Biography

Allel El Mouhib (Arabic: علال المحب), born March 1, 1920, in Algiers, and died December 4, 1995, was an Algerian writer, actor, and director. He is particularly known for his roles in Algerian films from the 1960s to the 1980s. Allel El Mouhib began his career in a theater troupe of the Algerian Muslim Scouts. He was then noticed by the theater director Mahieddine Bachtarzi, who gave him roles in "El 'Abd El Abied" and later "Antil." In 1955, while in France, he trained in directing. He subsequently directed Sophocles' "Antigone," a play in which he also starred. Upon Algeria's independence in 1962, he joined the Algerian National Theatre as an actor and director, while simultaneously becoming a drama teacher at the Algiers Municipal Conservatory. Between 1963 and 1971, he directed several plays, including "Montserrat," "Akadib Sakrabane," and "El Machhah," based on Molière's "The Miser." He also adapted Federico García Lorca's "The House of Bernadette." On both the big and small screen, Allel El Mouhib appeared in films such as "Hassan Terro" (1968) by Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina, "La Voie" (1967) by Mohamed Slimane Riad, "Z" (1968) by Costa-Gavras, and "Les Enfants de Novembre" (1975) by Moussa Haddad. Allel El Mouhib passed away in Algiers on December 4, 1995, after a rich artistic career dedicated to Algerian and Arab theater and cinema.