About Youssef Chahine
Youssef Chahine (Arabic: يوسف شاهين [ˈjuːsɪf ʃæˈhiːn]; 25 January 1926 – 27 July 2008) was an Egyptian film director. He was active in the Egyptian film industry from 1950 until his death in 2008. He directed twelve films included in a list of Top 100 Egyptian films published by the Cairo International Film Festival. As a winner of the Cannes 50th Anniversary Award (for lifetime achievement), Chahine was credited with launching the career of actor Omar Sharif. A well-regarded director with critics, he was often present at film festivals during the earlier decades of his work. Chahine gained his largest international audience as one of the co-directors of 11'9"01 September 11 (2002). When asked about his childhood and early interest in cinema, Chahine said:"At the age of Eight, I discovered that 9.5mm films and projectors were being sold in stores. Out of the 200 students that attended, only thirteen took the final examination, and only four passed, with Chahine ranking first. Chahine directed his first feature film in 1950, Baba Amin (Daddy Amin) at the age of 23, two years before the Egyptian revolution of 1952 that saw the overthrow of the monarchy and the rise of the charismatic leader Gamal Abdel Nasser. A winner of the Cannes 50th Anniversary Award, Chahine was credited with launching the career of actor Omar Sharif.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.