mourad" and "Layla Mourad".

Life

She was born in Al Daher, Cairo in February 17, 1918 to an Iraqi Jewish father, Ibrahim Zaki Mordachi, a famous religious cantor (Hazzan), singer and musician in the twenties, and to a Polish Jewish mother, Gamilah "Salmon" who gave birth to Mourad, Ibrahim, Malak, Mounir and Samihah. Her brother Mounir Mourad was an Egyptian actor and composer.

Egyptian composer Dawood Hussnei, who composed the first Operetta in the Arabic language, helped her start her career by composing two songs: "Hairana Leh Bein El-Eloub" (Why can't you choose from among lovers), and "Howa el dala'a ya'ani khessam" (Does daliance mean avoiding me?). Further success came when the prominent Egyptian composer Mohammed Abdel Wahab heard her singing and gave her a role in his film Yahia el Hob (Viva Love!) in 1938.

In 1953, she was selected, over Umm Khulthum, as the official singer of the Egyptian revolution. Shortly thereafter, a rumor that Murad had visited Israel and donated money there, placed her as a suspect of spying and made some Arab radio stations boycott her. She denied these allegations and she was called for judicial investigations. All along, she maintained her innocence, declaring, "I am an Egyptian Muslim".^[1]

No proof was found that she had visited or contributed money to Israel. The Egyptian government concluded that the charges against the singer were without foundation.^[2] The Egyptian public continued to love her. The religious commitment of actresses, singers, and dancers are not taken seriously by Egyptians. President Nasser insisted that Syria end their boycott of Leila Mourad's songs and films, and the Syrians complied.^[3]

Leila Murad died in a hospital in Cairo in 1995.

Family and Marriages

Leila's relationship to her family was complicated. Leila Mourad married Anwar Wagdi (1947-1954). They were married and divorced three times. Leila gives the reason for her divorces as the fact that she was not fully aware of the seriousness of Wagdi's disease and hence his irritability. Later she married Waguih Abaza, and then film director Fatin Abdul Wahab and she gave birth to their son Zaki Fatin Abdul Wahab, and finally divorced in 1969..

Works

Layla with Youssef Wahbi in one of her movies

Her famous songs include:

• "Yama Arak el nasim"
• "Ya msafer we nassi hawak"
• "Albi dalleli"
• "leeh khaletni ahebak"
• "Elmaya we el hawa"
• "Ya aaz mn Ainy"
• "Sanaten wana ahayel feek"
• "Etmakhtary".
• "El Hob Gameel".
• "Monaya fi Korbak"
• "Abgad Hawaz".
• "Einy Betref", a duet with the Egyptian actor "Naguib AlRaihani".

Her movies include:

• Sayedat al-Qitar (Lady on the Train), 1953.
• Ward el gharam (Flowers of Love), 1952.
• Ghazal Al Banat (Flirtation of Girls), 1949.
• El Hawa wal chabab (Love and Youth), 1948.
• Darbet el kadar (The Blow of Fate), 1947.
• Qalbi dalili (My Heart is My Guide), 1947.
• Khatem Suleiman (Solomon's Ring), 1947.
• Leila bint el agnia (Leila, Daughter of the Rich), 1947.
• Leila bint el fukara (Leila, Daughter of the Poor), 1946.
• El Madi el maghoul (The Forgotten Past), 1946.
• Shadia al wadi (The Singer in the Valley), 1946.
• Leila fil zalam (Leila in the Shadows), 1944.
• Leila, bint al-madaress (Leila, the Schoolgirl), 1942.
• Laila, ghadet el camelia (Leila, Lady of the Camelias), 1942.
• Shuhaddaa el gharam (Romeo and Juliet), 1942.
• Leila, bint el rif (Leila, the Girl from the Country), 1941.
• Laila momtera (Stormy Night), 1940.
• Yahya el hub (Long Live Love), 1938.

See also

• History of the Jews in Egypt

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Leila Mourad

References

External links

• Laila Mourad at the Internet Movie Database.
• Laila Mourad Video Music Clips
• Lists of Egyptians
• ليلى مراد