Ouardia Hamtouche

Biography

Ouardia Hamtouche (Arabic: وردية حمتوش), born Ouardia Annab on February 18, 1930, in Algiers, and who passed away on January 2, 1991, in Épernay, France, was an Algerian actress. She was the maternal grandmother of the French rapper of Algerian descent Karim Zenoud, known by the stage name Lacrim.

Ouardia Hamtouche was born in 1930 in Algiers into a Kabyle family originally from Akbou, Béjaïa. Married at a young age, she worked as a cleaner at the Mustapha Pacha Hospital in Algiers while pursuing her studies. Her career as a performer began when she started participating in radio broadcasts, all while continuing her night-shift cleaning job at the hospital.

A few years later, she began acting in comedies, taking on various roles in television, theater, and cinema. She appeared in major popular Algerian films of the 1980s and 1990s, such as Hassan Niya by Ghaouti Bendedouche, starring Rouiched (1982); De Hollywood à Tamanrasset (1991)—an Algerian comedy classic that brought together the finest actors of the era; Le Mariage des Dupes by Hadj Rahim, alongside Mustapha El-Anka; Taxi El Makhfi (Le Clandestin) with Athmane Ariouet and Yahia Benmabrouk; and Sombrero by Rabah Bouberas, among many others. Her talent extended to French productions, including Bernard Nauer's Nuit d'ivresse—alongside Josiane Balasko, Thierry Lhermitte, and Michel Blanc—and Mahmoud Zemmouri's Les Folles Années du Twist, featuring Malik Lakhdar-Hamina, Jacques Villeret, and Richard Bohringer. Quickly becoming a popular figure, Ouardia Hamtouche won over audiences with her simple, natural "Algerian mother" persona—which fostered a close bond with the public—and a satirical wit reminiscent of performers like Rachid Ksentini or Mohamed Touri.

She died of a heart attack on a train on January 1, 1991, while traveling to visit her daughter in Metz, France. In 2012, a two-day tribute was held in her honor at the El Mouggar cinema in Algiers, featuring screenings of films in which she had appeared.