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| Hussein Fahmy, UNDP Goodwill Ambassador for the Arab States |
Riz Khan interviews the man who has been the blue-eyed boy of the Arab movie industry, literally and figuratively, for nearly 35 years.
As a UNDP Goodwill Ambassador for the Arab States, Hussein Fahmy has also been a strong advocate for the needy both at home and around the region.
Born in Cairo to an Egyptian father and German mother, Hussein Fahmy studied film in his homeland and then at the University of California.
He had wanted to be a director, but his striking good looks had producers pushing him in front of the camera as soon as he returned to Egypt in the 1960s.
One of Fahmy's biggest hits was in 1972, in a movie called Khali Balak Min ZuZu - Take Care of Zuzu.
The intelligent and charming actor now has more than 150 movies under his belt, along with dozens of plays and television series.
Fahmy was also chosen to preside over the prestigious Cairo International Film Festival which he did for four years while still acting.
In many of his roles he tackled important social issues including poverty, drug abuse, family planning, gender inequality, and childhood disability, so he was a natural choice in 1998 to be the first Goodwill Ambassador from the Arab world for the UNDP.
It is a role he uses to highlight poverty and Aids in the region.