Fatma Turkan Shawkat ( ar, فاطمة توركان شوكت), better known by her stage name Hala Shawkat ( ar, هالة شوكت), was a Syrian actress. She was one of the leading actresses of

Syrian cinema Syrian cinema has existed since the early 20th century. The first Syrian film was ''Al Muttaham al Baree (The Innocent Suspect)'', released in 1928. Since the early 1960s, the film sector has been mainly managed by the National Organization for C ...

in the mid-1950s and 1960s. Shawkat also appeared in films in

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , religi ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...

, and

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

Life and career

Shawkat was born in

Daraa Daraa ( ar, دَرْعَا, Darʿā, Levantine Arabic: , also Darʿā, Dara’a, Deraa, Dera'a, Dera, Derʿā and Edrei; means "''fortress''", compare Dura-Europos) is a city in southwestern Syria, located about north of the border with Jord ...

, Syria, to a family of

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

origin. She gained her first film role in

where she acted alongside

Omar Sharif Omar Sharif ( ar, عمر الشريف ; born Michel Yusef Dimitri Chalhoub , 10 April 193210 July 2015) was an Egyptian actor, generally regarded as one of his country's greatest male film stars. He began his career in his native country in the ...

and

Samia Gamal Samia Gamal ( ar, سامية جمال, born as Zaynab Khalil Ibrahim Mahfuz, 5 March 1924 – 1 December 1994) was an Egyptian belly dancer and film actress. Biography Born in the small Egyptian town of Wana in March 1924, Samia's family move ...

in the 1959 film ''Mao'ed Maa' Al Majhoul'' ("Date With The Unknown"). Shawkat also starred alongside other renowned Egyptian actors such as

Salah Zulfikar Salah El Din Ahmed Mourad Zulfikar ( ar, صلاح ذو الفقار; ; 18 January 1926 – 22 December 1993) was an Egyptian actor and film producer. He started his career as a police officer in the Egyptian National Police, before becoming an ac ...

Mahmoud Yacine Mahmoud Yassin ( ar, محمود ياسين; 19 February 1941 – 14 October 2020) was an Egyptian actor. He was an iconic actor in both Egyptian cinema and television, portraying dramatic, psychological and romantic roles. Career Yassin studied l ...

and

Nadia Lutfi Nadia Lutfi or Nadia Loutfi ( ar, نادية لطفي; born Poula Mohamed Mostafa Shafiq ( ar, بولا محمد مصطفى شفيق); 3 January 1937 – 4 February 2020) was an Egyptian actress. During the apex of her career, she was one of the ...

, such as her role with Salah Zulfikar in the 1973 film Z''ekra Lailat Hubb'' ("

Memory of a Night of Love Memory of a Night of Love (Arabic: ''ذكري ليلة حب'', French: ''Souvenir d'une Nuit d'Amour'', translit: ''Thikra Laylat Houbb'' or ''Zekra Lailat Hubb'') is a 1973 Syrian film starring Salah Zulfikar, Nelly and Nabila Ebeid. The film is ...

"). Upon returning to Syrian, she worked with a number of Syrian directors and participated in several plays, including the famous play ''Cheers Nation'' alongside Duraid Lahham. In her later career she starred in numerous soap operas and radio programs. Shawkat died at the age of 77.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shawkat, Hala Syrian people of Turkish descent People from Daraa 1930 births 2007 deaths 20th-century Syrian actresses