Menna Shalabi

• Name — Menna Shalaby • Birth Name — Mennah Hesham Shalaby • Born — 24 July 1982 • Birthplace — Giza, Egypt • Citizenship — Egypt • Years Active — 2001–present • Occupation — Actor

Menna Shalabi was born in Giza, to an artistic family. Her mother is actress Zizi Mustafa, her father is businessman Hesham Shalaby, and her aunt is media personality Poussy Shalabi. She began her acting career in 2000 when she was discovered by actress Samiha Ayoub, who introduced her in the series Salma Ya Salama. Before that, she appeared in television programs and children's puzzles.

After appearing in Salma Ya Salama (2000) and El Asifa (2001), Shalabi pursued her acting career with a role Morning and Evening Talk, aired in 2001, the miniseries was based on a story by Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz, a popular and widely viewed television drama miniseries at the time. Her cinematic debut was in The Magician (2001) with Mahmoud Abdel Aziz, followed by I Love Cinema (2004), Best of Times (2004). In 2005, she appeared in five films, she co-starred in El-Haya Montaha El-lazza, Fi Mahatet Masr, which she starred alongside Karim Abdel Aziz, Abo El Arabi Wasal which she starred alongside Hany Ramzy. She also co-starred in Ahlam Omrena alongside Mona Zaki. She starred in Banat West Albalad by Mohamed Khan. In 2007, she starred in Youssef Chahine's Chaos, This Is (2007), screened at Venice Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival. She also starred in Microphone (2010), the film received Best Arabic-language film Award from Cairo International Film Festival. She collaborated with Yousry Nasrallah in After the Battle (2012), which brought Egyptian cinema back to Cannes after a 15-year absence, and Brooks, Meadows and Lovely Faces (2016), which world premiered at the Locarno Film Festival before it was released in France and Switzerland. Among her most significant appearances was her role in Nawara (2015) directed by Hala Khalil, which brought her a record of 10 best actress awards. Afterwards, Shalabi starred in Marwan Hamed's films The Originals (2017), and Diamond Dust (2018), the film was a box-office hit. Keen on supporting emerging filmmakers, Shalaby performed the lead role in director Adam Abd Elghaffar's short film Fork and Knife (2018), which competed in the Short Films Competition at the 2nd El Gouna Film Festival in 2018. Furthermore, Menna's filmography includes Scarecrow (2019), which marks her reunion with Ahmed Helmy after their last work together in Sorry to Disturb (2008). Shalaby's most successful TV roles include Friendly Fire (2013), Jewish Quarter (2015), and Sunset Oasis (2017). Aside from her acting profession, Menna has participated in various charity initiatives for persons with disabilities, raising awareness about the difficulties these people experience in Egyptian society. Menna Shalabi played the female lead role of Sara in the 2024 romantic drama film El Hawa Sultan. Menna was also cast in Hepta 2, 7 Dogs, and in the movie the crime, in which Menna played a prominent main supporting/co-starring role as the wife of the leading actor Ahmed Ezz (actor). Menna played a female lead role as Dr. Salma in the television series Indigenous, which follows the intersection of an Egyptian doctor's life with a Palestinian man's during the Gaza war. The series became popular due to the real war between Palestine and Israel. The series was heavily criticized by Israel.

Menna Shalaby is married to Ahmed Elganainy. She practices Islam.

On 25 November 2022, she was arrested at Cairo International Airport for her possession of substances including Marijuana, after returning from New York City. However, she was released shortly after paying a bail of LE50K. In January 2023, she was sentenced to one year in prison and LE10K fine with suspension for three years by the North Cairo Criminal Court, due to obtaining illegal substances with the intention of using them. In May 2024, the Court of Cassation rendered her appeal, and although her jail term was upheld, it remained suspended.