Leon Angel

Leon Angel (15 May 1900 – 12 July 1973), was an Egyptian actor who was best known in the 1930s. Leon appeared in a series of Muslim–Jewish buddy films in which he played a comic Jewish character. Among Jews of Egypt involved in the Egyptian cinema industry, Leon was the only Jewish star to headline an Egyptian movie playing a Jewish character. Leon later immigrated to Australia, where he participated in founding the first Sephardic synagogue in Australia. Leon was born on 15 May 1900, in Alexandria, Egypt to Olga Piperno and Victor Angelou, of Greek-Jewish descent. His father smuggled hashish along the Nile and left his family impoverished, so Leon had to work to support his family from a young age. Leon had no prior acting experience when he began collaborating with Togo Mizrahi in 1930 on a script for a feature film about the dangers of drug use. Leon drew on his family's experience in writing the script. The film Cocaine, The Abyss premiered in Alexandria, Egypt on 19 November 1930. Leon debuted his signature character, Chalom, in the silent film 05001 (1932), directed by Mizrahi. Chalom was Jewish and poor—trying to make ends meet with itinerant jobs, such as selling lottery tickets or operating a food cart. The characterization of Chalom as a member of the working classes appealed to Egyptian audiences who frequented third-tier cinemas. Chalom also represented Egyptian Jewish nativeness at a time of uncertainty for Jews of Egypt. In The Two Delegates (1934), and Mistreated by Affluence (1937), Chalom bumbled through the farcical plot with a Muslim sidekick named 'Abdu. Through their depiction of Chalom and 'Abdu's friendship and the close relations depicted between other Jews and Muslims, these films advocated for a culture of coexistence. Leon also directed two films in which he...