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.
    Known for
    Acting
    Place of birth
    Alger, Algeria
    Birthday
    13 September 1952
Children of the Sun
Children of the Sun
9
Holiday
Holiday
4.679
Les Vacances de l'apprenti
Les Vacances de l'apprenti
10
The Source
The Source
6.6
Délice Paloma
Délice Paloma
5.875
La Voisine
La Voisine
10
Hassan Terro au Maquis
Hassan Terro au Maquis
10
Aïcha : Vacances infernales
Aïcha : Vacances infernales
6.2
Viva Algeria
Viva Algeria
5.545
Cheba Louisa
Cheba Louisa
4.625
Mohamed Dubois
Mohamed Dubois
4.787
Beur Blanc Rouge
Beur Blanc Rouge
4
On va manquer !
On va manquer !
1
The Harem of Madame Osmane
The Harem of Madame Osmane
5.722
Take-Away Romance
Take-Away Romance
5.307
The Casbah of Algiers
The Casbah of Algiers
10
Leila and the Others
Leila and the Others
10
Aïcha
Aïcha
6.3
Aïcha : Job à tout prix
Aïcha : Job à tout prix
5.3
Aïcha : La grande débrouille
Aïcha : La grande débrouille
6.2
Where Fig Trees Grow
10
Bacon on the Side
Bacon on the Side
4.865
La voyante
La voyante
5
I Still Hide to Smoke
I Still Hide to Smoke
6.8
Belleville Cop
Belleville Cop
4.988
Tomboy
Tomboy
4
The Age of the Stateless
The Age of the Stateless
6.5
Neuilly sa mère, sa mère !
Neuilly sa mère, sa mère !
5.351
Bay of Algiers
Bay of Algiers
3.417
The Three Brothers: The Return
The Three Brothers: The Return
5.04