Ramez Galal: The Life Story Behind Egypt's Prank Star

Ramez Galal is one of the most famous and most talked-about television personalities in the Arab world, and his name is linked to a kind of show that no one else in Egypt has made their own: the Ramadan prank show. Every year, during the holy month of Ramadan, he hosts a new show in which he tricks famous people, actors, singers, and sports stars, into believing that they are in danger, that they are lost, or that something terrible is about to happen. The guests scream, they cry, they beg, and then, at the end, Ramez reveals himself, and everyone laughs. Millions of people watch, millions talk about it the next day, and millions argue about whether it is funny or cruel.

What makes Ramez different from other pranksters is the scale of his shows. They are not small, hidden-camera jokes in a street. They are big, expensive productions, filmed in deserts, in the sea, in the air, and in studios built to look like real places. He has pranked international stars such as Paris Hilton, Steven Seagal, and Shah Rukh Khan, and his shows are watched across the Arab world, from Egypt to Saudi Arabia to Morocco. He is loved by many, criticised by many, and ignored by almost no one. He is a star who divides opinion, and that division is part of why he is so famous.

He was born Ramez Mohamed Galal Tawufik on 20 April 1973 in Cairo, Egypt, the son of the theatre director Galal Tawfik and the younger brother of the actor Yasser Galal. He graduated from the Egyptian Academy of Arts, and he began his career as an actor in 1993, long before he became a prankster. This is the story of how a boy from a theatre family became the prank king of Ramadan.

A Boy from a Theatre Family in Cairo

Ramez Mohamed Galal Tawufik was born on 20 April 1973 in Cairo, Egypt, into a family that lived and breathed theatre. His father, Galal Tawfik, was a theatre director, a man who spent his life making plays, directing actors, and building a world on stage. His older brother, Yasser Galal, became an actor as well, and the two brothers grew up in a house where theatre was not a hobby, but a way of life. They watched rehearsals, they listened to actors, they learned the language of the stage, and they dreamed of being part of it themselves.

Growing up in a theatre family means growing up with a sense of drama, with a love of performance, and with an understanding that an audience wants to be surprised. Ramez learned those lessons at home, from his father, and he carried them with him into his own career. He did not grow up wanting to be a quiet, serious actor. He grew up wanting to make people feel something strong, to make them laugh, to make them gasp, and to make them talk about what they had seen. That desire to surprise an audience would later become the heart of his prank shows.

He studied at the Egyptian Academy of Arts, and he graduated from the High Institute of Theatrical Arts in 1995. Acting school is a serious place, and it teaches a student voice, movement, history, and the craft of playing a character. Ramez learned those things, and he became a trained actor, not only a funny man. He learned how to act, how to direct, and how to understand a story, and those skills would help him later, when he had to design a prank, to build a set, and to direct a guest through a terrifying experience without them knowing it was a trick.

His father died in 2014, and that loss was a hard one for Ramez and for his brother. Galal Tawfik had been a guiding figure in their lives, a man who had taught them about theatre and about life, and losing him changed them both. Ramez has spoken about his father with love and with respect, and it is clear that his father’s influence is still with him, in the way he thinks about performance, in the way he builds a show, and in the way he tries to surprise his audience. He did not become a prankster by accident. He became one because he grew up in a theatre, and theatre is about surprise.

Acting, Films, and the First Steps on Television

Ramez Galal began his career in 1993, appearing in a television special beside the great actor Salah Zulfikar, a legend of Egyptian cinema. That was a big honour for a young actor, because Zulfikar was one of the most respected stars in the country, and working with him was a chance to learn from the best. Ramez took that chance, and he learned from it, even though his role was small. He was a trained actor, and he was ready to work, but he was not yet a star, and he would have to wait for his chance.

He appeared in films in the years that followed, including 55 Esaf in 2001, a film about an ambulance driver, and other films that gave him a chance to be seen on the big screen. He also appeared in television series, and he worked as an actor in a number of productions. He was a working actor, not a star, and he was learning his craft, role by role. He was funny, he was energetic, and he had a talent for making people laugh, but he had not yet found the kind of work that would make him famous. That work would come later, on television, in a form that no one had tried before in Egypt.

