# Leila Mourad

Leila Mourad or Layla Morad (Arabic: ليلى مراد; born Lilian Zaki Ibrahim Mordechai; February 17, 1918 – November 21, 1995) was an Egyptian singer and actress, and one of the most prominent superstars in Egypt and the entire Arab world in her era.

## Life

Lilian Zaki Ibrahim Mordechai was born in the El Daher district of Cairo on February 17, 1918, to Zaki Mordechai (later Mourad) and Gamilah Ibrahim Roushou, the daughter of Ibrahim Roushou, a local concert contractor in the early 20th century who regularly booked Zaki Mourad to sing at concerts and wedding parties. Her parents were Jews of Syrian, Moroccan and Polish descent. Her father was a respected singer, musician, and religious Jewish cantor (Hazzan). One of her brothers, Mounir Mourad, was an actor and composer.
She made her first stage appearance, aged nine, at the Saalat Badi'a, one of Cairo's most successful Music Halls. The theatre had been founded in 1926 by the actress and dancer Badia Masabni, who became Mourad's patron. Her first film appearance, aged fifteen, was in the 1932 " Al-Dahaaya " (The Victims) which had originally been made as a silent film. Her song, The Day of Departure, was added as part of the transformation of the production into a "talkie".
She was trained by her father and Dawood Hosni, who was also Jewish. Hosni had composed the first operetta in the Arabic language, and he composed two songs for Leila: Hairana Leh Bein El-Eloub (Why can't you choose from among lovers), and Howa el dala'a ya'ani khessam (Does daliance mean avoiding me?). Further success came when the prominent Egyptian composer Mohammed Abdel Wahab heard her singing and gave her a role in his film Yahia el Hob (Viva Love!) in 1938. In the six years following the success of Yahia el Hob she made five best selling films with director Togo Mizrahi, becoming Egypt's top actress. In 1945 she made Layla Bint al-Fuqara ("Layla, daughter of the poor") directed by Anwar Wagdi whom she married shortly after. She went on to make a further 20 films of which the most outstanding is Ghazel el-Banat ("The Flirtation of Girls"), also directed and co-starring Wagdi. It also featured Nagib al-Rihani and Abdel Wahab in their last appearances on film.
In 1953, she was selected, over Umm Kulthum, as the official singer of the Egyptian revolution. Shortly thereafter, a rumor that Mourad had visited Israel, where she had family, and donated money to its military, raised suspicions of spying and caused some Arab radio stations to boycott her. She denied these allegations . No proof was found that she had contributed money to Israel's military; the Egyptian government investigated and concluded that the charges against the singer were without foundation.
Her decision to retire, aged 38, came with the failure of her last film, Al Habib al Majhoul (The Unknown Lover), the banning of her song, With Unity, Order, and Work, praising the Free Officers 1952 revolution and the outbreak of the 1956 war. Despite the immense popularity of her films her singing career was over-shadowed by Um Kulthum who dominated Egypt's musical landscape and, in 1949, had become president of the Musicians' Union. In the early 1950s other singers also popular with younger audiences, such as Abdel al Halim Hafez, did not get the same exposure on the radio as Um Kulthum.
Leila Mourad's relationship with her family was not an easy one, possibly due to money. She didn't change her name and religion on her identity card . Between 1967 and 1970, hundreds of Egyptian Jewish males were deported to the prisons of Abu Zaabal and Tora, including one of Leila's brothers, Isak Zaki. Families of the detainees were allowed to visit beginning in 1968, and some noted that Leila was never seen visiting her brother.
Leila Mourad made a few brief reappearances during Ramadan in 1970, when she was scheduled to read Salah Jaheen's "Fawazeer Ramadan" (Ramadan' puzzles), a daily traditional radio program held during the Holy month of Ramadan.
Leila Mourad died in a Cairo hospital in 1995.

