Objectives:This research presents an approach to detect occluded face images. In order to achieve this, the research presents a novel technique that involves feature extraction and occluded face recognition. Methods: Feature extraction is performed by the enhanced ORB algorithm, which is proposed by the modification of the Oriented Fast and Rotated Brief (ORB) algorithm, by adding a phase for contrast adjustment, together with CNN features. For occluded face recognition, a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) optimized by the proposed SR-SSA is designed. SR-SSA is proposed by the integration of Search and Rescue Optimization (SAR) in the Sparrow Search Algorithm (SSA). Results: The experimental results demonstrate that the SR-SSA-based GAN algorithm outperforms existing methods in terms of accuracy of 0.956, FAR of 0.045 and FRR of 0.021.