In 2007 he had his first leading role in a film, in Ahlam al-Fatah al-Tayesh, which means Dreams of a Reckless Boy, a film about a young man who dreams of a better life. The film was a step forward for him, because it showed that he could carry a film, not only a scene, and that audiences would come to see him. He also appeared in films such as Ghesh El Zawgeya, Meraty w Zawgaty, and Ahmed Notre Dame, and he sang title songs for some of his films, showing that he was also a singer, a performer who could do more than act. He was building a career, and he was doing it step by step, but he was still waiting for the idea that would make him a household name.

That idea came from television, and it came from a simple observation: people love to watch other people being surprised. They love to see a famous person, a person who is usually calm and in control, suddenly afraid, suddenly lost, suddenly begging for help. Ramez saw that, and he decided to build a show around it. It was a risky idea, because it could be seen as cruel, but it was also a brilliant idea, because it was new, it was exciting, and it was something that no one else in Egypt was doing. He took the risk, and it changed his life.

Ramez in Japan, Ramez Around the World, and the Prank Idea

Ramez Galal’s first major breakthrough as a prankster came with travel-themed programmes, including Ramez Galal in Japan in 2008, Ramez Galal in America, and Ramez Around the World. These shows took him to different countries, where he played tricks on people, made them laugh, and showed the audience a new kind of television. They were not yet the big Ramadan prank shows that would make him famous, but they were a step in that direction. They showed that Ramez could host a show, that he could travel, that he could be funny in a new place, and that audiences liked watching him.

The shows were light, funny, and adventurous, and they gave Ramez a chance to learn how to make a prank show. He learned how to build a set, how to hide a camera, how to direct a guest without them knowing, and how to reveal the trick at the end in a way that made everyone laugh. Those skills are not easy to learn, and they take practice. Ramez practised them in Japan, in America, and around the world, and he became better at them with each show. He was preparing for something bigger, even if he did not know it yet.

In 2011 he launched his first major Ramadan prank show, Ramez Qalb al-Assad, which means Ramez Lionheart, and it was a turning point. The show aired during Ramadan, the holy month when families watch television together after breaking their fast, and it became an instant hit. Each episode featured a famous guest who was tricked into believing that they were in danger, often in a desert, in a lion’s cage, or in a situation that looked real and terrifying. The guest would scream, cry, and beg, and then Ramez would reveal himself, and the guest would laugh, or cry, or both. Audiences loved it, and they talked about it the next day, at work, at home, and on social media.

The show’s success was not an accident. It came from Ramez’s talent as a host, from the scale of the production, and from the fact that it was new. No one in Egypt had made a prank show like this before, and no one had done it during Ramadan, when television audiences are at their largest. Ramez had found his place, and he had found it by taking a risk, by trying something new, and by trusting that audiences would want to watch it. He was right, and the show made him a star.

A New Prank Every Ramadan

After the success of Ramez Lionheart in 2011, Ramez Galal made a new prank show every Ramadan, each one with a new theme, a new setting, and a new kind of trick. They included Ramez Desert Fox, Ramez Ankh Amon, Ramez the Sea Shark, Ramez in Control, Ramez Plays with Fire, Ramez Underground, Ramez Sub-Zero, Ramez in the Waterfall, Ramez Lost His Mind, Ramez Movie Star, Ramez Never End, and many others. Each year, audiences waited to see what Ramez would do next, where he would film, and who he would trick. The shows became a Ramadan tradition, a part of the holy month, like the food, the prayers, and the family gatherings.

Each show was a big production, filmed in a different place, with a different set, and with a different kind of danger. In one show, guests were tricked into believing they were in a desert with a lion. In another, they were tricked into believing they were in a shark-infested sea. In another, they were tricked into believing they were in a waterfall, or in a fire, or underground. The sets were built to look real, the actors were trained to make the danger feel real, and the guests, who did not know it was a trick, reacted with real fear. That fear was what made the shows exciting, and it was also what made them controversial.

