| Duraid Lahham دريد لحام | |
| Birth Date: | 11 February 1934 |
| Birth Place: | Damascus, Syria |
| Years Active: | 1958–present |
| Spouse: | Hala Bitar |
| Children: | 3 |
Duraid Lahham (Arabic: دريد لحام; in Roman transliteration, sometimes spelled "Durayd Lahham") is a leading Syrian comedian and director born 1934 in Damascus, Syria. He is famous for acting the role of "Ghawwar El Toshe" in a number of movies and series. His co-star throughout his career was Nihad Qali who played the role of "Husni Al Borazani".
Lahham was born in Syria in 1934 to a Syrian father and a Lebanese mother from Machghara. He grew up in poverty and had to work at several odd jobs to earn a living. He would later recall those difficult days, saying that he bought used clothes, reserved for the poor in Syria, and barely made enough money to feed himself. He enrolled at the University of Damascus and studied chemistry. During his college years, he was active in a form of Levantine folk dance called "dabke" and became obsessed with acting. When he completed his education, Lahham became an instructor at the Chemistry Department at the University. Meanwhile, Lahham gave dancing classes and enhanced his relationship with the artistic community in Syria. When television in Syria was launched in 1960, Lahham was hired along with his friend Nihad Qali to act a series of short episodes called Damascus Evening (Sahret Demashq).[1] During the 1970s, Lahham acted in several political plays that gained large popularity throughout the Arab world for their critique of prevailing social and political conditions in various Arab countries.
From 1960 to 1976, Lahham and Qali performed as "Duraid and Nihad," and became highly successful and famous among various Arab audiences. By 1976, Nihad had to retire due to an illness. From then on, Lahham wrote, acted, and directed his own work.[2]
Lahham's work was greatly influenced by political events in the Arab World and this was reflected in the plays he wrote and directed.[3] His films also carry political overtones and have been described as "deal[ing] with the artificiality and impracticality of borders between Arab states and with the abuse of human rights in the Arab world."[4]
Lahham was appointed UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador to the Middle East and North Africa region in 1999.In 2004, he visited districts of Southern Lebanon which had been liberated from Israeli occupation. At a press conference, he gave a speech criticizing George W. Bush and Ariel Sharon, comparing them to Hitler. This caused Tel Aviv to protest Lahham's "undiplomatic language" to UNICEF, which resulted in UNICEF relieving him of his duties.[5]
Lahham received several medals in recognition of his contributions: