Camelia (actress)

Camelia (Arabic: كاميليا‎), born Lilian Victor Cohen was an Egyptian actress. She was born on December 13, 1919 and died on August 31, 1950.[1]

Camelia
Camelia during the 1940s
Born
Lilian Victor Cohen

(1919-12-12)December 12, 1919
Alexandria, Egypt
DiedAugust 31, 1950(1950-08-31) (aged 30)
Egypt
NationalityEgyptian
OccupationActress
Years active1947-1950

Biography

Camelia was born in Alexandria[2] to either a Greek Jewish or a French father (many stories differ on this subject) and an Egyptian Catholic mother of Italian origin. Despite her Jewish surname, Camelia presented herself as a Christian.[1] She was discovered by director Ahmed Salem who cast her in her first film in 1946 at the age of 27..[1][3]

As a beautiful socialite in the high society of Alexandria, she loved partying. Events surrounding her and her high-society relationships frequently appeared in the tabloids. In particular, gossip surrounding her relationships was often associated with that of Farouk of Egypt.[1][2][4]

Camelia was killed in the crash of TWA Flight 903 in 1950 when she was 31 years old. The accident added to the fame and mystery surrounding her image. Her wild lifestyle and tragic death are often compared to that of Marilyn Monroe. Conspiracy theories and speculation about espionage, especially in the context of Israel were also widespread in Egypt, but nothing has ever been proven. Despite a short career, she gained a place in the memory of Egyptian and Arab audiences and left a mark in the films that are still shown all over the Arab world. Famed Egyptian director Atef Salem dedicated his film, "Barefoot on a Golden Bridge" to her.[3][2][4]

Selected Films
  • 1947: The Red Mask (el Qinâ el ahmar)
  • 1947: All Song (el Kol yeghanî)
  • 1948: Fetna (Fitnah)
  • 1948: A woman’s Imagination (Khayal Imra’ah)
  • 1949: Dazed Souls (Arwâh hâînah)
  • 1949: Such are Women (el Sitât Kida)
  • 1949: El Bahlawan Street (Châri el Bahlawan)
  • 1949: The Penny Owner (Sâhibat el malalim)
  • 1949: Midnight (Nos el layl)
  • 1949: My Child (Waladî)
  • 1949: The Murderer (el Qatilah)
  • 1950: A Woman of fire (Imraah min Nar)
  • 1950: Dad is Groom (Bâbâ ‘aris)
  • 1950: Full Moon (Qamar arba ‘tachar)
  • 1950: The Millionaire (el Millionair)
  • 1950: Mind is a Blessing (el ‘ Aql zînhah)
  • 1950: Last Lie (âkhir kedbah)
  • 1950: Cairo Road (El Tariq ela el Qâhirah)

References
  1. "Camelia, AlexCinema". www.bibalex.org. Retrieved 2017-11-14.
  2. Talhami, Ghada Hashem (2013). Historical Dictionary of Women in the Middle East and North Africa. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9780810868588.
  3. "A brief history of Israeli espionage in Egypt". Cairo Post. 2014-02-21. Retrieved 2017-11-14.
  4. Abou-Sabe', Farouk Hashem; Morad (2014-05-29). Farida, the Queen of Egypt: A Memoir of Love and Governance. AuthorHouse. ISBN 9781491871737.
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