He has pranked famous Egyptian people and international stars, including Paris Hilton, Steven Seagal, and Shah Rukh Khan. The prank on Shah Rukh Khan, the Bollywood superstar, became one of the most talked-about moments in his career. The video of Shah Rukh Khan’s reaction was the fourth most trending YouTube video during the first week of Ramadan in 2017, and it was watched by millions of people around the world. It showed that Ramez’s shows were not only watched in Egypt. They were watched in India, in America, and in many other countries, because Shah Rukh Khan is a global star, and his fear was a global story.

The shows have also faced criticism, and that criticism is important to understand. Some people say the pranks are too extreme, that they frighten guests too much, and that they humiliate them for the sake of entertainment. Others say that the shows are staged, that the guests know it is a trick, and that the fear is not real. Ramez has faced lawsuits, complaints to media regulators, and public debate about whether his shows should be allowed to continue. In 2025, Egypt’s media regulator cleared his show to continue airing, after a complaint, and the show went on. That debate is part of his story, because it shows that his work is not only entertainment. It is a subject that people argue about, and that argument keeps him in the news.

Films, Songs, and the Man Behind the Pranks

Ramez Galal has not only hosted prank shows. He has also acted in films, sung songs, and worked as a television host in other kinds of programmes. He has appeared in films such as Had Same3 Haga, Ghesh El Zawgeya, and Ahmed Notre Dame, and he has sung the title songs for some of his films. He is a performer in the full sense, a man who can act, sing, host, and make people laugh, all in the same career. That versatility is part of why he has lasted so long, because he is not only a prankster. He is an entertainer, and he can do many kinds of work.

His films have not been as famous as his prank shows, but they have been a part of his career, and they show that he is a trained actor who can play a role, not only a host who can trick a guest. He has played comedic roles, dramatic roles, and roles that mix the two, and he has done so with the energy and the humour that made him famous. He is not a star who only does one thing. He is a star who does many things, and who does them with a passion that audiences can feel.

He has also become a social media star, with millions of followers on Instagram and on YouTube, where clips from his prank shows are watched again and again. A clip of a famous person screaming, crying, and then laughing can be watched by millions of people in a single day, and Ramez’s clips are among the most watched in the Arab world. That social media fame has made him even more famous, because it means that his shows are not only watched on television during Ramadan. They are watched all year round, on phones, on computers, and on tablets, by people who were not even watching television when the show first aired.

He is a private person in many ways, and he has kept his personal life out of the public eye. He is not married in a way that is widely reported, and he does not talk about his private life in interviews. That privacy is a choice, and it is one that has helped him to keep his focus on his work. When people talk about Ramez Galal, they talk about his shows, about his pranks, and about the guests he has tricked, not about his private life. That is how he wants it, and it is a sign that he understands fame: fame is about the work, not about the person behind it.

Why Ramadan, Why Pranks, and Why It Works

There is a reason Ramez Galal’s shows work during Ramadan, and it is not only because audiences are watching television. Ramadan is a month when families come together, when they break their fast together, when they pray together, and when they watch television together. It is a month of community, of sharing, and of talking about what they have seen. A prank show, in which a famous person is tricked and then laughs, is a perfect show for that time, because it gives families something to talk about, something to laugh about, and something to argue about. It becomes part of the Ramadan experience, a tradition that people look forward to every year.

The pranks work because they are built on surprise, and surprise is a powerful emotion. When a guest believes they are in danger, their fear is real, and the audience feels it. When the trick is revealed, the relief is real, and the laughter is real. That journey, from fear to relief to laughter, is what makes the shows exciting. It is a journey that theatre has used for centuries, from the ancient Greeks to Shakespeare to modern cinema, and Ramez has brought it to television in a new and spectacular way. He is not inventing something new. He is using an old idea, surprise, and making it bigger, louder, and more exciting than anyone else has done.

His shows also work because he is a showman, a man who understands how to build a spectacle. The sets are large, the effects are impressive, and the production is expensive. He does not make a small prank in a street. He makes a big prank in a desert, in the sea, in the air, and he makes it look like a film. That scale is part of the appeal, because audiences love to see something big, something they have never seen before, and something that makes them gasp. Ramez gives them that, year after year, and that is why they keep coming back.