## Marriages

Leila Mourad married actor Anwar Wagdi in 1945, over the objection of her father; she divorced him in 1953, giving the reason that she was not fully aware of the seriousness of Wagdi's polycystic kidney disease, which made him constantly irritable and difficult to live with. In 1955, she secretly married Wagih Abaza and gave birth to Ashraf Wagih Abaza; they divorced the following year. Mourad married film director Fatin Abdel Wahab in 1957 and gave birth to their son Zaki Fatin Abdel Wahab in 1961; they divorced in 1969.

## Works

Almost all of Laila Mourad's most popular songs are from her musical films.
* "Yama Arak El-Nasim" (How Calm the Breeze is) from Yahya El-Hob (1938)
* "Ghany Ya Tair" (Sing, Bird) from Laila Bint Madares (1941)
* "Meen Yishtary El-Ward Minni" (Who Will But Flowers From Me?) from Laila (1942)
* "El-Habib" (The Lover) from Laila (1942)
* "Hagabt Noorak Anny" (You've Hidden Your Light From Me) from Laila (1942)
* "Elli fi Albo Haga Yis'alny" (Whoever Has Something In Their Heart, Tell Me) from Laila, Daughter of the Poor (1945)
* "Leila Gameelah" (What a Beautiful Night!) from Laila, Daughter of the Poor (1945)
* "Ehna El-Etnein" (The Two Of Us) from Laila, Daughter of the Poor (1945)
* "Monaya fi Korbak" (I Wish to be By Your Side) from Al-Madi Al-Majhoul (1946)
* "Enta Sa'ida" (Good Day) from Alby Dalili (1947)
* "Edhak Karkar" (Laugh and Chuckle) from Alby Dalili (1947)
* "Alby Dalili" (My Heart is My Guide) from Alby Dalili (1947)
* "Sa'alt Aleh" (I Asked About Him) from Anbar (1948)
* "Dous Al-Donya" (Step on the World) from Anbar (1948)
* "Etmakhtary Ya Kheil" (Trot, My Horse) from Ghazal El-Banat (1949)
* "El Hob Gameel" (Love Is Beautiful) from Ghazal El-Banat (1949)
* "Abgad Hawaz" (The ABC's) from Ghazal el-Banat (1949)
* "Einy Betref" (My Eye Wanders) a duet with the Egyptian actor "Naguib AlRaihani", from Ghazal El-Banat (1949)
* "El Donya Ghenwa" (The World is a Song) from Ghazal el-Banat (1949)
* "Ya Msafer W Nasy Hawak" (Traveller, You Have Forgotten Your Heart) from Shati' Al-Gharam (1950)
* "El-Maya Wel Hawa" (The Water and the Wind) from Shati' Al-Gharam (1950)
* "Ya Aaz Min Einy" (Dearer Than My Eyes) from Shati' Al-Gharam (1950)
* "Hakak Alaya" (It's My Fault) from Habib Al-Rouh (1951)
* "Es'al Alaya" (Ask About Me) from Al-Hayat Al-Hob (1954)
* "Otlob Enaya" (Ask for my Eyes) from Al-Hayat Al-Hob (1954)
* "Leh Khaletni Ahebbak" (Why Did You Let Me Love You) from Al-Habib Al-Majhoul (1955)
* "Bil Nizam Wal-Amal Wal-Etihad" (With Order, Work, and Unity) (1953) An anthem for the Egyptian Revolution that was commissioned by the new government led by President Mohamed Naguib. This song was banned when Gemal Abdelnasser ousted Naguib.
* "Sanatein W Ana Ahayel Feek" (For Two Years I've Waited For You)
Laila Mourad has starred in 27 film between 1938 and 1955. This list does not include her appearance in El-Dahaya (The Victims) (1935) in which she only recorded songs for the film, but did not actually appear in it.
