(January 2, 1947 - February 14, 2023) 

A Lebanese scriptwriter/copywriter and producer.

Born in Beirut - Lebanon, son of George G. Najjar & Salwa Nicolas Zeidan.

Married to Ferial W. Fernainé ‘76, father of Rana Najjar Nalbandian ‘77, Lama Najjar ‘79 & Ziad Najjar ‘82.

Beginnings

Marwan George Najjar graduated in 1969 from the American University of Beirut (AUB) where his emphasis was on comparative literature & languages.

As a college student, he started writing, directing and producing plays on stage, taking full advantage of the university’s theatre in the famous multi-purpose building known as West Hall.

In 1970 he collaborated with his friend and colleague Kifah Fakhoury (eventually one of the most revered musicologists in the Arab world) in creating an outdoor musical show under the title: “AUB 1910” (choreographed by Georgette Gebara), financed by the AUB President’s fund and acclaimed then by Al Nahar newspaper as a quasi-professional hit.

In 1971-72 he interrupted his academic post-graduate plans to pursue a journalistic career which seemed promising in the leading weekly magazine Al Usbu’ Al Arabi (Arab Week), then joined the founding team of a new weekly: Al Diyar (1973).
He found himself caught in a full-time commitment to political and social press reporting due to the ensuing civil war in Lebanon (1975).

From reporting to scriptwriting

In 1977 he met the TV drama star Hind Abillamah and her husband, the then very influential director Antoine S. Rémi.
The couple offered Najjar his first opportunity to prove himself on the professional arena, and the result was a number of TV dramatic episodes shot by Rémi between Jordan & Bahrain, then his 1st complete series Dyala, produced and aired in 1978 by the Lebanese TV (known then as CLT or Compagnie Libanaise de Télévision).
That was the beginning of an extremely “fertile” career which included in the early eighties of last century original scripts and some remarkable adaptations from French and English sources such as Charles Exbrayat’s Un Matin Elle S’en Alla = رحلت ذات صباح, George Eliot’s Silas Marner = عاشق الذهَب... along with a number of series and episodes inspired by authors like Georgette Heyer, Heinz Konsalik etc...

Comedy & Education combined

Bearer also of a Teaching Diploma from the Education Department at AUB, Najjar never gave up on satisfying his passion for sharing knowledge and values with succeeding generations.

His educational urge was challenged by the situation in Lebanon and he could convince the Lebanese television to move from funny and light entertaining “general knowledge contests” to provocative serious shows promoting through spectacular competition, the genuine “will to conquer all fields of science and become the utmost champion of one’s own chosen field.”
This venture succeeded in setting a new sense of purpose versus the mood of despair that was imposed by a most absurd and irrational succession of wars, giving birth to a ‘milestone’ still dearly remembered and highly appreciated as the famous and unique quiz show: Al Moutafawikoun or the Super-Champions, a predecessor of many shows on most of the local channels following its ambitious goal.
Simultaneously he wrote a series of literary docudrama introducing to the Arab viewer's schools and eras of ancient and modern literature through a dramatized interpretation of main figures’ biographies.

But in those gloomy eighties full of violence and turmoil, laughter was badly needed in Lebanon.

Having met the multitalented actor/musician Fouad Aouad, Najjar developed a character that soon became an icon of innocent and naive candor: Fares Ibn Imm Fares, the unique supposedly grown-up son of a typical Lebanese smothering & possessive mother.

After the triumph of Fares, Najjar decided to use Comedy as a tool of endorsement serving educational goals, creating thus the very popular character of the revolutionary old teacher of the most hated subject matter: Arabic grammar.

Ustaz Mandour the funnily impulsive yet brilliant and empathetic teacher, became the symbol of humorous and rigorous teaching, much acclaimed by the new generation and apprehended by traditional administrators and colleagues.

One yard higher

Despite a remarkable TV career covering comedy, drama, education, documentaries and cultural contests, MN’s precious dream was still one yard higher than the stalls.

