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Omar Sharif (Arabic: عمر الشريف, Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [ˈʕomɑɾ eʃʃɪˈɾiːf]; born Michel Dimitri Chalhoub[1] [miˈʃel dɪˈmitɾi ʃælˈhuːb]; 10 April 1932 – 10 July 2015) was an Egyptian actor. He began his career in his native country in the 1950s, but is best known for his appearances in both English and American productions. His films included Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965), and Funny Girl (1968). He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Lawrence of Arabia. He won three Golden Globe Awards and a César Award.
Sharif, who spoke Arabic, English, French, Spanish and Italian fluently, was often cast as a foreigner of some sort. He bridled at travel restrictions imposed by the government of Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser, leading to self-exile in Europe. He was a lifelong horse racing enthusiast, and at one time ranked among the world's top contract bridge players.
Sharif, who spoke Arabic, English, French, Spanish and Italian fluently, was often cast as a foreigner of some sort. He bridled at travel restrictions imposed by the government of Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser, leading to self-exile in Europe. He was a lifelong horse racing enthusiast, and at one time ranked among the world's top contract bridge players.
Omar Sharif - Wikipedia
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OMAR SHARIF has FUN with LENO - R.I.P.
mytalkshowheroes 1995
Thank you my friend Maj Marty Hogan for making us aware that April 10 is the anniversary of the birth of excellent Egyptian actor Omar Sharif who was born Michel Dimitri Chalhoub.
I first became aware of him in Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and also enjoyed his performance in Doctor Zhivago (1965).
Rest in peace Omar Sharif!
Background from thefamouspeople.com/profiles/omar-sharif-34418.php
Omar El-Sherief
Died At Age: 83 on July 10, 2015
Height: 1.80 M
Born In: Alexandria, Egypt
Spouse/Ex-Spouse: Faten Hamama (M. 1955–1974)
Diseases & Disabilities: Alzheimer's
Cause Of Death: Heart Attack
Omar Sharif was an Egyptian film star, best known for his performances in both American and British productions. The gentlest exponent of romantic heroism, Sharif was popular among the team as one of the least demanding actors. After working for his father’s business for some time, he made his first appearance on the screen with the movie ‘Shaytan Al-Sahra’ (also called ‘Devil of the Desert’). He met his wife Faten Hamama, an already established actress then, during the shooting of his second movie, ‘Sira` Fi al-Wadi’ (also called ‘Struggle in the Valley’). His appearance as an Arab chief in ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ immediately made him favourite among the women. A highly civilized man with cosmopolitan tastes, Omar Sharif bagged numerous awards for his sparkling performances in movies like ‘Lawrence of Arabia’, ‘Doctor Zhivago’, and ‘Monsieur Ibrahim’. His first love was often said to be bridge, and he contributed many columns on bridge in several newspapers. He also authored a book on bridge and created an institutional video. He was frustrated at the travel restrictions imposed by the Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser and this resulted in a kind of self-exile for him in Europe. This was also one of the main reasons for parting with his wife as he was away from the country most of the time owing to his shooting schedules.
Recommended Lists:
Childhood & Early Life
• Originally named Michel Dimitri, Omar Sharif was born on April 10, 1932 in Alexandria, Egypt to Joseph Chalhoub and Claire Saada. His father was a precious wood merchant while his mother was a noted society hostess.
• He belonged to the Syria-Lebanese 'Antiochian' Greek Catholics of Egypt and was of Melkite Catholic descent.
• He started showing his talent for languages right from his college days while studying at Victoria College, Cairo. Later, he secured a graduation degree in mathematics and physics from Cairo University.
• After graduating, he joined his father’s business but soon moved out to study acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
Career
• Omar Sharif started his acting career with ‘Shaytan Al-Sahra’ (also called ‘Devil of the Desert’) in 1954. In the same year, he appeared in the role of Ahmed in another movie, ‘Sira` Fi al-Wadi’ (also called ‘Struggle in the Valley’).
