Born in Cairo in 1936, Qandeel spent much of his childhood in Tanta.
From an early age, he enjoyed reading and writing, but he wanted to study medicine.
He became a student at Qasr el-Aini, Cairo University in 1953, but his love of writing overshadowed his ambition to become a medic.
He embarked on a career in journalism in the 1950s when he wrote for the weekly magazine Akher Sa’a (Last Hour) at the invitation of journalist Moustafa Amin.
In 1961, he was a broadcaster for Egyptian television for a programme called Aqwal al-Suhuf (What the Press Says), before he was appointed director of the Arab Broadcasting Studios Union in 1969.
From 1974 to 1986, he worked with UNESCO in international media.
In 1987, he co-founded a satellite broadcasting company that later became known as MBC, where he worked for three months before leaving because of political differences with its management.
He presented the show Ma’a Hamdi Qandeel (With Hamdi Qandeel) for ART. He was best known for hosting political TV programmes in the early 1990s.
In 2000s, he criticised the Mubarak regime, so his programme Ra’is al-Tahrir (Editor-in-Chief) was axed.
From 2010 and 2014, he was a columnist for Egyptian dailies Al-Masry Al-Youm and Al-Shorouk.
After the January 25, 2011 Revolution, he joined the National Association for Change and he became the association’s official spokesman.
His memoirs “I Lived Twice” deals with controversial personalities that he met and worked with throughout his life. He also chronicled his marriage to the famous artist Naglaa Fathi.
He worked for Egyptian newspapers and magazines, including Akhbar Al-Youm, and was famous for two television programmes: Ra’is al-Tahrir (Editor-in-Chief) and Qalam Rusas (Pencil) on Dubai TV.
He won an award for media personality of 2013.
“Qandeel is a great Egyptian journalist and a highly credible, he is bold and gives constructive criticism,” said Diaa Rashwan, a political analyst at the Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies.
Qandeel died on October 31, 2018, after a long struggle with illness. He was 82.