| Name | English Translation | Co-Star | Release Date | Director |
| Yahya El-Hob | Viva Love! | Mohammed Abdel Wahab | January 24, 1938 | Mohammed Karim |
| Fi Laila Momtera | On a Rainy Night | Youssef Wahbi | October 12, 1939 | Togo Mizrahi |
| Laila Bint Elreef | Laila the Village Girl | Youssef Wahbi | January 2, 1941 | Togo Mizrahi |
| Laila Bint Madares | Laila the Schoolgirl | Youssef Wahbi | October 16, 1941 | Togo Mizrahi |
| Laila | Laila (Dame of the Camelias) | Hussein Sidky | April 2, 1942 | Togo Mizrahi |
| Laila fil Zalam | Laila in the Dark | Hussein Sidky | February 24, 1944 | Togo Mizrahi |
| Shohada'a Al-Gharam | Martyrs of Love | Ibrahim Hammouda | October 19, 1944 | Kamal Selim |
| Laila Bint El-Foqara'a | Laila, Daughter of the Poor | Anwar Wagdi | November 5, 1945 | Anwar Wagdi |
| Laila Bint El-Aghniya | Laila, Daughter of the Rich | Anwar Wagdi | October 28, 1946 | Anwar Wagdi |
| Almadi Almajhoul | Unknown Past | Ahmad Salem | April 8, 1946 | Ahmad Salem |
| Darbat Al-Qadr | Stroke of Luck | Youssef Wahbi | January 13, 1947 | Youssef Wahbi |
| Khatem Suleiman | Suleiman's Ring | Zaki Rostom | February 17, 1947 | Hassan Ramzy |
| Shadiat Al-Wady | Songstress of the Valley | Youssef Wahbi | April 7, 1947 | Youssef Wahbi |
| Alby Dalili | My Heart is My Guide | Anwar Wagdi | October 6, 1947 | Anwar Wagdi |
| Alhawa Wal Shabab | Love and Youth | Anwar Wagdi | January 5, 1948 | Niazi Mostafa |
| Anbar | Amber | Anwar Wagdi | November 1, 1948 | Anwar Wagdi |
| Al-Majnuna | The Madwoman | Mohamed Fawzi | January 31, 1949 | Helmy Rafla |
| Ghazal al-Banat | The Flirtation of Girls | Naguib el-Rihani | September 22, 1949 | Anwar Wagdi |
| Shati' Al-Gharam | The Shore of Love | Hussein Sidky | February 20, 1950 | Henry Barakat |
| Adam wa Hawa'a | Adam and Eve | Hussein Sidky | May 7, 1951 | Hussein Sidky |
| Habib Al-Rouh | Soulmate | Anwar Wagdi | October 8, 1951 | Anwar Wagdi |
| Ward Al-Gharam | Flowers of Love | Mohamed Fawzi | December 10, 1951 | Henry Barakat |
| Min Al-Qalb Lal-Qalb | Heart to Heart | Kamal el-Shennawi | February 26, 1952 | Henry Barakat |
| Sayidat Al-Qitar | Lady of the Train | Yehia Chahine | August 28, 1952 | Youssef Chahine |
| Bint El-Akaber | Daughter of the Great | Anwar Wagdi | February 9, 1953 | Anwar Wagdi |
| Al-Hayat Al-Hob | Life is Love | Yehia Chahine | April 5, 1954 | Seifeddine Shawkat |
| Al-Habib Al-Majhoul | The Unknown Lover | Hussein Sidky | May 23, 1955 | Hassan Al-Saify |

## Legacy

The Ramadan television series " Ana Albi Dalili " (named after one of her songs), about the life of Leila Mourad, debuted in 2009. It is an Egyptian production headed by Syrian director Muhamad Zuhair Rajab. Jordanian actress Safa Sultan plays Leila Mourad. Egypt's Ahmed Falawkas portrays Anwar Wagdi. Ezzat Abou Aouf, an Egyptian actor, portrays Zaki Mourad and Egyptian actress Hala Fakher portrays Miriam, the aunt of Leila Mourad.