Leila Mourad

At 77 years old, Leila Mourad physical status not available right now. We will update Leila Mourad's height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, and measurements.

Leila Murad (February 17, 1918 – November 21, 1995) was an Egyptian singer and actress who was one of Egypt's most influential figures in the Arab world in her time.

Born Lillian Zaki Mourad Mordechai to a Jewish family in Cairo's El Daher District, she later changed her name to Leila Murad as a stage name.

Leila Leila married three times and converted to Islam in 1947.

Life

Leila Mourad was born on February 17, 1918 to Zaki Mourad and Gamilah Roushou, the daughter of Ibrahim Roushou, a local concert promoter in the early 20th century who regularly hired Zaki Mourad to perform at concerts and wedding receptions. Her father was a respected singer, guitarist, and a religious Jewish cantor (Hazzan). Mounir Mourad, one of her siblings, was an actor and composer.

She appeared at the Saalat Badi'a, one of Cairo's most popular Music Halls, for her first stage appearance, aged nine. Badia Masabni, an actress and dancer who became Mourad's patron, founded the theatre in 1926. She made her first film appearance in the 1932 "The Victims" film, which had been made as a silent film. The Day of Departure, her song, was included in the production's rebirth as part of the production's transformation into a "talkie."

She was educated by her father and Dawood Hosni, who was also Jewish. Hosni had written the first operetta in Arabic, and he had written two songs for Leila: Hairana Leh Bein El-Eloub (Why can't you choose from among lovers?) and Howa el dala's khessam (Does daliance mean avoiding me?). When popular Egyptian composer Mohammed Abdel Wahab heard her singing and gave her a leading role in his film Yahia el Hob (Viva Love) a success. In 1938, a man was arrested in 1938. She made five best selling films with director Togo Mizrahi in the six years since Yahia el Hob's popularity, becoming Egypt's top actress. Layla Bint al-Fuqara ("Layla, mother of the poor") was directed by Anwar Wagdi, who married shortly after. She went on to make a further 20 films of which the most notable is Ghazel el-Banat ("The Flirment of Girls"), which also directed and co-starring Wagdi. In their last film appearances, Nagib al-Rihani and Abdel Wahab appeared together.

She was chosen in 1953 over Umm Kulthum as the Egyptian revolution's official singer. A rumors that Mourad had visited Israel, where she lived, and gave money to the army, boosting suspicions of espionage and prompted several Arab radio stations to ban her. These charges were denied by the woman. No evidence was found that she had contributed to Israel's military; the Egyptian government prosecuted the allegations against the musician, finding that the allegations against her were unfounded.

Age 38, she decided to resign after the failure of her last film, Al Habib al Majhoul (The Unknown Lover), the banning of her music, With Unity, Order, and Work praised the 1952 revolution and the 1956 war. Despite the widespread success of her films, Um Kulthum, who ruled Egypt's musical landscape and, in 1949, was elected president of the Musicians' Union. Other singers in the early 1950s, as well as Abdel al Halim Hafez, did not have the same exposure on the radio as Um Kulthum.

Leila Mourad's family was not a happy one, perhaps due to money. On her identity card, she didn't change her name and religion. Hundreds of Egyptian Jewish males were arrested to Abu Zaabal and Tora between 1967 and 1970, including one of Leila's brothers, Isak Zaki. Families of the prisoners were allowed to visit beginning in 1968, and some said Leila was never seen visiting her brother.

Leila Mourad appeared in Ramadan for a few brief times during Ramadan (Ramadan's mysteries), a daily traditional radio station broadcast during the Holy Month of Ramadan.

In 1995, Leila Mourad died in a Cairo hospital.

Source