Ismail Yasin
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Ismail Yasin (Arabic:اسماعيل ياسين) (September 15, 1915 – May 24, 1972) was an Egyptian actor specializing in comedy. He is famous for a series of films with his name. He is also credited as "Ismail Yasseen".
Ismail Yassin had a difficult childhood in Suez where he was born. His mother died at an early age and his father was jailed thus forcing him to leave school before completing his primary education. He worked as a parking valet to support himself.
He started his career as a monologue singer and headed for Cairo to join Badi'a Masabny's troupe. His break into the movie industry came when Fouad El-Gazaery gave him his first role in the movie "Khalf El-Habayeb" in 1939. He later joined Ali El-Kassar's troupe and started to gain widespread recognition eventually becoming one of most popular stars in the Arab world. A record 15 movies used his name in their titles to capitalize on his fame.
He was not particularly attractive but he had great control of his facial expressions and often made fun of his 'large mouth' in his films. His trademark gimmick was to act terrified bringing his wobbling knees together, stretching his shaking arms infront of him, stammering silently, and suddenly snapping out of his panic with a loud inhalation of air.
In the 1960s his health began to deteriorate and he moved to Lebanon where he participated in a number of films. He later returned to Egypt where he became heavily indebted. He died of a heart attack in 1972.