Ahmed Ezz is one of the most prominent stars of modern Egyptian cinema. Throughout his career he has been able to deploy his charm, talent, charisma, skill, and dedication to his craft. This year, Ezz received the Faten Hamama Award for Excellence at the Cairo Film Festival, a testament to his enduring impact on Arab cinema.
Born on July 23, 1971 in Cairo, Ezz’s journey into film started with a career in modeling, which he believed would serve as a stepping stone to his ultimate dream of acting. Despite initial setbacks and minor roles in films like A Fish & 4 Sharks (1997) and Kallam Al Layl (1998), he kept going, until a breakthrough came in 2001 when director Inas El-Degheidy cast him as the lead in Mozakarat Moraheqa (Memoirs of a Teenager). The film’s bold exploration of themes like love and sexuality and El-Degheidy’s vision put Ezz on track as a promising talent in Egyptian cinema. He later participated in a romantic comedy Sana Oula Nasb (First Year of Deception) in 2004.
Ezz’s career has been marked by significant collaborations with remarkable directors and producers who enabled him to overcome the ‘handsome boy’ box. In a masterclass that was held during the Cairo Film Festival, he credited several directors for helping him captivate the hearts and minds of Egyptian audiences.
Since 2005, he has become a major star at the Egyptian box office. One of his pivotal films, Malaki Iskandareya (Private Alexandria, 2005), directed by Sandra Nashaat, was a major turning point when the well-made, slow-burn thriller became a hit at the box office. The film’s success and the acclaim it got from critics pushed Ezz into stardom. He collaborated again with Nashaaat in El-Rahinah (The Hostage, 2006), where he delivered a gripping performance in a European-style thriller shot partly in Ukraine.
In another hit, the action-espionage thriller Masgoun Transit (Transit Prisoner, 2008), he shared credit with the late veteran actor Nour El-Sherif. In 2010 he took the role of a Bedouin drug dealer in Al-Maslaha (The Stuff) with Ahmed Al-Saqqa.
Ezz’s forays into television has also been met with acclaim. In Abu Omar Al-Masry (2018), he portrayed a lawyer-turned -militant, exploring the roots of extremism. His performance was widely praised, solidifying his reputation as a versatile actor capable of tackling complex roles.
Ezz also participated in the wave of nationalist films and TV series featuring uplifting and thrilling stories, either about the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict or about counterterrorism, both popular topics at the box office. In The Cell (2017), he played the role of a special forces police officer chasing an extremist, and in Al-Mammar (The Passage, 2019), he portrayed an Egyptian commando during the War of Attrition. The film, directed by Sherif Arafa, was a box-office success, grossing nearly 75 million Egyptian pounds.
He then starred in Weland Rizk, a crime trilogy which became a cultural phenomenon in Egypt. Chronicling the lives of four brothers entangled in crime, the franchise’s second part broke records, grossing over 100 million pounds. The third part, supported by Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, has already generated buzz for its high budget and gripping storyline.
Another milestone was Kira and El-Gin (2022), in which Ezz starred alongside Karim Abdel Aziz. Set against the backdrop of Egyptian resistance during the British occupation, the film became the third highest-grossing Egyptian film, earning nearly 120 million pounds. This commercial success allowed the film to be screened in the Rotterdam International Film Festival as part of the Limelight program, which is dedicated to screening the blockbuster films of the year.
Over nearly 20 years, Ezz has consistently showed his ability to play different characters and embrace a variety of roles across genres, from comedy, action and drama to thrillers and historical epics. His career is marked by a commitment to push creative boundaries and work on complex characters.
