Acting

Asia Kamal

Born 1 November 1961 · Baghdad, Iraq · 65

Asia Kamel was born in the 1960s. Her father was involved in politics, and was a member of the Kurdish party. He was artistically inclined due to the fact that he was a photographer. He worked in the government’s Department of Iraqi Dates. Asia’s mother, whose name is Sadiqa Mohamed Amin, worked as a make-up artist in the Public Institution of Cinema and Theater. She left that position and opened her own hair salon. Asia’s acting career began in school theater. She was still a student in middle school when she appeared on stage with Iraqi theater legends in the play “Gilgamesh," directed by Samy Abel Hamid. Afterwards, Asia’s drama teacher suggested that she act in TV drama. She began with the seven-part series The Absent Returns (1979), directed by Adel Taher. Asia’s acting career extended over three decades throughout which she was very successful. Of her most famous dramatic works include The Traveller, Wolves of the Night, Ice in the Time of Fire, The Depths of the Alleys, and Remnants of Love. She also appeared in 11 films and 13 plays. Her most famous stage performance was in The Height of Love, written by Felah Zaki and directed by Fadil Khalil, as well as in the play The Shrines of Abu Samra. She married the director Felah Zaki after the series The Traveller, which Zaki directed. Zaki and Asia had children together, but they got divorced. Asia then married writer and director Basil Shabeeb.