Wikipedia

Kanza Omar

Kanza Omar (February 26, 1912 – March 6, 1958), sometimes billed as Princess Kanza Omar, was a Moroccan dancer who appeared in Hollywood films in the 1940s and 1950s.

Kanza Omar
A young Moroccan woman with dark hair and eyes, with eyebrows shaped into a thin round arch
Kanza Omar, from her 1935 paperwork towards American citizenship
Born
Kanza Bent Larbi

February 26, 1912
Marrakesh, Morocco
DiedMarch 6, 1958
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationDancer

Early life and education

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Omar was born in Marrakesh, according to her 1935 application for United States citizenship, filed in New York City under the name Kenza Bent Larbi.[1] However, publicity sometimes described her as Egyptian, Persian, or Syrian.[2][3] She moved to the United States with her first husband in 1927, and became a United States citizen in 1943.[4][5][6]

Career

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Omar appeared in small roles in Hollywood films of the 1940s, including Aloma of the South Seas (1941),[7] Cairo (1942), Mr. Co-ed (1944),[8][9] Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944),[10] To Have and Have Not (1944), Adventure (1946), Easy to Wed (1946), Genius at Work (1946), Saigon (1948), The Bishop's Wife (1948),[11] The Eagle and the Hawk (1950),[12] Tropic Zone (1953), The Swan (1956) and The Buccaneer (1958).[13]

Omar danced at events and parties.[14] In 1942, Omar danced at a Los Angeles fundraiser for the USO, sponsored by the Syrian American Society.[15] In 1950, she performed at an international festival at UCLA.[16] In 1951, she danced at a New York City benefit for Palestinian refugees.[17] She toured as a dancer in the United States in the early 1950s, and was featured artist at the Attiyeh Benevolent Society's annual national meeting in 1952.[18][19] In 1953 she danced at a Hafli event in Los Angeles, accompanied by violinist Sami Shawa.[20] 1955 she performed at the Western Pacific Annual Mahrajan, sharing the bill with Danny Thomas, musician Elia Baida, and Toufic Barham's orchestra.[21]

Personal life

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Omar's first husband, Omar Ben Mohammed, died from carbon monoxide poisoning in 1928.[22] She married Jack Haddad in 1943; they divorced in 1949.[23] She died from cancer in 1958, at the age of 46, in Los Angeles, California.[24][25]

References

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  1. ^ Kenza Bent Larbi's Declaration of Intention, filed in New York City on November 29, 1935, in the California, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1843-1999, via Ancestry
  2. ^ "Daughter of Mohammedan Priest in Films". The Buffalo News. 1943-08-28. p. 26. Retrieved 2023-08-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Happy People". The Des Moines Register. 1951-12-09. p. 119. Retrieved 2023-08-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Kanza Omar a Citizen". The Times. 1943-03-17. p. 12. Retrieved 2023-08-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Princess Becomes Citizen". St. Albans Daily Messenger. 1943-03-26. p. 9. Retrieved 2023-08-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Syrian Actress Wins Citizenship". The Los Angeles Times. 1943-03-17. p. 20. Retrieved 2023-08-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "One of the early Fall Technicolor productions will be 'Aloma of the South Seas'". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 1941-08-05. p. 5. Retrieved 2023-08-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Othman, Frederick C. (1943-11-28). "'Mr. Co-ed' to be 'Fake' Says Othman". The Enid Morning News. p. 22. Retrieved 2023-08-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Princess Jitterbugs". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 1944-01-12. p. 22. Retrieved 2023-08-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Harem Houris--Hollywood Fashion". The Seattle Star. 1944-03-01. p. 10. Retrieved 2023-08-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Princess Gets Role". Valley Times. 1947-08-27. p. 11. Retrieved 2023-08-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "What! All This and No Camels?". Los Angeles Mirror. 1949-08-23. p. 17. Retrieved 2023-08-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Obituaries". Variety. March 12, 1958. p. 79. Retrieved August 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Dickson Host at Arab Party". The Los Angeles Times. 1941-06-08. p. 65. Retrieved 2023-08-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Syrian-American Fete Proceeds Will Go to USO". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. 1942-09-05. p. 5. Retrieved 2023-08-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "International Festival to be Held at UCLA". Los Angeles Times. May 19, 1950. p. 27. Retrieved August 1, 2023 – via Internet Archive.
  17. ^ "Stars of Orient Perform at Show to Aid Refugees". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 1951-03-02. p. 7. Retrieved 2023-08-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "National Attiyeh Society Convenes in C.R. July 3-5". The Gazette. 1952-06-26. p. 18. Retrieved 2023-08-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "To Be Featured Artist at Natl. Attiyeh Meeting". The Gazette. 1952-06-29. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-08-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Danny Thomas and Sami Shawa at Big Hafli in Los Angeles". Caravan. 1953-08-20. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-08-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "L. A. Church Holds Giant Mahrajan". Caravan. 1955-07-14. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-08-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Dies from Gas Fumes; Pipeless bath heater causes death of Omar Ben Mohammed". Buffalo Courier Express. 1928-02-27. p. 11. Retrieved 2023-08-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Unappreciative Hubby Divorced by Dancer; Had No Eye for Art". The Los Angeles Times. 1949-08-23. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-08-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "Kanza Omar Fights for Life". Caravan. 1958-01-30. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-08-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "Services Set for Kanza Omar, Actress-Dancer". The Los Angeles Times. 1958-03-08. p. 23. Retrieved 2023-08-01 – via Newspapers.com.
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