TEHRAN – Renowned Tunisian actor Hichem Rostom died last Tuesday at 75.

He played a role in “Salman Farsi”, a major unfinished Iranian TV series about the life story of Salman Farsi, the Iranian companion of the Prophet of Islam (S).

“We were informed by Tunisian artists that we have lost Hichem Rostom, the prominent actor of our series,” “Salman Farsi” producer Hossein Taheri told the Persian service of MNA on Thursday. 

“He had done his parts in the period concerning Salman Farsi’s life when he lived in the Byzantine Empire,” he noted, and added that director Davud Mirbaqeri had signed him on for the cast for another season of the project, which covers the history of Islam in the early years.

In 2018, Mirbaqeri visited Tunisia to cast some actors from the country for roles in “Salman Farsi”. Rostom was one of the actors who was selected to portray a member of the monastic community in the Byzantine empire.

“We planned to hire him for the role of a character in the early history of Islam, but his death deprived us of his expertise,” Taheri said.

Rostom was considered the most famous actor of his generation in his native country.

He portrayed Fuad in the acclaimed movie “The English Patient”, and played roles in “The Count of Monte Cristo” and “In Desert and Wilderness”.

He starred in “Golden Horseshoes”, which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival.

Rostom showed a keen interest in acting at a young age because of his maternal grandfather, who used to take him to the theater frequently.

He made a brief appearance in the role of a stage manager in the film L’Aile ou la Cuisse alongside Louis de Funès.

He was known for his productions of plays such as “Caligula” or “L’Étranger”.

He appeared in more than 70 films and television shows since 1987. He then moved to France where he lived for years to further his studies and graduated from Sorbonne University’s Institute of Theater Studies and the Institute of Advanced Cinematographic Studies.

In 2017, Rostom helped in organizing the Rouhaniyet Festival in Nefta, Tunisia, which is an event where spiritual and Sufi songs are performed.

He also presided over two editions of the Carthage Theatre Festival.

Photo: Tunisian actor Hichem Rostom plays a role in the Iranian TV series “Salman Farsi”.

MMS/YAW