Egyptian actor Samir Sabri dies at age 85

The actor, singer and TV host had a storied career

Egyptian actor Samir Sabri in 2016 at the 9th Muscat International Film Festival in Oman. AFP

Prominent Egyptian actor and entertainer Samir Sabri has died aged 85 after a prolonged illness, Egypt's Syndicate of Artists said on Friday.

In a statement on its Facebook page, the syndicate mourned the late actor.

In February, Sabri revealed that he was to undergo acute heart surgery after a year-and-a-half of chemotherapy to treat cancer.

Speaking to TV host Amr Adib of MBC Masr TV channel at the time, Sabri appealed for help with his medical treatment.

In response, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi instructed that the state bear the costs of Sabri's treatment, in recognition of the actor's contributions to Egyptian arts.

Sabri was born in Alexandria in 1936 and graduated from Alexandria University.

Besides his work as an actor and entertainer, Sabri worked as a TV host. He presented the Egyptian radio programme At Your Request in English.

In the popular Egyptian TV programme Al Naady al-Dawly (The International Club), he interviewed famous Egyptian and Arab artists.

Sabri moved into film in the late 1950s and his first appearance was alongside the well-known radio star Amal Fahmy in Hekayet hub (Love Story), a 1959 movie starring Abdel Halim Hafez and Maryam Fakhruddin.

He performed in more than 150 films and television series. Sabri's main roles include movies such as Bint min el banat (A Girl Among Girls) in 1968, Hekayty Ma Al Zaman (My Story with Life) in 1973, Wa Belwaleden Ehsana (Have Pity on Your Parents) in 1976 and Doaa El-Mazlomeen (The Prayer of the Ill-Treated) in 1977.

He also worked with veteran Egyptian comedian Adel Imam and actress Mervat Amin in Al-bahth an fadiha (Search for a Scandal) in 1973.