Muna Wassef (also spelled Mona Wasef) (Arabic: منى واصف; born February 1, 1942) is a Syrian stage, film and television actress. She is also a United NationsGoodwill ambassador.[1] She is an icon in the Arab world and the Middle East. Wassef is credited for acting alongside Salah Zulfikar at the prime of her career in Memory of a Night of Love (1973). Wassef had become the highest-paid actress in the Arab World since the end of the 1970s until the year 2000; now she is one of the highest-paid actresses. Wassef is the first Syrian woman to receive the Syrian Order of Civil Merit–Excellent Degree in 2009.[2][3] Mona Wassef is most known internationally for starring in Al Hayba with Taim Hasan, streaming on Netflix. [4]
When she was 15 she worked as a cotton candy (Ghazl Al Banat) seller in the streets of Damascus. By the age of 16, she worked as a women's clothes saleswoman for one of Syria's most famous fashion designers at that time, and when she turned 17 she was already working as a fashion model for the same designer, at the same time becoming a popular folk dancer in a group called Omaya.[5]
Education
Although Wassef did not finish high school, she educated herself and learned to present the majority of her works in Standard Arabic. She studied masterpieces of world literature, Quranic Tajwid and Tartil, and reciting poetry.
She traveled to East Germany in 1973 where she took acting courses at the Brecht theater. Working with the Syrian Military Theater allowed her to develop her acting skills further.
Early career
In 1960, Wassef submitted herself for a contest in which they chose actresses for the Military theater, which was part of the Syrian Ministry of Defense. She worked and learned there for about 2 years. In 1963 she married the Army GeneralMuhammad Shahin, who was a film director as well. She worked in the symposium of Art and Thought which was sponsored by Dr. (Rafeq Al Sabagh) in presenting Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice in 1963.
In 1964 she joined the Group for Dramatic Arts and starred in stage productions of the National Theater: productions such as Molière's Don Juan. This signaled the beginning of a very important stage in her career.[6]
Theater career
In theater, Muna Wassef, has starred in more than 25 plays by Arab and international playwrights. Her first play was Al Etr Al Akhdar wics. After that, she performed several plays in the Military Theatre inside the military units including:
The Merchant of Venice
Al Khajool Fe Al Kasr
Al Aamaqby (Makseem Agorky)
Donjuan
Mawta Bela Goubour
Tartuffe
Al Zeer Salem
Al Madnasa
Hekayat Hob
Al Masa Al Mutafaela
Oedipus
Al Mufatish Al Am
Haram Mali Al Wazeer
Film career
Muna Wassef (second from right ) among the cast of Al-Resala (The Message)
In film, Wassef has done more than 30 films, including:
Muna stars in Seraa Ala El Remal. The television series stars actors from the Arab world including Taim Hasan, Saba Mubarak, Hasan Awaytti and Bassel Khayat and is directed by Hatem Ali and written by Hany El-Saady. The series is a major TV production. It was produced by Dubai Media Incorporated. Its estimated cost is over $6 million. So far it is the most expensive Arabic TV production ever, and it was released in September 2008. The series, which is based on the vision and poetry of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is a Bedouin epic that takes place in the Persian Gulf Bedouin desert at the beginning of the 18th century.
Ramadan 2009
In Ramadan 2009 Muna Wassef takes over the Arab television. She stars in 4 huge productions. The main one is the most watched TV show in the Arab World ever, Bab Al Hara. She plays the role of a Christian woman who leads the female revolution in Damascus.
Radio career
Muna Wassef presented some works in Radio as :
Demashq Ya Nasmat Hozn.
Rohy Hayati.
Jazerat Al Marah.
Muna and the short story program which was aired weekly.
In addition to so many poetic evenings and programs.
Personal life
Muna Wassef, and her late husband military general and Film Director Muhammad Shahin, their son Ammar Abdulhamid and his wife Khawla.
Wassef has two younger sisters, Haifa and Ghada, who are also actresses. She was married to the late Syrian film DirectorMuhammad Shahin, and together they formed one of the Arab world's most popular celebrity couples. They have one son Ammar Abdulhamid, who lives in the United States, Washington, D.C., with his wife Khawla, daughter Oula (b. 1986) and son Mouhanad (b. 1990), both work in the public policy and humanitarian aid fields.