He is still working, still making a new prank show every Ramadan, and still dividing opinion. In 2026 his show was called Ramez Beast Level, and it drew both praise and criticism, as his shows always do. That is the nature of his work: it is loved and it is hated, it is watched and it is argued about, and it is never ignored. He is a star who has made his name by surprising people, and he will keep surprising them, as long as there are famous people to trick, and as long as there are audiences who want to watch.

Ramez Beast Level and the Shows That Keep Coming

Ramez Galal has never stopped. After Ramez Never End in 2023 and Ramez Got from the End in 2024, he returned in 2026 with a new show called Ramez Beast Level, and it drew the same reaction his shows always draw: millions of viewers, praise from his fans, and criticism from those who think the pranks have gone too far. That is the pattern of his career, and it has not changed in fifteen years. Each Ramadan, he finds a new theme, a new set, and a new group of guests, and each Ramadan, the country talks about him. The shows have become a part of Ramadan itself, like the lanterns in the streets and the food on the table after sunset, and that is a remarkable thing for a television host to achieve. He did not become a part of Ramadan by accident. He became one by working hard, by spending money on big productions, and by understanding what audiences want: surprise, laughter, and something to talk about the next day.

In 2025, Egypt’s media regulator had to decide whether his show should continue, after a complaint, and it cleared the show to go on air. That decision mattered, because it showed that his work is not only entertainment, but a public question, about what is allowed on television, and about where the line is between a joke and harm. Ramez has always lived on that line, and he has always argued that his shows are made with the guests’ knowledge, and that everyone laughs at the end. Whether that is true or not, the shows go on, and the audiences keep watching, and the debate keeps going. That debate is part of his story now, and it will be part of it for as long as he keeps making prank shows.

My Take:

When I think about Ramez Galal, I think first about surprise, and about how powerful it is. A surprise can make a person laugh, it can make them scream, it can make them cry, and it can make them talk about what happened for days afterwards. Ramez has built a whole career on surprise, on tricking famous people into believing that they are in danger, and then revealing that it was all a joke. I admire the skill that goes into that, because it is not easy to build a prank that feels real. It takes a set, actors, cameras, and a host who knows how to direct a guest without them knowing. Ramez does that, year after year, and he does it on a scale that no one else in Egypt has attempted. That is a real talent, and it deserves to be recognised, even if you do not like the shows.

I think about his childhood, growing up in a theatre family, with a father who was a director and a brother who became an actor, and I can see where his love of surprise comes from. Theatre is about surprise. A play surprises the audience with a twist, with a reveal, with a moment they did not expect. Ramez grew up in that world, and he took that idea and made it bigger, louder, and more spectacular. He did not become a quiet, serious actor. He became a showman, a man who wants to make the audience gasp, and he has done it for more than fifteen years. That is a choice, and it is a choice that has made him famous, even if it has also made him controversial.

What I find most interesting about him is the debate his shows cause. Some people love them, and some people hate them, and both sides have a point. The people who love them say that the shows are funny, that the guests laugh at the end, and that it is all in good fun. The people who hate them say that the pranks are too extreme, that they frighten guests too much, and that they humiliate them for entertainment. I think both sides are right, in a way. The shows are funny, and they are also frightening. They are entertaining, and they are also cruel, at least in the moment when the guest believes they are in danger. That tension, between laughter and cruelty, is what makes the shows so talked about, and it is what makes them so hard to judge. I do not have a simple answer, and I do not think there is one. I think the shows are both funny and troubling, and that is why people keep arguing about them.

I think about the prank on Shah Rukh Khan, and about why it became so famous. Shah Rukh Khan is a global star, a man who is calm, confident, and in control in almost every situation. To see him afraid, to see him scream, to see him beg, is a surprising thing, because it shows that even the biggest star is human, that even he can be frightened. That is part of the appeal of Ramez’s shows: they show famous people as human, as people who feel fear, just like everyone else. That is a powerful idea, and it is one that audiences love, because it makes the stars feel closer, more real, and more like us. I understand why that video was watched by millions of people, and why it was the fourth most trending video in its week. It was a moment when a global star became human, and that is a rare thing to see.