• From 1955 to 1957, he appeared in movies like ‘Ayyamna al-Holwa’, ‘La Châtelaine du Liban’, ‘Sira` Fi al-Mina’, and ‘Ard al-Salam’.
• His popularity gradually rose to stardom, and he appeared in the Egyptian production ‘La Anam’ (‘Sleepless’) in 1958. In the same year, he appeared in the French production, ‘Goha’ and two other movies, ‘Shatie el asrar’ (‘Beach of Secrets’) and ‘Ghaltet habibi’ (‘My Lover’s Fault’).
• In 1959, he performed in quite a good number of movies like ‘Siraa fil Nil’ (‘Struggle on the Nile’), ‘Sayyidat al-Qasr’ (‘Lady of the Palace’), ‘Min ajal emraa’ (‘For a Woman’), ‘Maweed maa maghoul’ (‘An Appointment with the Unknown’), and ‘Fadiha fil Zamalek’ (‘Scandal in Zamalek’).
• After working in some Arab-speaking movies for the next two years, Omar Sharif got his first chance in the English historical epic ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ in 1962. David Lean, the director of the epic, insisted on having Sharif in the movie though he was not a known face outside Egypt. Lean insisted that ethnic actors would make the film more authentic and rightly, Sharif’s role proved to be one of the most demanding supporting roles in the history of Hollywood.
• In 1964, Omar Sharif appeared in Fred Zinnemann’s ‘Behold a Pale Horse’. Zinnemann offer him the role after the suggestion of Lean. In the same year, Sharif appeared as a wartime patriot in the movie ‘The Yellow Rolls-Royce.’
• He got a chance to work with Lean again in 1965 in the movie, ‘Doctor Zhivago’. The movie had Julie Christie as the main actress and was based on the Russian Revolution. Other films of this year include ‘Genghis Khan’, ‘Marco the Magnificent’, and ‘El Mamalik’.
• He received applauds for his portrayal of Prince Rodrigo Fernandez in the movie ‘More Than a Miracle’ (1967) and for his performance as Streisand’s gambler-husband in ‘Funny Girl’ (1968).
• He reprised his role in ‘The Funny Girl’ in it sequel ‘The Funny Lady’ (1975). He displayed some of his best performances in movies like ‘Mackenna’s Gold’ (1969), ‘Juggernaut’ (1974), and ‘The Tamarind Seed’ (1974).
• In the later part of his career, he acted in movies like ‘The Pink Panther Strkes Again’ (1976), ‘The Baltimore Bullet’ (1980), ‘War in the Land of Egypt’ (1991), ‘The 13th Warrior’ (1999), ‘The Parole Officer (2001), etc.
• His role in ‘Monsieur Ibrahim’ (2003) as a Muslim Turkish merchant, who is a father figure to a Jewish boy, won him the prestigious César Award for Best Actor.
• His last role was in the movie ‘1001 Inventions and the World of Ibn Al-Haytham’, in 2015.
• He also acted in some TV series like ‘The Mysterious Island’ (1973), ‘Peter the Great’ (1986), ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ (1996), ‘Imperium: Saint Peter’ (2005), and ‘The Last Templar’ (2008).
Major Works
• The most notable role in the career of Omar Sharif was that of Serif Ali in ‘Lawrence of Arabia’. Directed by David Lean, the movie was a turning point in Sharif’s career and brought him numerous awards and huge recognition.
• His performance in the movie ‘Doctor Zhivago’ won him critical and commercial success.
• His performance in the movie ‘Monsieur Ibrahim’ in which he played the role of an elderly Turkish shopkeeper was also highly appreciated.
Awards & Achievements
• Omar Sharif’s performance in ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ (1962) won him the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture and also the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor. He was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
• He bagged the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his role in ‘Doctor Zhivago’ (1965).
• He won the prestigious ‘César Award for Best Actor’ for his performance in ‘Monsieur Ibrahim’ (2003).
• In 2005, he was honored with the Sergei Eisenstein Medal by UNESCO for his contributions to world film and cultural diversity.
