Actor Rifaat Torbey awarded the Order of Merit for his life's work in theater

BEIRUT — Director and actor Rifaat Torbey received Lebanon's Order of Merit on Friday for his prolific work in theater. Torbey, whose exceptional acting career spans more than half a century, was awarded Lebanon's highest honorary decoration in a ceremony at the Grand Serail led by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, on behalf of President Joseph Aoun.

The ceremony was held Friday evening following a performance of "Hamlet, the Mad Prince," a play directed by Lina Abyad and performed by Torbey himself, at the invitation of the prime minister and his wife, Sahar Salam.

As a budding artist, Torbey graduated from the Beirut School of Modern Theater and went on to make a name for himself in Lebanese and Arab theater more broadly. He is especially known for his transformative performances of Shakespearean roles. "Theater is the mark of the highest level of intellect in a society," Torbey said in a 2024 interview with The Intuitive Film Lab. "Today, as it stands, there is more talent than ever, but no resources. I feel bad for the youth; they have such a huge weight to carry... All I can tell them is that their talent is worth way more than stray bullets."

In recent years, Torbey's work in theater has seen several collaboration with Abyad and even a foray into film, playing Samir Geagea in the renowned Lebanese film "The Insult."

Numerous political, cultural, and media figures were present at Torbey's ceremony, including former presidents Amine Gemayel, Michel Sleiman and his wife Wafaa, former heads of government Fouad Siniora and Tammam Salam, as well as Cabinet Vice President Tarek Mitri, and several ministers and MPs, diplomats, ambassadors and other artists and cultural figures.