If I have a criticism, it is a serious one. I think some of Ramez’s pranks go too far, and that they frighten guests in a way that is not fair, even if the guest laughs at the end. Fear is a real emotion, and it can be harmful, especially for a person who does not know it is a trick. A guest who believes they are going to die, who believes they are in a shark-infested sea, or in a desert with a lion, is feeling a real fear, and that fear does not disappear the moment the trick is revealed. It stays with them, and it can affect them for a long time. I think Ramez should be more careful, and that he should choose pranks that are funny without being terrifying. He is a talented showman, and he does not need to frighten people to make them laugh. He could make them laugh with a clever trick, with a surprise that is funny, not frightening, and I hope he does that more in the future.

I also think about the lawsuits and the complaints, and about the fact that Egypt’s media regulator had to decide whether his shows should continue. That is a sign that his work is not only entertainment. It is a public issue, a question about what is acceptable on television, and about where the line is between a joke and harm. I think that debate is healthy, because it forces us to think about what we watch, and about what we laugh at. I do not think his shows should be banned, because audiences clearly want to watch them, but I do think they should be made with more care, and with more respect for the guests. That is a fair balance, and it is one that Ramez should aim for.

What I learn from his life is that a new idea, tried at the right time, can change a career. Ramez was a working actor, not a star, until he tried the prank show. He took a risk, he tried something new, and it worked. That is a lesson for anyone: do not be afraid to try a new idea, even if it seems strange, even if people say it will not work. If you believe in it, and if you work hard to make it good, it might work, and it might change your life. Ramez believed in his idea, and he made it work, year after year, show after show. That is a kind of courage, and I respect it, even if I do not always like the shows.

In the end, I think Ramez Galal’s legacy is the Ramadan tradition he created. Every year, during Ramadan, families wait to see what he will do next, who he will trick, and how he will do it. That tradition is now part of Egyptian life, part of the holy month, and part of the way families spend their evenings together. That is a remarkable achievement, and it is one that few television hosts can claim. He created a tradition, and he has kept it going for more than fifteen years. I hope he keeps it going, but I hope he does it with more care, with more kindness, and with pranks that make people laugh without making them afraid. That would be a legacy to be proud of, and it is a legacy that is still being written.

I also think about 55 Esaf, the film he made in 2001, because it was his film debut, and because it shows a young actor trying to make his name. 55 Esaf is a film about an ambulance driver, a man who tries to save lives, and Ramez played his part with an energy that made people notice him. He was not yet a prankster, he was not yet a star, and he was working as an actor, learning his craft, and waiting for his chance. I think about that first film, and I am glad it exists, because it shows that Ramez did not start as a host. He started as an actor, and he earned his place, role by role, before he ever tricked a guest on television.

I think about Ahlam al-Fatah al-Tayesh, the film he made in 2007, because it was his first leading role, and because it is about a young man who dreams of a better life. The title means Dreams of a Reckless Boy, and it tells the story of a boy who wants more than what he has, who dreams big, and who tries to make those dreams real. Ramez played that boy, and he played him with a humour and a hope that made audiences love him. I think about that film, and about the dream it tells, because it is a dream that Ramez himself lived: a boy from a theatre family who dreamed of being a star, and who became one, not by playing it safe, but by taking a risk, and by believing in an idea that no one else had tried.

I also think about the travel shows he made before the Ramadan pranks, Ramez Galal in Japan in 2008, Ramez Galal in America, and Ramez Around the World, because those shows are where he learned his craft as a host. In Japan, he played tricks on people in a country he did not know, in a language he did not speak, and he made it funny. In America, he did the same, and around the world, he kept doing it. Those shows were not as famous as the Ramadan pranks, but they were important, because they taught him how to build a set, how to hide a camera, and how to make a prank feel real. I think about those early shows, and I respect the work that went into them, because they were the training ground for everything that came after.