First (late in 1982) he chose the rigor of well-made comedy, adapting the marvelous play by Georges Feydeau: A Flee in Her Ear or La Puce à l’Oreille. His motive was to initiate and introduce to the local taste the charm of structural dynamics versus the verbosity and rhetoric nature of popular plays in the Arab world. Not an easy task against critical resistance (and erudite’s arrogance) but the audience responded so positively that a company called Marwan Najjar Theatre followed that first production outliving all the violent events of the next decade, and prospering throughout the nineties until it was totally demolished by the 2004/2006 bombings and killings with whatever turmoil & fear accompanied and followed the bloodshed.

During 23 years of continuous non-stop 7 performances a week, 18 comedies were produced and highly acclaimed (not by the elite). Some of them lasted for more than a year failing to clear the stage for the next assigned Najjar production, so 2 comedies by the same writer/producer had to be running simultaneously. An unprecedented phenomenon severely condemned by the ‘Galant elite’, and warmly welcomed by spontaneous theatre-goers and families.

It is worth noting as well that some stage productions by Najjar registered more than 130,000 admissions. His phenomenal Arissein Midri Min Wein (The Two Grooms from God Knows Where) reached during the truce between 1986 and 1988 the record total number of 240,000 admissions.

Marwan Najjar Theatre contributed more than 8 original plays and 10 adaptations from authors such as Aristophanes (Lysistrata), Marc Camoletti (Pyjamas pour Six), Brandon Thomas (Charlie’s Aunt), Ray Cooney (Run for Your Wife)...

Back to small inches

In 1985, happily cruising the whole divided country, stopping at no artificial boundaries inflicted by confessional gangs and tribes, supported by people’s sympathy and the happy impact of his plays’ popular resonance, he enjoyed seeing his company perform on stages all across Lebanon: Tripoli in the North, Zahlé in the Bekaa Valley, Piccadilly in Hamra, Fakhreddine in Baakline (up in the mountains)...
Still, he missed the screen in every home as he perceives Television. It took him a long journey to convince heads of local and regional channels that Family Entertainment is still the main role of tv, and Family bonding moments are the mission.

His return to tv drama in the 90’s came totally in favor of family spirit. During the holy month of Ramadan he tried to reconcile spiritual values with celebratory entertainment of the season, giving a dramatic flavor to ethical and social issues, sponsored and encouraged by the Saudi eminent businessman founder and then owner of the famous ART tv chain.

Then he started a local career with LBCI starting from the 1st move toward family life, 136 episodes covering numerous successful seasons and telling a multitude of funny and serious stories about Match-Seekers = طالبين القرب soon to be followed by the romantic series A Glimpse of Love = لمحة حُبّ.

His next marking step was a venture into the unexplored world of Teenagers through his highly acclaimed Favorite Home in Ras Beirut = من أحلى بيوت راس بيروت.

A number of shows shaped that phase of Najjar’s career giving birth to many popular titles such as Neighborhood’s Little Girl = بنت الحيّ, Myriana = مريانا, Happened Indeed = صارت معي (an attempt against the trending so-called Reality TV versus drama), The Tyrant = الطاغية etc.

After 2011 Najjar decided to keep enjoying the craft of scriptwriting but gave up his involvement in production.

Despite the abundance of his writings, MGN had another career that filled most of his working hours: Copywriting.
He worked for more than 2 decades for/with the multinational Leo Burnett agency, moving constantly between Cairo, Jeddah, Beirut, Geneva, Lausanne, London, Cincinnati, Chicago, Paris, and London.

The major clients he served were the most rigorous Procter & Gamble, the demanding Philip Morris, PepsiCo (mainly on 7Up), Kraft, Kellogg’s, General Motors and many local & regional leading brands...
MGN is currently living just the literary side of his once too crowded and noisy career, indulging as frequently as he may into the blessing of being a grandfather, 3 times until today.

Some YouTube Films:

https://youtu.be/yfRRyMRLjNA
https://youtu.be/Fnso_USIahY
https://youtu.be/xIb8Q-UhXjU