The Arab art scene mourned today the artist Soumaya Al-Alfi, who passed away at the age of 72 after a battle with illness, following her first love, the artist Farouk El-Fishawy, leaving behind a significant artistic legacy.
Soumaya Al-Alfi participated in a number of works classified as Egyptian icons; she was also the wife of the late artist Farouk El-Fishawy and the mother of their two sons, famous artist Ahmed El-Fishawy and Omar El-Fishawy.
Soumaya Al-Alfi was born on July 23, 1953, in Sharqia Governorate. She joined the Faculty of Arts, Department of Sociology, then studied acting, and started her artistic career during the 1970s through television and then theater.
Al-Alfi first appeared on the series "Mouths and Rabbits" alongside stars Mahmoud Yassin, Farid Shawki, and Faten Hamama, then participated in the play "Children of Ali Bummba" in 1976, and in the movie "The Bill, Miss," followed by successive works in cinema, theater, and television.
Among her most prominent dramatic works are: Ali Bey Mazhar and 40 Thieves, The White Flag, Gate of Halawani, Nights of Helmeya, Manshiyet El-Bakry, Al-Qaradati, We Have Other Statements, Another Chance for Love, A Dreamy Night series, which are considered icons of Egyptian drama.
Soumaya Al-Alfi excelled in presenting roles of the simple Egyptian woman, both as a mother and wife, without exaggeration, earning the admiration and engagement of the audience with her characters.
She met artist Farouq El-Fishawy during their studies at the Higher Institute of Theatrical Arts, and they got married and had Ahmed and Omar; she later married three more times, to composer Modie El-Emam, director Gamal Abdel Hamid, and singer Medhat Saleh.
In her later years, Soumaya Al-Alfi fought a long and difficult battle with illness after being diagnosed with a rare tumor in the spinal column identified as a type of rare cancer, and she underwent two surgical operations to remove the malignant tumor.
In a televised interview in 2021, Soumaya Al-Alfi spoke about experiencing 12 miscarriages before having her first child, explaining that each time she would name this child (Ahmed), and did not hesitate to give her child this name due to her deep love for it as it is the name of her brother and uncle," confirming that she was strong and confident that she would be able to give birth.
Recently, Al-Alfi appeared after a long absence; during the behind-the-scenes filming of the movie "The Serial Killer of El Tagamoa", which stars her son, artist Ahmed El-Fishawy, out of her commitment to support him.
