Youssef Mansour (

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 ...

: يوسف منصور) is an Egyptian martial artist, actor, producer, and director best known for his

martial arts films Martial arts films are a subgenre of action films that feature martial arts combat between characters. These combats are usually the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often are a method of storytelling and character expression a ...

. Born in Cairo, he trained in the style of

Kung-fu Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to c ...

in China and America before embarking on a film career. He entered the Egyptian film industry by chance when he met director Ibrahim Afifi and was offered his first role in the movie ''El Agooz Wil Baltagi'' ("The Old Man and the Thug") in 1989. He became famous in the 1990s for starring in Egyptian films that relied on martial arts, such as ''Qabdet El Hilaly'' ("El Hilaly's Fist") in 1991, ''El Shares'' ("The Fierce") in 1992, and "Desert Cat" in 1995.

Early life and education

Youssef Mansour was born in

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

in 1966. He immigrated to the US with his family when he was nine years old. He decided to study psychology and trained in the style of

in China and America.

Career

His first role in an Egyptian film was as a mute person in ''El Agooz Wil Baltagi'' ("The Old Man and the Thug") (1989), due to his difficulty speaking the Arabic language, as he lived in the US from his childhood until the age of 34. Mansour became famous in the 1990s for his Egyptian films that relied on martial arts, such as ''Qabdet El Hilaly'' ("El Hilaly's Fist") and ''El Shares'' ("The Fierce"). In 2001, he presented his last film ''Badr'', which he wrote, produced and directed, and co-starred with Miss Egypt 1999, Angie Abdalla. Mansour is a fan of American

action film The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...

s. He believes the future of Egypt lies in its ability to promote a new face to revive wilting tourism and an unfavorable international image, instead of ancient civilizations and historical treasures. In 2003, it was revealed that he would produce and star in ''Triple I'', an action-packed drama that revolves around a good-looking rescue team of seven women and three men, who will – following the pattern of such adventure-based shows – chase criminals and save lives. "I loved ''

Baywatch ''Baywatch'' is an American Drama (film and television), drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz ...

'' and decided it was a good vehicle to promote many things in modern Egypt, to show beautiful beaches and the reefs, our underwater treasures," Mansour said regarding the series.

Personal life

Mansour has a daughter, Monika Youssef Mansour, who is an athlete and sportswear designer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mansour, Youssef Living people Egyptian martial artists 21st-century Egyptian male actors Egyptian film directors Male actors from Cairo Year of birth missing (living people)