Personal Life & Legacy
• Omar Sharif lived in Egypt till 1965 and then moved to Europe. Though his father did not have prosperous business in the beginning, gradually it flourished. King Farouk often visited his house and befriended Sharif’s mother as card-game partner. After 1952, as wealth changed hands in Egypt under Nasser’s policies, his father’s business too had a decline.
• In 1954, Omar Sharif met actress, Faten Hamma, during the shooting of the movie ‘Struggle in the Valley’. Both fell in love and married in 1955 after Sharif converted to Muslim. The couple had a son, Tarek Sharif, born in 1957.
• Omar and Faten legally divorced in 1974 after living separately for eight years. The main reason for their separation is cited to be his prolonged time away from Egypt due to the Nasser government-imposed travel restrictions.
• He was linked to the actress Barbra Streisand. This relationship almost cost him his Egyptian citizenship.
• In 1992, he had a triple heart bypass. In May 2015, it was revealed that Sharif suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.
• He passed away on July 10, 2015, after suffering a heart attack. He is survived by his son and two grandsons.
Trivia
• At one time, he was one of the world’s top contract bridge players. In 1992, he licensed his name to the computer game ‘Omar Sharif Bridge’.
• Until his heart bypass in 1992, Sharif used to smoke 100 cigarettes in a day. However, soon after the operation, he quit cigarettes.
• He spoke English, French, Arabic, Italian, and Spanish fluently and was a horse-racing enthusiast."
Omar Sharif has fun with LENO - R.I.P.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pCc5ZySdmM
FYI LTC Stephen C. LTC (Join to see) Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen Lt Col Charlie Brown Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Maj William W. "Bill" Price Maj Marty Hogan SCPO Morris Ramsey SFC William Farrell SGT Mark Halmrast Sgt Randy Wilber Sgt John H. SGT Gregory Lawritson CPL Dave Hoover SPC Margaret Higgins SSgt Brian Brakke 1stSgt Eugene Harless SSG William Jones SSG Diane R.
I first became aware of him in Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and also enjoyed his performance in Doctor Zhivago (1965).
Rest in peace Omar Sharif!
Background from thefamouspeople.com/profiles/omar-sharif-34418.php
Omar El-Sherief
Died At Age: 83 on July 10, 2015
Height: 1.80 M
Born In: Alexandria, Egypt
Spouse/Ex-Spouse: Faten Hamama (M. 1955–1974)
Diseases & Disabilities: Alzheimer's
Cause Of Death: Heart Attack
Omar Sharif was an Egyptian film star, best known for his performances in both American and British productions. The gentlest exponent of romantic heroism, Sharif was popular among the team as one of the least demanding actors. After working for his father’s business for some time, he made his first appearance on the screen with the movie ‘Shaytan Al-Sahra’ (also called ‘Devil of the Desert’). He met his wife Faten Hamama, an already established actress then, during the shooting of his second movie, ‘Sira` Fi al-Wadi’ (also called ‘Struggle in the Valley’). His appearance as an Arab chief in ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ immediately made him favourite among the women. A highly civilized man with cosmopolitan tastes, Omar Sharif bagged numerous awards for his sparkling performances in movies like ‘Lawrence of Arabia’, ‘Doctor Zhivago’, and ‘Monsieur Ibrahim’. His first love was often said to be bridge, and he contributed many columns on bridge in several newspapers. He also authored a book on bridge and created an institutional video. He was frustrated at the travel restrictions imposed by the Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser and this resulted in a kind of self-exile for him in Europe. This was also one of the main reasons for parting with his wife as he was away from the country most of the time owing to his shooting schedules.
Recommended Lists:
Childhood & Early Life
• Originally named Michel Dimitri, Omar Sharif was born on April 10, 1932 in Alexandria, Egypt to Joseph Chalhoub and Claire Saada. His father was a precious wood merchant while his mother was a noted society hostess.
