Riad Sharara (also known as Reyad Sharara,

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: رياض شرارة) (1940 – September 24, 1994) was a Lebanese television presenter and sports commentator, journalist actor and author, known for his charisma and sense of humour. He is the father of the Lebanese music composer

Hadi Sharara Hadi Riad Sharara (or Hady Sharara, , born 1969) is a Lebanese music arranger, composer and producer. He is the son of the famous Lebanese television anchor Riad Sharara and the husband of the famous Lebanese singer of Carole Sakr. He has also ...

the husband of Carole Sakr.

Biography

Born in 1940 in

Machghara Machghara (), also spelled Mashghara, is a town in the Beqaa Valley of Lebanon, situated in the Western Beqaa District and south of the Beqaa Governorate. It lies just to the northwest of Sohmor and southwest of Lake Qaraoun, south of Aitanit and ...

, he was a professor of literature and philosophy in the secondary schools between Ras al-Nabaa,

Aley Aley () is a major city in Lebanon. It is the capital of the Aley District and fourth largest city in Lebanon. The city is located on Mount Lebanon, 15km uphill from Beirut on the freeway to Damascus. Aley has the nickname "Bride of the Summ ...

and Qab Elias. One day, a friend advised him to try his luck by applying to a Lebanese radio station, which was looking for new talents for their shows. In 1962, Riad Sharara prepared his first radio competition programs, Zero or Twenty (صفر أو عشرين) and Think and Win (فكر واربح) which lasted 12 years. Then he worked as a reporter for

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...

until he agreed to Jean Khoury’s offer and turned to political news on “ Lebanon TV”. While reading news about the election of a president of a Western country, he stumbled over his name, so he said on air, "As we congratulate him on his position, we do not congratulate him at all on his name." This incident was enough for the management to know that Riad's place is on talk shows and variety, the most famous of which is the dubbed

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

competition program Al-Hisn (''

Takeshi's Castle is a Japanese game show that aired between 1986 and 1990 on the Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS). It features the Japanese comedian Takeshi Kitano (also known as Beat Takeshi) as a count who sets up difficult physical challenges that players ...

'') that was broadcast in the 80's and 90's on Arab channels. He became popular on Television in the 90's after presenting a number of television game shows which were directed by Lebanese television director

Simon Asmar Simon Asmar (Arabic سيمون أسمر: Born in Ghazir, January 2, 1943 - September 11, 2019) was a Lebanese television director and producer, and the creator of Studio al-Fan (Art Studio), the famous and one of the Arab world's first star- ...

. He presented many games shows for many years with Mireille Mazraani. The duo kept Lebanese viewers entertained for hours on Friday nights. He had several acting experiences, including the series (Natour Al-Hara) in 1975. Riad Sharara's activity was not limited to radio and television, as he took over the editor-in-chief of "Telecinema (تليسنما)", the publication of which stopped during the

Lebanese civil war The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon. The religious diversity of the ...

. He also worked in the Al-Akhbar newspaper. He released poetic albums in which he mixed melody and word with his own voice, including Al-Sayida Habibati, Aasheq Bel Wilada, Aashiq Hata Al Shahada and Ala Dafater Aynayha. Riad Sharara died in 1994 at the age of 54 from a heart attack. Doctors misdiagnosed previous cardiac issues as less serious health issues, and he died during a performance on the LBCI channel.

Personal life

Riad is the father of music composer

, Ghadi Sharara, and daughter Nadine Sharara, who is known for her voice dubbing for Mexican television.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharara, Riad 1940 births 1994 deaths Lebanese television presenters People from Machghara

Biography

Personal life

See also

References