Currently, Wassef divides her time between her artistic career and her interest in issues pertaining to the emancipation of women in the Arab world.
muna, wassef, also, spelled, mona, wasef, arabic, منى, واصف, born, february, 1942, syrian, stage, film, television, actress, also, united, nations, goodwill, ambassador, icon, arab, world, middle, east, wassef, credited, acting, alongside, salah, zulfikar, pri. Muna Wassef also spelled Mona Wasef Arabic منى واصف born February 1 1942 is a Syrian stage film and television actress She is also a United Nations Goodwill ambassador 1 She is an icon in the Arab world and the Middle East Wassef is credited for acting alongside Salah Zulfikar at the prime of her career in Memory of a Night of Love 1973 Wassef had become the highest paid actress in the Arab World since the end of the 1970s until the year 2000 now she is one of the highest paid actresses Wassef is the first Syrian woman to receive the Syrian Order of Civil Merit Excellent Degree in 2009 2 3 Mona Wassef is most known internationally for starring in Al Hayba with Taim Hasan streaming on Netflix 4 Muna WassefBornMuna Mustafa Wassef Jelmran 1942 02 01 February 1 1942 age 80 Damascus SyriaNotable workHind bint UtbahHeight5 8SpouseMuhammad Shahin m 1963 died 2004 wbr ChildrenAmmar AbdulhamidAwardsThe Syrian Order of Civil Merit Excellent Degree Contents 1 Background 2 Education 3 Early career 4 Theater career 5 Film career 6 Television career 7 Ramadan 2008 8 Ramadan 2009 9 Radio career 10 Personal life 11 Awards 12 References 13 External linksBackground EditWhen she was 15 she worked as a cotton candy Ghazl Al Banat seller in the streets of Damascus By the age of 16 she worked as a women s clothes saleswoman for one of Syria s most famous fashion designers at that time and when she turned 17 she was already working as a fashion model for the same designer at the same time becoming a popular folk dancer in a group called Omaya 5 Education EditAlthough Wassef did not finish high school she educated herself and learned to present the majority of her works in Standard Arabic She studied masterpieces of world literature Quranic Tajwid and Tartil and reciting poetry She traveled to East Germany in 1973 where she took acting courses at the Brecht theater Working with the Syrian Military Theater allowed her to develop her acting skills further Early career EditIn 1960 Wassef submitted herself for a contest in which they chose actresses for the Military theater which was part of the Syrian Ministry of Defense She worked and learned there for about 2 years In 1963 she married the Army General Muhammad Shahin who was a film director as well She worked in the symposium of Art and Thought which was sponsored by Dr Rafeq Al Sabagh in presenting Shakespeare s The Merchant of Venice in 1963 In 1964 she joined the Group for Dramatic Arts and starred in stage productions of the National Theater productions such as Moliere s Don Juan This signaled the beginning of a very important stage in her career 6 Theater career EditIn theater Muna Wassef has starred in more than 25 plays by Arab and international playwrights Her first play was Al Etr Al Akhdar wics After that she performed several plays in the Military Theatre inside the military units including The Merchant of Venice Al Khajool Fe Al Kasr Al Aamaqby Makseem Agorky Donjuan Mawta Bela Goubour Tartuffe Al Zeer Salem Al Madnasa Hekayat Hob Al Masa Al Mutafaela Oedipus Al Mufatish Al Am Haram Mali Al WazeerFilm career Edit Muna Wassef second from right among the cast of Al Resala The Message In film Wassef has done more than 30 films including Memory of a Night of Love 1973 Another Face of Love 1973 al Yazirli 1974 The Adventure 1974 The Opposite Direction 1975 The Message 1976 The Red The White and the Black 1976 Heroes are Born Twice 1977 Photo Relics 1979 Fragments UN RESTE D IMAGES 1980 Sun on a Hazy Day 1986 7 Something is Burning 1993 The Sea 1994 Al Sadeqan Al Les Al Zareef Maqlab Men Al Makseek Emrah Taskn Whdaha Zekra Laylit Hob Al Ahmar Wa Al Abyad wa Al Aswad Al Etejah al Moakes Al Taleb Al Bazerki Baqaya Swar Al Shams Fe Yawm Ghaem Ah Ya Bahr Shaya Ma Yahtareq The Shadows of Silence 2007 Menahi 2008 8 Al Hayba The Movie 2022 9 In 1974 Syrian American film director Moustapha Akkad chose her to play the role of Hind in the Arabic version of his movie Al Risalah Mohammad Messenger of God which helped her achieve international recognition with Anthony Quinn and Irene Papas in the English version Television career Edit Muna Wassef attended the 2009 Doha Tribeca Film Festival Every year Wassef stars in at least two or three TV series She has done more than 200 series including Hejrat Al qoulob Ela Al qoulob Ez Eddin Al Qassam Asad Al Warraq Al Zeer Salem Dalila Wa Al zaibaq Al Khansaa Saray Beomm Ayni Zaman Al Hob Arhal Wahidan Asiy Al Dama Hekayat Shahrazad Al Akhera Aqba Ben Nafea Al tareq