• He belonged to the Syria-Lebanese 'Antiochian' Greek Catholics of Egypt and was of Melkite Catholic descent.
• He started showing his talent for languages right from his college days while studying at Victoria College, Cairo. Later, he secured a graduation degree in mathematics and physics from Cairo University.
• After graduating, he joined his father’s business but soon moved out to study acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
Career
• Omar Sharif started his acting career with ‘Shaytan Al-Sahra’ (also called ‘Devil of the Desert’) in 1954. In the same year, he appeared in the role of Ahmed in another movie, ‘Sira` Fi al-Wadi’ (also called ‘Struggle in the Valley’).
• From 1955 to 1957, he appeared in movies like ‘Ayyamna al-Holwa’, ‘La Châtelaine du Liban’, ‘Sira` Fi al-Mina’, and ‘Ard al-Salam’.
• His popularity gradually rose to stardom, and he appeared in the Egyptian production ‘La Anam’ (‘Sleepless’) in 1958. In the same year, he appeared in the French production, ‘Goha’ and two other movies, ‘Shatie el asrar’ (‘Beach of Secrets’) and ‘Ghaltet habibi’ (‘My Lover’s Fault’).
• In 1959, he performed in quite a good number of movies like ‘Siraa fil Nil’ (‘Struggle on the Nile’), ‘Sayyidat al-Qasr’ (‘Lady of the Palace’), ‘Min ajal emraa’ (‘For a Woman’), ‘Maweed maa maghoul’ (‘An Appointment with the Unknown’), and ‘Fadiha fil Zamalek’ (‘Scandal in Zamalek’).
• After working in some Arab-speaking movies for the next two years, Omar Sharif got his first chance in the English historical epic ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ in 1962. David Lean, the director of the epic, insisted on having Sharif in the movie though he was not a known face outside Egypt. Lean insisted that ethnic actors would make the film more authentic and rightly, Sharif’s role proved to be one of the most demanding supporting roles in the history of Hollywood.
• In 1964, Omar Sharif appeared in Fred Zinnemann’s ‘Behold a Pale Horse’. Zinnemann offer him the role after the suggestion of Lean. In the same year, Sharif appeared as a wartime patriot in the movie ‘The Yellow Rolls-Royce.’
• He got a chance to work with Lean again in 1965 in the movie, ‘Doctor Zhivago’. The movie had Julie Christie as the main actress and was based on the Russian Revolution. Other films of this year include ‘Genghis Khan’, ‘Marco the Magnificent’, and ‘El Mamalik’.
• He received applauds for his portrayal of Prince Rodrigo Fernandez in the movie ‘More Than a Miracle’ (1967) and for his performance as Streisand’s gambler-husband in ‘Funny Girl’ (1968).
• He reprised his role in ‘The Funny Girl’ in it sequel ‘The Funny Lady’ (1975). He displayed some of his best performances in movies like ‘Mackenna’s Gold’ (1969), ‘Juggernaut’ (1974), and ‘The Tamarind Seed’ (1974).
• In the later part of his career, he acted in movies like ‘The Pink Panther Strkes Again’ (1976), ‘The Baltimore Bullet’ (1980), ‘War in the Land of Egypt’ (1991), ‘The 13th Warrior’ (1999), ‘The Parole Officer (2001), etc.
• His role in ‘Monsieur Ibrahim’ (2003) as a Muslim Turkish merchant, who is a father figure to a Jewish boy, won him the prestigious César Award for Best Actor.
• His last role was in the movie ‘1001 Inventions and the World of Ibn Al-Haytham’, in 2015.
• He also acted in some TV series like ‘The Mysterious Island’ (1973), ‘Peter the Great’ (1986), ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ (1996), ‘Imperium: Saint Peter’ (2005), and ‘The Last Templar’ (2008).
Major Works
• The most notable role in the career of Omar Sharif was that of Serif Ali in ‘Lawrence of Arabia’. Directed by David Lean, the movie was a turning point in Sharif’s career and brought him numerous awards and huge recognition.
