Leila Al Jazairia
Leila Al Jazairia (Arabic: ليلى الجزائرية; August 6, 1927 – April 15, 2026) was an Algerian singer and actress.
Biography
Leila Al Jazairia was born Leïla Hakim in Oran, Algeria, in 1927.[1][2][3]
As a singer, she was initially discovered by the Algerian artist Mahieddine Bachtarzi and began her career in her home country.[2] She then spent time performing in Paris, where she was noticed by the Egyptian singer Farid al-Atrash.[2] In the early 1950s, she traveled with his encouragement to Egypt, where she gained prominence as a singer and actress.[1][2] It was there that she adopted the stage name Leila Al Jazairia.[1][2]
Her film career began in 1952, when she appeared in Atrash's film Ayza Atgawwez ("I Want to Get Married").[2][4] In 1953, she was featured alongside Kamal el-Shennawi in the film The Unwilling Doctor, then performed again with Atrash in his 1954 film Lahn hubi.[2] While her brief career as an actress came to an end after that, she had played a notable role in the "golden age" of Arab musical filmmaking.[1][2]
Al Jazairia then met and married the Moroccan soccer star Abderrahmane Mahjoub, after which she stepped away from the spotlight.[1][2] They settled for many years in Paris, where they ran a restaurant for a period, and were together until his death in 2011.[1][3][5] She died in 2026 at age 97, at home in Casablanca.[1][2]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Faraj, Ouiam (2026-04-15). "Décès de l'artiste Leila Al Jazairia à l'âge de 97 ans". SNRT News (in French). Retrieved 2026-05-02.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Kamal, Iman (2026-04-16). "رحيل ليلى الجزائرية.. "اكتشاف فريد الأطرش" الذي خلدته السينما المصرية". Al Jazeera (in Arabic). Retrieved 2026-05-02.
- 1 2 "بعد وفاتها.. من هي الفنانة ليلى الجزائرية وأشهر أعمالها؟". Al Khaleej (in Arabic). 2026-04-16. Retrieved 2026-05-06.
- ↑ Chenouda, Samar (2023). "La satire dans 'Ayza atgawwiz de Ġāda 'Abd al-'Āl". Complexus (in French). 1 (1).
- ↑ Bnou-Nouçaïr, Radouane (2011-09-18). "Décès de Abderahman Belmahjoub. L'Adieu au Prince". Groupe Atlas Media (in French). Retrieved 2026-05-02.