Full name: King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz ibn Saud.
Who is he? Former playboy prince from Saudi Arabia.
Born: Possibly 1922. Births were not always recorded in the Arabian peninsula in those times.
Why's he in the news? Has resumed power as monarch in Saudi Arabia. Suffered a stroke last November and handed over in January to Crown Prince Abdullah in order to rest and recuperate.
Saudi background: The first king in the modern state, Abdul Aziz al Saud died in 1953, and was succeeded by his sons in a kingdom without legislature or political parties. Has remained an absolute monarchy since.
Fahd joined Saudi government in 1953 as first education minister. Served as interior minister (1962-1975) and deputy prime minister from 1975.
King Saud was deposed in 1964 by King Faisal who later led the Arab oil embargo against the west during the Arab Israeli Middle East war (1973).
Faisal assassinated by a nephew (1975), and King Khaled, Faisal's brother, took over. Fahd was named crown prince and entrusted with government, becoming king on Khaled's death (1982).
What's he like? Overweight, diabetic and always ailing, he had gall bladder surgery in the US (1994). Said to have a personal fortune of some $16 billion, he "is devoted to his family. He dislikes pomp
Changed his title from Majesty to "The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques" a reference to Islam's shrines in Mecca and Medina (1986).
He gave massive financial backing to Iraq against non Arab Iran, while building the Saudi military to a formidable level.
In 1990 he allied Saudi Arabia with the US against Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. Saudi Arabia has wrestled with constant financial difficulties since the Gulf War (1991).
At present, Saudi Arabia exports seven of its daily eight million barrel oil production. Its stability is of much concern to its western allies. The US and Britain have arms and commercial contracts with Saudi Arabia, worth many billions of dollars.
Life under Fahd: He shows little interest in dramatic social change. In Saudi Arabia, women are expected to remain veiled in public and are not allowed to drive under the strict rules of the variety of Islam to which most Saudis belong.
Saudi Arabia maintains a threadbare reputation for human rights. In 1990 Amnesty International drew attention to "a clear pattern of human rights violations, including torture" of political opposition and labour leaders, belonging mainly to the Shia sect.
In 1992 Fahd cautiously allowed limited political reform, setting up a powerless 60 man consultative council, appointed by himself. He also limited ministerial terms to four years.
Basic law: Fahd adopted a law to enable the succession of the "most able" of his grandfather's descendants to succeed to the throne (1992).
Last word: Goes to Fahd:
"After having spent a period in convalescence, I am better thanks to the grace of God" he said in a message to Crown Prince Abdullah.