Jawaher Layali Al Salhia Bukra Ahla The End of a Brave man The Sun Rises Again 2004 Salheaya Nights 2004 Mothers 2005 Hard Tears 2005 Tomorrow will be Better 2005 Speaking Border 2005 Al Zahir Baibars 2005 The Best Days 2006 Little Projects 2006 People of love 2006 A Yard 2006 The story of love 2007 The neighborhood s Gate 2 2007 Seraa Ala El Remal Wars on Sand 2008 Alhoot The Whale 2008 The neighborhood s Gate 4 2009 Zaman Al3ar 2009 The Neighborhood s Gate 5 2010 Alweladah Min Alkhaserah Rejalek ya sham Omar bin Khattab 2012 Imam Alfuqaha Tahoon Alshar Alweladah Min Alkhaserah Al Hayba part I 2017 Al Hayba Al Awda Part II 2018 Al Hayba Al Hasaad Part III 2019 Al Hayba Al Rad Part IV 2020 Ramadan 2008 EditMuna stars in Seraa Ala El Remal The television series stars actors from the Arab world including Taim Hasan Saba Mubarak Hasan Awaytti and Bassel Khayat and is directed by Hatem Ali and written by Hany El Saady The series is a major TV production It was produced by Dubai Media Incorporated Its estimated cost is over 6 million So far it is the most expensive Arabic TV production ever and it was released in September 2008 The series which is based on the vision and poetry of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is a Bedouin epic that takes place in the Persian Gulf Bedouin desert at the beginning of the 18th century Ramadan 2009 EditIn Ramadan 2009 Muna Wassef takes over the Arab television She stars in 4 huge productions The main one is the most watched TV show in the Arab World ever Bab Al Hara She plays the role of a Christian woman who leads the female revolution in Damascus Radio career EditMuna Wassef presented some works in Radio as Demashq Ya Nasmat Hozn Rohy Hayati Jazerat Al Marah Muna and the short story program which was aired weekly In addition to so many poetic evenings and programs Personal life Edit Muna Wassef and her late husband military general and Film Director Muhammad Shahin their son Ammar Abdulhamid and his wife Khawla Wassef has two younger sisters Haifa and Ghada who are also actresses She was married to the late Syrian film Director Muhammad Shahin and together they formed one of the Arab world s most popular celebrity couples They have one son Ammar Abdulhamid who lives in the United States Washington D C with his wife Khawla daughter Oula b 1986 and son Mouhanad b 1990 both work in the public policy and humanitarian aid fields Currently Wassef divides her time between her artistic career and her interest in issues pertaining to the emancipation of women in the Arab world Awards Edit Muna Wassef and Ban Ki Moon Among the many honors and awards that Wassef has received The Syrian Order of Merit Excellent Degree 2009 10 1 The Achievement Award ASMA Foundation represented by Ban Ki Moon 2010 Al Fateh Medal Libya The Ghassan al Kanafani Medallion Life Achievement Al Ataa Award 1999 2 Life Achievement Award Alexandria International Film Festival 2008 3 Life Achievement Award International Arab Film Festival in Oran 2008 4 And many other awards received in Tunisia Libya Jordan Lebanon and Syria Muna is often invited to Arab countries every year to lecture and attend festivals seminars and conferences including Damascus International Film Festival 5 Archived 2010 02 05 at the Wayback Machine Dubai International Film Festival 6 Cairo International Film Festival 7 Festival International du Film Arab Oran International Arab Film Festival in Oran 8 Middle East International Film Festival Doha Tribeca Film Festival 9 The Theater Festival in Syria The Sharja Theater Festival The Arab TV Festival in Bahrain Carthage Cinema Days the Tunisian film festival Wikimedia Commons has media related to Muna Wassef References EditThis article includes a list of general references but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations April 2009 Learn how and when to remove this template message http www encyclopedia com doc 1P1 23988215 html dead link Mustafa Qutiba First Syrian Woman to receive the Syrian Order of Merit Retrieved 2013 11 12 SANA President al Assad Syrian Drama Embraces National and Pan Arab Principles Archived from the original on 2013 11 12 Al Hayba IMDb Al Ataa Awards Archived from the original on 2017 10 10 Retrieved 2008 04 20 Syrian stars receive first Al Ataa awards Middle East the Find Articles at BNET Archived from the original on 2008 06 28 Retrieved 2008 05 09 Movie Reviews The New York Times December 6 2019 People from Syria سيرة منى واصف الذاتية Archived from the original on 2008 10 19 Retrieved 2008 04 20 Al Hayba 2022 President al Assad Syrian Drama Embraces National and Pan Arab Principles Syrian Arab news agency SANA Syria Syria news Archived from the original on 2011 10 04 Retrieved 2009 11 25 External links EditMona Wassef at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Muna Wassef amp oldid 1127029365, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
