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Biyouna

Biyouna

Biyouna (بيونة), whose real name was Baya Bouzar (باية بوزار), was an Algerian actress, singer, and dancer born on September 13, 1952, in Belcourt, a working-class neighborhood of Algiers, and died on November 25, 2025, at the Beni Messous Hospital in Algiers, at the age of 73, from lung cancer. A major figure in Maghrebi culture, she is remembered as a free-spirited, popular artist deeply attached to Algeria. Born into a family where music played a significant role, particularly through her sister, the singer Leïla El Djazaïria, Biyouna developed a passion for singing, dancing, and acting at a very young age. As a teenager, she first joined Fadela Dziria's troupe, where she sang in the choir and played percussion, before forming her own group with which she performed at weddings and popular festivals in Algiers. By seventeen, she was already performing in the capital's cabarets, before becoming a dancer at the famous Copacabana at nineteen, which brought her to the attention of the artistic community. Her acting career began in the early 1970s when director Mustapha Badie spotted her and gave her the role of Fatma in the television series La Grande Maison, adapted from the novel by Mohammed Dib. This first major role made her instantly popular with the Algerian public and opened the doors of television and film for her, where her fiery temperament, humor, and outspokenness became her trademark. She then distinguished herself by alternating between melodramas, comedies, and one-woman shows, establishing herself as a key figure on Algerian television. From the late 1990s onward, Biyouna's career took off in France, notably with the film *Le Harem de Madame Osmane*, followed by *La Voisine* and *Viva Laldjérie*, which brought her to the attention of a wider audience. In 2007, she captivated audiences in *Délice Paloma*, where she portrayed Madame Aldjéria, a charismatic mafia matriarch, a role often considered one of the highlights of her filmography. Her singular presence, her deep voice, and her ability to blend tragedy and comedy made her a sought-after actress for numerous directors on both sides of the Mediterranean. At the same time, Biyouna pursued a successful musical career, releasing the album Raid Zone in the early 2000s, followed by Une blonde Dans La Casbah, projects blending Algerian influences with contemporary Franco-Algerian arrangements. She also participated in musical productions such as Fellag's Casbah Opera and lent her voice to various projects. She also became a star of television series, notably with Nass Mlah City, broadcast during Ramadan, and the Tunisian series Nsibti Laaziza, where her colorful characters left a lasting impression on Maghrebi audiences. The last years of her life were overshadowed by illness, lung cancer, which she battled for several years and which was regularly discussed in the Algerian and French media. She passed away on November 25, 2025, in Algiers, at the Beni Messous hospital, after her health deteriorated due to respiratory complications. She leaves behind a career spanning more than half a century and immense popularity, a symbol of a free, audacious, funny, and moving female artist who navigated the changing times without ever abandoning her personality or her language, moving seamlessly between Algerian Darija, colloquial Arabic, and French.

Personal information

Birthday

1952-09-13

Birth Place

Alger, Algeria

Movies and TV shows :

Aïcha

Aïcha

2009

6.3

Movie
Aïcha : Job à tout prix

Aïcha : Job à tout prix

2011

5.3

Movie
Aïcha : La grande débrouille

Aïcha : La grande débrouille

2011

6.2

Movie
Aïcha : Vacances infernales

Aïcha : Vacances infernales

2012

6.2

Movie
poster

Amanda

2016

0.0

TV
Bacon on the Side

Bacon on the Side

2010

4.9

Movie
Bay of Algiers

Bay of Algiers

2012

3.4

Movie
Belleville Cop

Belleville Cop

2018

5.0

Movie
Beur Blanc Rouge

Beur Blanc Rouge

2006

4.0

Movie
Cheba Louisa

Cheba Louisa

2013

4.6

Movie
Children of the Sun

Children of the Sun

1991

9.0

Movie
Délice Paloma

Délice Paloma

2007

5.9

Movie
poster

EDAMMA

2023

8.0

TV
Hassan Terro au Maquis

Hassan Terro au Maquis

1978

10.0

Movie
Holiday

Holiday

2010

4.7

Movie
I Still Hide to Smoke

I Still Hide to Smoke

2017

6.8

Movie
poster

L’Incendie (El Harik)

1974

10.0

TV
La Voisine

La Voisine

2002

10.0

Movie
La voyante

La voyante

2014

5.0

Movie
poster

Le Grand Bazar

2019

5.5

TV
Leila and the Others

Leila and the Others

1977

10.0

Movie
Les Vacances de l'apprenti

Les Vacances de l'apprenti

1999

10.0

Movie
Mohamed Dubois

Mohamed Dubois

2013

4.8

Movie
poster

My Dear Mother-in-law

2010

10.0

TV
poster

Nass Mlah City

2003

0.0

TV
Neuilly sa mère, sa mère !

Neuilly sa mère, sa mère !

2018

5.4

Movie
poster

On n'est pas couché

2006

4.6

TV
On va manquer !

On va manquer !

2018

1.0

Movie
Take-Away Romance

Take-Away Romance

2014

5.3

Movie
The Age of the Stateless

The Age of the Stateless

2018

6.5

Movie
The Casbah of Algiers

The Casbah of Algiers

1993

10.0

Movie
The Harem of Madame Osmane

The Harem of Madame Osmane

2000

5.7

Movie
The Source

The Source

2011

6.6

Movie
The Three Brothers: The Return

The Three Brothers: The Return

2014

5.0

Movie
Tomboy

Tomboy

2008

4.0

Movie
Viva Algeria

Viva Algeria

2004

5.5

Movie
Where Fig Trees Grow

Where Fig Trees Grow

2005

10.0

Movie
يد الساحرة

يد الساحرة

0.0

Movie