Said Elassal

Biography

Full Name: Said Abdel Moneim Abdel Gawad Morsi El Assal. Born on September 16, 1962 in Shubra, Cairo, Egypt. He is the eldest among his siblings. His father, Abdel Moneim Abdel Gawad, was one of the biggest traders of truck spare parts in Egypt.

He had a weak physique in his childhood, so his father sought the help of Dr. Sayed El Gendy to build his strength. From a young age, he managed his father's shops and warehouses and traveled abroad to import spare parts.

He began practicing martial arts and self-defense at the age of 11. While in Italy with his father to resolve an issue with a shipping company, he joined a local sports club. After returning to Cairo, he trained for 4 years and then joined the Egyptian National Karate Team. He traveled with the team to the United States for a world championship and then returned to his normal life as a spare parts trader and a martial arts trainer on his days off.

His close childhood friend was Hussein El Seify, an civil aviation engineer, whose brother Adel El Seify was a still photographer in Egyptian cinema. Through Adel, he learned that actor Hassan Youssef had opened an office on Emad El Din Street to train young talents for acting. His first role was a small part as a bodyguard in the film "Aman Ya Donya" (1991), but his scenes were cut to less than 20 seconds upon release, so he decided to step away from acting. Later, he was called back as a fight choreographer with small acting roles. Years later, he starred in a leading role in an Italian film as a strong Arab man skilled in horse riding, and after returning to Egypt, he began playing supporting roles in Arab films.