• His performance in the movie ‘Doctor Zhivago’ won him critical and commercial success.
• His performance in the movie ‘Monsieur Ibrahim’ in which he played the role of an elderly Turkish shopkeeper was also highly appreciated.
Awards & Achievements
• Omar Sharif’s performance in ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ (1962) won him the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture and also the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor. He was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
• He bagged the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his role in ‘Doctor Zhivago’ (1965).
• He won the prestigious ‘César Award for Best Actor’ for his performance in ‘Monsieur Ibrahim’ (2003).
• In 2005, he was honored with the Sergei Eisenstein Medal by UNESCO for his contributions to world film and cultural diversity.
Personal Life & Legacy
• Omar Sharif lived in Egypt till 1965 and then moved to Europe. Though his father did not have prosperous business in the beginning, gradually it flourished. King Farouk often visited his house and befriended Sharif’s mother as card-game partner. After 1952, as wealth changed hands in Egypt under Nasser’s policies, his father’s business too had a decline.
• In 1954, Omar Sharif met actress, Faten Hamma, during the shooting of the movie ‘Struggle in the Valley’. Both fell in love and married in 1955 after Sharif converted to Muslim. The couple had a son, Tarek Sharif, born in 1957.
• Omar and Faten legally divorced in 1974 after living separately for eight years. The main reason for their separation is cited to be his prolonged time away from Egypt due to the Nasser government-imposed travel restrictions.
• He was linked to the actress Barbra Streisand. This relationship almost cost him his Egyptian citizenship.
• In 1992, he had a triple heart bypass. In May 2015, it was revealed that Sharif suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.
• He passed away on July 10, 2015, after suffering a heart attack. He is survived by his son and two grandsons.
Trivia
• At one time, he was one of the world’s top contract bridge players. In 1992, he licensed his name to the computer game ‘Omar Sharif Bridge’.
• Until his heart bypass in 1992, Sharif used to smoke 100 cigarettes in a day. However, soon after the operation, he quit cigarettes.
• He spoke English, French, Arabic, Italian, and Spanish fluently and was a horse-racing enthusiast."
Omar Sharif has fun with LENO - R.I.P.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pCc5ZySdmM
FYI LTC Stephen C. LTC (Join to see) Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen Lt Col Charlie Brown Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Maj William W. "Bill" Price Maj Marty Hogan SCPO Morris Ramsey SFC William Farrell SGT Mark Halmrast Sgt Randy Wilber Sgt John H. SGT Gregory Lawritson CPL Dave Hoover SPC Margaret Higgins SSgt Brian Brakke 1stSgt Eugene Harless SSG William Jones SSG Diane R.
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SSgt Boyd Herrst
Omar Sharif .. I enjoyed his movies .. a few times I disappeared at the A&P store.. mom thought I was reading magazines at the mag. Rack.. she didn’t care.. I wasn’t pestering her to buy stuff... I took some $ I had and went next door to the movie house.. I was Lucy, the movie was just starting when I got in the seats... I’d already left a note in the car .. The movie was 2 hrs long . Or close to it.. I’d done it several times over the summer.
“Aren’t you kinda young for this?” Some woman asked.. I just got my seat close enough but back enough. To see it.. I never got stopped.. most were PG.. not many came to these movies..
The last Templar was really good ..
seems funny for a guy who converted from Catholism to be a Muslim to be Iin a movie like that.. maybe he hadn’r Converted yet..
I wanted to see it twice... dad came and got me near the end..
“Aren’t you kinda young for this?” Some woman asked.. I just got my seat close enough but back enough. To see it.. I never got stopped.. most were PG.. not many came to these movies..
The last Templar was really good ..
seems funny for a guy who converted from Catholism to be a Muslim to be Iin a movie like that.. maybe he hadn’r Converted yet..
I wanted to see it twice... dad came and got me near the end..
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He always brought the characters to life and became them during His appearance in film. I also can actually remember Him appearing in some Western Movies on TV and doing a great job in those roles.
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