Mariam al-Ghamdi

Mariam Mohammed al-Ghamdi (born on January 1, 1949) is a Saudi actress, broadcaster, and writer. She joined Saudi Radio in 1962 to be the first Saudi female broadcaster. She is the first Saudi woman to stand on stage and one of the first news readers on Riyadh Radio. She began her acting career in the 1990s and received many starring roles. She participated in the Saudi series 'Tash Ma Tash' and the series 'Taqha wal Haqha'.

She was born in the city of Asmara, the capital of Eritrea, and spent her childhood there. At the age of six, she memorized the Quran at a mosque near her home. When she turned seven, her family moved to Jeddah City. Due to the absence of schools for girls' education at that time, she began working as an assistant at Stetah Safiyah School of Quran. Later, she enrolled in Dar al-Hanan School, where she portrayed the role of Umayya Bin Khalaf on the school stage.

After earning a nursing diploma, al-Ghamdi worked as a nurse. Later, she transitioned to teaching after completing a training program for high school female educators. Subsequently, she was appointed as an administrator at the General Presidency for Girls' Education. In 1989, she graduated from King Abdulaziz University with a bachelor's in English literature.

She presented her first television work for children, entitled 'Ramadan Shahr Mubarak,' and the children’s visual encyclopedia program. Additionally, she served as a broadcaster for several programs, including 'Mama Mariam.' She participated in presenting the news bulletin on al-Ekhbariya and authored a series of literary articles for various local and Arab newspapers and magazines. At the age of twelve, she wrote her first script for a children's radio program. She was one of the pioneering female broadcasters on Riyadh Radio in 1982. In 1988, she released the short story collection 'Uhibuka Walaken' (I Love You, But), followed by the book 'Wa Iftarakna Ashikayn' (And We Parted in Love) in 1993.

Throughout her career, she has garnered numerous awards, including the Parallel Institutions Award in Tunisia (1997) and recognition by the Arab Pioneers Festival in Cairo during its second session (2002). Her work in social drama earned her the Creativity Award at the Radio and Television Festival in Cairo. Additionally, she secured the third prize at the Arab Broadcasting Union Festival in Tunisia, the 'Pioneers of the Profession' award (2019), and was honored at the Arab Radio and Television Festival (2022).