Areski Nebti

(1926 - 1994)

Areski Nebti (Arabic: أريسكي نبتي), often spelled Arezki Nabti, was an Algerian actor and assistant director born on May 5, 1926, in Belcourt, Algiers, and died on April 28, 1994, in Algiers. From a young age, Areski Nebti was passionate about theater and film. He participated in the radio programs of Madame Lafarge, also known as L’la Tassadit, who had created a children's program where she trained young talents, both girls and boys, primarily from Kabylia. From her school emerged true talents such as Kadri Seghir, Arezki Nabti, Smaïl Si Ahmed, Ahmed Halit, Madjid Bennacer, and Saïd Hilmi. In 1963, Areski Nebti made his film debut. He went on to star in classic Algerian films of the post-independence era, ranging from dramas to comedies, including Mohamed Slimane Riad's *La Voie* (1967), Tewfik Farès's *Les Hors la Loi* (1969), Mohamed Slimane Riad's *L'inspecteur Tahar*, *L'auberge du Pendu* (1969), Mohamed Slimane Riad's *Sanaoud* (1972), Mohamed Slimane Riad's *Le Vent du Sud* (1975), Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina's *Chronique des Années de Braise* (1975), Merzak Allouache's *Omar Gatlato* (1976), and Mahmoud Zemmouri's *De Hollywood à Tamanrasset* (1990). A major figure on both the Algerian small and big screen, Areski Nebti is best known for playing the name of one of his characters, Moh Bab El-Oued, in Abdelkader Bouritina's film *El Hozi*. Areski Nebti died on April 28, 1994 of a heart attack, at the age of 68.