I think about Ramez Ankh Amon and Ramez Desert Fox, two of his early Ramadan shows, because they show how he used Egypt’s own history to build his pranks. Ankh Amon is a play on the name of the pharaoh Tutankhamun, and Desert Fox is a play on the desert itself, and both shows used the desert, the pyramids, and the ancient world as a setting for a trick. That is a clever idea, because it takes something every Egyptian knows, the pharaohs and the desert, and turns it into a stage for a prank. I think about those shows, and I admire the imagination behind them, because they show that Ramez does not only copy an idea. He builds it from his own culture, and he makes it bigger than anyone else would.

I also think about the fact that he sings, and that he has sung the title songs for some of his films, because that is a side of him that many people forget. He is not only a host, and not only an actor. He is a singer, a man who can stand in front of an audience and sing, and who can make a song that people remember. I think about those songs, and about the energy he brings to them, because they show that he is a performer in the full sense, a man who can do many things on stage, and who does them with a passion that audiences can feel. That versatility is part of why he has lasted so long, because he is not only one thing. He is many things, and he does them all with the same enthusiasm.

I think about his father, Galal Tawfik, who died in 2014, and about what that loss must have meant for Ramez, because his father was a theatre director, a man who had taught him about performance, and who had guided his early career. To lose a father is hard for anyone, and to lose a father who was also a mentor is harder still. Ramez has spoken about his father with love and with respect, and it is clear that his father’s influence is still with him, in the way he builds a show, in the way he thinks about surprise, and in the way he tries to make his audience feel something strong. I think about that, and I am moved by it, because it shows that even the prank king is a son, and that the man who makes millions laugh is also a man who has known loss.

There is one more thing I want to say, and it is about the clips from his shows on social media, because that is where his fame lives now, long after Ramadan ends. A clip of a famous person screaming, crying, and then laughing can be watched by millions of people in a single day, on YouTube, on Instagram, and on TikTok, and Ramez’s clips are among the most watched in the Arab world. That means his shows are not only watched on television during Ramadan. They are watched all year round, by people who were not even watching television when the show first aired. I think about that, and I am struck by how the internet has changed his career, because it has made his pranks into something that never ends, something that is shared, and re-shared, and talked about, long after the holy month is over.

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Ramez Galal born?

Ramez Mohamed Galal Tawufik was born on 20 April 1973 in Cairo, Egypt. He is the son of the theatre director Galal Tawfik and the younger brother of the actor Yasser Galal.

How did Ramez Galal start his career?

He began his career as an actor in 1993, appearing in a television special beside Salah Zulfikar. He graduated from the High Institute of Theatrical Arts in 1995, and he appeared in films such as 55 Esaf in 2001 before becoming famous as a prank show host.

When did Ramez Galal start his Ramadan prank shows?

His first major Ramadan prank show was Ramez Qalb al-Assad, which means Ramez Lionheart, in 2011. Since then he has hosted a new prank show every Ramadan, each with a new theme and a new setting.

Who are the most famous people Ramez Galal has pranked?

He has pranked international stars including Paris Hilton, Steven Seagal, and Shah Rukh Khan. The prank on Shah Rukh Khan became the fourth most trending YouTube video during the first week of Ramadan in 2017.

What are some of Ramez Galal’s prank show titles?

His shows include Ramez Desert Fox, Ramez Ankh Amon, Ramez the Sea Shark, Ramez Plays with Fire, Ramez Sub-Zero, Ramez in the Waterfall, Ramez Movie Star, Ramez Never End, and Ramez Beast Level in 2026.

Are Ramez Galal’s prank shows controversial?

Yes, his shows have faced criticism for being too extreme and for frightening guests, and they have faced lawsuits and complaints to media regulators. In 2025, Egypt’s media regulator cleared his show to continue airing, and the debate about his shows continues every Ramadan.

Did Ramez Galal act in films?

Yes, he appeared in films such as 55 Esaf in 2001, Ahlam al-Fatah al-Tayesh in 2007, Ghesh El Zawgeya, and Ahmed Notre Dame. He has also sung title songs for some of his films, and he is known as an actor and singer as well as a prank show host.