Algerian artist Sidi Aoumi passes away at 86

Reuters – Algerian television announced today the death of actor Ahmed Mizian, known professionally as Said Ahmed Aoumi, at the age of 86, following an artistic career spanning nearly six decades during which he enriched theater, television, and cinema with works that became deeply embedded in the consciousness of Algerian audiences.

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune mourned the late artist in a statement describing him as “one of the most famous and distinguished names whose artistic contributions extended over decades in the cultural and artistic arena,” noting that he personally knew him as “a man of great stature and a friend with a profound sense of national and human values.”

He added, “Algeria bids farewell to a respected actor and a passionate intellectual devoted to national culture and the authenticity of Algerian art, who left a distinctive mark in more than 50 local and international film and television productions.”

Born in October 1940 in Algiers to a conservative family, he received a French education while memorizing the Quran and learning Arabic. He began his artistic journey in the 1960s with radio and theater before moving into television and cinema.

Among his most famous films are “Z” (1969), directed by Costa-Gavras; “The Mill of Mr. Fabre” (1973), directed by Ahmed Raïchi; “Black and White” (1980), directed by Abdelrahmane Bouguermouh; “The Truth Teller” (2000), directed by Karim Traidia; and “Perfumes of Algeria” (2012), directed by Mohamed Rachid Ben Haddj.

He held several positions, including Director of the National Algerian Theater, Director of the House of Culture and Theater in Tizi Ouzou, and Director of the House of Culture in Annaba and Constantine from 1974 to 1975.