Rania Youssef Biography

Rania Youssef was born on December 1, 1973 in Cairo, Egypt. While her father Sayed Youssef worked as an officer, her mother worked as a flight attendant. Rania was enrolled at ‘St. Clair School,’ from where she graduated high school. She then attended ‘Cairo University’ to pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature. After completing her education, Rania started working as a fashion designer in clothing companies. She then chose to work in showbiz as a model and went on to appear in a couple of print ads. She made her acting debut in 1993, when she was cast in a film titled ‘The Punishment.’ In 1997, she took part in ‘Miss Egypt’ contest and ended up winning the third place. Rania then started appearing in television series, such as ‘Khan Al-Qandeel.’ She received her big breakthrough in 2004, when she was cast in three television series, namely ‘Al Qarar Al Akher,’ ‘Batta Wa Akhwatuha,’ and ‘Moataqal Al-Hob.’ After spending a couple of quiet years, Rania Youssef earned roles in multiple television shows in 2008. In the same year, she returned to the big screen by appearing in the Sameh Abdelaziz-directed film ‘Cabaret.’ In the following years, Rania was seen in multiple projects, including the 2010 film ‘Alzheimer's.’ The film also starred some of Egypt’s most prominent actors like Adel Emam and Nelly Karim. In 2010, Rania played a major role in a television series titled ‘Ahl Cairo.’ In 2011, she starred in a couple of feature films, including ‘Wahed Saheh,’ in which she played a gynaecologist. Rania Youssef continues to appear in television shows and films. She is one of the most famous actresses in Egypt, thanks to the controversies that she has been part of over the years.

Rania Youssef has always been criticized for playing raunchy roles on screen. In 2012, she faced criticism for her role in the film ‘Acklam,’ which had controversial scenes that were eventually deleted from the movie. In the same year, Rania was once again in the news for lodging a complaint against her ex-husband and ex-mother-in-law. In the complaint, Rania had claimed that she was being harassed by her ex-husband after plans of reconciling with him had failed.

On November 29, 2018, Rania attended ‘Cairo International Film Festival’ wearing a black lace dress that revealed her legs. She was subsequently charged with public obscenity by a group of lawyers, who brought the issue to the chief prosecutor’s notice. If proven guilty, the actress may face up to five years in prison. Despite issuing a statement saying that she had not meant to offend anyone, ‘The Actors’ Guild’ in Egypt failed to defend Rania.

Rania Youssef has been married thrice. She first married a famous Egyptian producer named Mohammad Mokhtar with whom she had two daughters, namely Yasmin Mokhtar and Nancy Mokhtar. However, the marriage ended in divorce. Four months after ending her first marriage, Rania married an engineer and businessman named Tareq Azab. This marriage too, ended in divorce, post which Rania married Amro Al Shabrawi. In June 2018, she got separated from her third husband over issues undisclosed to the public. Rania Youssef is active on social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram.