Lebanon mourned the comedic actor Abdullah Hamsi, who passed away today, Tuesday, at the age of 86. Hamsi was famous for his character "Doweik" and formed one of the most popular comedic television troupes with artist Salah Tizani, known as the "Abu Slim Al-Tabl" troupe. The late actor spent over 60 years working in television, theater, and cinema, bringing smiles and laughter to the faces of Lebanese people.
He was a Lebanese actor born in 1937 in Tripoli, Lebanon, and was one of the greatest comedy actors, managing to leave a mark in the viewers' memories. He began his career with the Abu Slim Al-Tabl troupe. Since he was five years old, he had a passion for art and sports, especially bodybuilding, winning the North Championship in 1955. He also engaged in swimming, earning a medal in a competition from Qalamoun to the field, which took three and a half hours. His hobbies included fishing, both on land and at sea, playing backgammon, and exploring folklore and heritage. Additionally, he learned swordsmanship and shield techniques and followed Lebanese Zajal (a form of oral poetry).
His artistic journey began at the age of fifteen as a theater actor in the Artistic Scouts troupe led by artist Salah Tizani. He later contributed to the establishment of a troupe called "Comedia Lebanon" in 1957, where he began performing while not leaving his role in the "Jaraah Scouts" troupe. After three years with "Comedia Lebanon," he became a professional artist with "Channel 7" on Lebanese television, appearing as Asaad Al-Qaroui.
In 1966, artists Aouni Al-Masri and Abdul Karim Omar prepared a work at Al-Freer Theater in Tripoli and advised the troupe members to move to Lebanese television. The troupe was accepted and began performing live under the name "Abu Slim Al-Tabl." The troupe consisted of 27 actors, with notable characters including Abu Slim, Asaad, Fahman, Derbas, Shukri, Jamil, and Abu Nasra.
In 1960, he established a folk arts troupe that showcased a select number of young talents and presented numerous works primarily at the Cultural Association Theater in Tripoli and other theaters. He offered more than 1700 hours of television content, over sixty plays, and for his radio works, he reached 3000 episodes. He also participated in more than 15 feature films, most notably "Bint Al-Haris" and "Safar Barlek" by Henry Barakat, starring Fairuz, in addition to taking part in various festivals such as the Tripoli Citadel Festival, which began in 1969, and Baalbek Festivals.
Abdullah participated in nearly all the television works presented by his wife Huda's brother Salah Tizani (Abu Slim), and in "My Dear Marwa," starring Samira Baroudi, "The Avenger" by Ihsan Sadiq, "Love Stories" by Antoine Ghindour, and the series "Sah Al-Nawm" with artist Dureid Lahham, as well as "Doweik Ya Doweik," directed by Basem Nasr, and the series "Malh Ya Bahr," written by Marwan Al-Abd. His radio works included "Diyouk Al-Hayy Allah Ma'ak" written by Farouk Al-Ahdeb and Jalal Al-Rafai, "Qahwa Murra Ya Iskandar," in addition to several works by George Yamin, Yaqoub Al-Shadrawe, and Antoine Ghindour, and recently, he presented "Al-Nas Ajnas."
