Biyouna
Biyouna
Biography
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
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
38
Gender
Female
Birthday
1952-09-13 (73 years old)
Place of Birth
Alger, Algeria
Acting

2023

EDAMMA as Not available

2019

Le Grand Bazar as Khaddoudj

2018

Belleville Cop as Zohra

2018

On va manquer ! as The Mother

2017

I Still Hide to Smoke as Aïcha

2016

Amanda as Self

2014

Take-Away Romance as La grand-mère d'Amelle

2014

The Three Brothers: The Return as Grand-mère de Sarah

2014

La voyante as Yasmina

2013

Cheba Louisa as Zohra

2013

Mohamed Dubois as Djamila

2012

Bay of Algiers as Bibi

2011

The Source as Vieux Fusil

2010

My Dear Mother-in-law as Barisa

2010

Holiday as Eva Lopez

2010

Bacon on the Side as Houria

2009

Aïcha as Biyouna

2008

Tomboy as Lela

2007

Délice Paloma as Zineb Agha / Madame Aldjéria

2006

On n'est pas couché as Self - Guest

2006

Beur Blanc Rouge as La mère de Wassila

2005

Where Fig Trees Grow as Fatima

2004

Viva Algeria as Papicha

2003

Nass Mlah City as Not available

2002

La Voisine as Not available

1999

Les Vacances de l'apprenti as Not available

1993

The Casbah of Algiers as Not available

1991

Children of the Sun as Zainab

1978

Hassan Terro au Maquis as Not available

1977

Leila and the Others as Malika

1974

L’Incendie (El Harik) as Not available

NaN

يد الساحرة as Not available