Culture Minister Helmi Namnam mourned on Sunday veteran actor Mahmoud Abdel Aziz, who passed away on Saturday at age of 70.

Abdel Aziz is an iconic Egyptian actor that enriched the life with his great talent that made him really a "magician", the minister said in statements.

He expressed his condolences to the family of the actor and to all Egyptians who lost one of their beloved artists.

Abdel Aziz was born in Wardeyan, Alexandria on 4 June 1946.

He graduated from the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at Alexandria University in the 1960s.

Abdel Aziz came to the limelight in the 1970s' TV drama Al Dawama (The Whirlpool) where he co-starred with renowned actors Nelly and Mahmoud Yassin.

In the 1980s, he rose to stardom with successful roles in movies such as El Aar (The Shame, 1982), El Keef (Addiction, 1985).

Abdel Aziz also captured millions of TV viewers' attention and admiration with his role as an Egyptian spy in Israel in the 1950s and the 1960s in the famous trilogy of Rafat El Haggan.

His other remarkable films include Kit Kat (1991) and Al-Saher (The Magician, 2001).

Throughout his decades-long career, Abdel Aziz starred in over 100 movies and numerous television series.

Abdel Aziz was married to Egyptian actress Poussy Chalabi.

He has two sons from his first marriage: Mohamed, a film producer and director, and Karim.

Source: MENA