Hind Rostom Biography

Hind Rostom (Arabic: هند رستم‎‎; November 12, 1926 – August 8, 2011) was one of the great icons in the golden era of Egyptian cinema. Her physical appearance earned her the name "Marilyn Monroe of Arabia". Born into an aristocratic Egyptian Turko-Circassian family, Hind Rostom starred in more than 80 movies throughout her career.

Rostom was born in the neighborhood of Moharram Bey, Alexandria, Egypt on November 12, 1929 to a middle-class Egyptian father of Turkish origin and an aristocratic mother. She started her career at the age of 16 with the film Azhaar wa Ashwak (Flowers and Thorns). Her first true success was in 1955 when the famous director Hassan Al Imam offered her a role in Banat el Lail (Women of the Night). Her famous films include Ibn Hamidu in 1957, Youssef Chahine's Bab El Hadid (Railway Station) with Farid Shawki in 1958, Salah Abu Seif's La Anam (Sleepless) with Faten Hamama, Omar Sharif, and Rushdy Abaza in 1958, Sira' fi al-Nil (Struggle in the Nile) with Omar Sharif and Rushdy Abaza in 1959, and Chafika el Koptia (Chafika the Coptic Girl) in 1963. Rostom was known as the queen of seduction in Egyptian cinema, and the "Marilyn Monroe of the East". She decided to retire acting in 1979 because she wanted the audience to remember her at her best.

Rostom once more turned down an offer of one million gineih (Egyptian pounds) for her biography in December 2002. The offer was made by an Egyptian satellite channel to portray her life as a drama series. She was asked to submit a complete history of her past achievements, and work experiences with prominent actors of the past, such as Farid Shawki, Faten Hamama, Yousif Shahin, Shukri Sarhan, and Shadia. The actress stated that she refused to sell her life as a means of entertainment and felt that her personal life was of her concern and no one else. Rostom made a statement when she turned down belly dancer Fifi Abdo's invitation to attend a party held in Hind Rostom's honour.

At the age of 81, Hind Rostom died on August 8, 2011, due to a heart attack after being hospitalised for a few hours in Mohandesseen, Cairo.

Filmography

• 1949: Ghazal El Banat (غزل البنات)
• 1950: Baba Amin (بابا أمين)
• 1954: El sittat maarfoush yiktibu
• 1955: El Gassad
• 1955: Banat el lail
• 1957: Inta habibi
• 1957: Ibn Hamidu
• 1958: Bab el hadid (باب الحديد)
• 1958: La anam
• 1958: Ismail Yasseen fi mostashfet al-maganin
• 1959: Siraa fil Nil
• 1960: Bayn el samaa wa el ard
• 1960: "Eshaeat Hob"
• 1963: Chafika el Keptia
• 1965: El Rahiba
• 1967: El khouroug min el guana
• 1971: Madrasatee al-hisnaa
• 1972: Wakr al-ashrar
• 1979: Hayati azaab

 Videos of Hind Rostom