![Image of Omar Sharif](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w342/fY5azKFkoIGzyzMC51Y0Zrz58ju.jpg)
Michel Dimitri Shalhoub, known as Omar Sharif (Arabic: عمر الشريف), also spelled Omar El-Sherif, born April 10, 1932 in Alexandria and died July 10, 2015 in Cairo, is an Egyptian actor. The son of a precious wood merchant, he grew up in a united Christian family with his parents and his sister. Enrolled at Victoria College, a prestigious British school in Alexandria, the teenager studied science, and foreign languages, and would later discover theater classes. A brilliant student, he continued his studies at Cairo University where he obtained his diploma in mathematics and physics. Caught up in his taste for acting, he was spotted at 21 by director Youssef Chahine who offered him a leading role in Struggle in the Valley (1954). The success was immediate, thanks to this role, the young leading man walked the red carpet of the Croisette at the Cannes Film Festival the same year. He became a star of Egyptian cinema then in full expansion, and collaborated again with Youssef Chahine (The Devil of the Desert, Black Waters). In 1962, he took on the role of Prince Sherif Ali in Lawrence of Arabia under the direction of David Lean. This film, the first outside Egypt for the actor, marks the beginning of a long friendship with Peter O'Toole and a turning point in Omar Sharif's career. He won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and decided to leave his native country for Hollywood. In 1955, Omar Sharif married the Egyptian actress Faten Hamama, whom he met on the set of Struggle in the Valley, and for whom he converted to Islam. Their son Tarek was born in 1957. The couple separated when the actor decided to pursue his career in Hollywood. Their divorce was finalized a few years later in 1974. The actor, a polyglot, then began an international career. David Lean offered him a new emblematic role with Doctor Zhivago (1965) in which he played opposite Geraldine Chaplin. His filmography includes more than a hundred films. The actor nevertheless had a more unhappy period on the big screen with some commercial failures (And Came the Day of Vengeance, The Rendezvous, The Horsemen). He returned to success in the 2000s with Monsieur Ibrahim and The Flowers of the Koran by François Dupeyron for which he was awarded the César for Best Actor in 2004. The same year, he starred in Hidalgo by Joe Johnston. Rarer on film sets, in 2009 he accepted the role of a painter suffering from Alzheimer's disease in I Forgot to Tell You alongside Emilie Dequenne. He appeared in his last film, Rock the Casbah by Laïla Marrakchi, in 2012. In May 2015, his son, Tarek El-Sharif, announced in an interview that Omar Sharif had Alzheimer's disease. He died on July 10, 2015 following a heart attack. His funeral took place on July 12, 2015 in a mosque in Cairo and he was buried at the Sayyeda Nefisa cemetery in the south of the city.
Movie | The Crime | 2022-01-05 | |
Movie | Indiana Jones: The Search for the Lost Golden Age | Self - Actor (archive footage) | 2021-05-07 |
Movie | Bara El Manhag | 2021-12-09 | |
Series | TV Story Superstar | Self (archive footage) | 2020-01-23 |
Movie | Omar Sharif: Citizen of the World | Self - Actor / Various Roles (archive footage) | 2020-02-15 |
Movie | 1001 Inventions and the World of Ibn Al-Haytham | Grandfather | 2015-12-13 |
Movie | Stardust Hollywood - Sternenstaub und Götterwelten | Self | 2013-02-23 |
Movie | A Castle in Italy | Omar Sharif | 2013-10-30 |
Movie | Rock the Casbah | Moulay Hassan | 2013-09-11 |
Movie | Belmondo, il était une fois le beau monde | Self | 2011-10-25 |
Movie | 2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift | archival footage | 2010-08-03 |
Movie | J'ai oublié de te dire | Jaume | 2010-03-12 |
Series | The Last Templar | Konstantine | 2009-01-25 |
Movie | La Traversée du désir | Self | 2009-03-16 |
Movie | The Traveller | Hassan | 2009-06-25 |
Movie | A Night at the Movies: The Gigantic World of Epics | Self | 2009-12-20 |
Movie | 10,000 BC | Narrator (voice) | 2008-03-04 |
Movie | Hassan and Marcus | Unknown | 2008-07-03 |
Movie | Fred Zinnemann - Der Mann, der 'High Noon' machte | Self | 2007-01-01 |
Movie | Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs | Self - Presenter | 2007-09-24 |
Series | Hanan W Haneen | Unknown | 2007-06-06 |
Movie | The Coptic Museum | Narrator | 2006-01-01 |
Movie | Fire at My Heart | Principe Nicola | 2006-01-01 |
Series | The Ten Commandments | Jethro | 2006-04-10 |
Movie | One Night with the King | Prince Memucan | 2006-10-10 |
Series | Kronprinz Rudolf | Hans Canon | 2006-04-30 |
Series | St. Peter | Pietro | 2005-10-24 |
Movie | Shaka Zulu: The Citadel | The King | 2005-05-03 |
Movie | St. Peter | San Pietro | 2005-10-24 |
Movie | Hollywood Legenden | Self | 2004-01-01 |
Movie | Hidalgo | Sheikh Riyadh | 2004-02-04 |
Movie | Looking for Sophia | Himself | 2004-09-17 |
Movie | Monsieur Ibrahim | Monsieur Ibrahim | 2003-09-17 |
Movie | The Making of 'Lawrence of Arabia' | Self (archive footage) | 2003-09-22 |
Movie | Pyramid | Nakht (voice) | 2002-10-28 |
Series | Monk | Unknown | 2002-07-12 |
Movie | The Parole Officer | Victor | 2001-08-10 |
Movie | The Making of Lawrence of Arabia | Self | 2000-01-01 |
Movie | Going Public | Unknown | 2000-01-01 |
Movie | Cleopatra's Palace: In Search of a Legend | Narrator | 1999-03-14 |
Movie | The 13th Warrior | Melchisidek | 1999-08-13 |
Movie | Mysteries of Egypt | Grandfather | 1998-01-01 |
Series | Vivement dimanche | Self | 1998-09-20 |
Movie | Heaven Before I Die | Khalil Gibran | 1997-01-01 |
Series | Gulliver's Travels | Sorcerer | 1996-02-04 |
Movie | Ingrid Bergman Remembered | Self (archive footage) | 1996-04-06 |
Movie | Umm Kulthum: A Voice Like Egypt | Narrator | 1996-10-09 |
Movie | Catherine the Great | Razumovsky | 1996-04-28 |
Series | Viva el lunes | Self | 1995-10-16 |
Movie | The Rainbow Thief | Dima | 1994-01-19 |
Movie | Lie Down with Lions | Safar Khan | 1994-06-12 |
Movie | Laughter, Joy, Work and Love | Unknown | 1993-11-29 |
Series | Parabéns | Self | 1992-09-19 |
Movie | 588 rue Paradis | Hagop | 1992-01-14 |
Movie | Beyond Justice | Emir Beni-Zair | 1992-12-02 |
Movie | Heavenly Sin | Unknown | 1992-10-03 |
Movie | Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris | Marquis Hippolite | 1992-12-27 |
Movie | Desert Law | Emir Beni-Zair | 1991-03-19 |
Series | Memories of Midnight | Constantin Demiris | 1991-11-25 |
Movie | Citizen Masrey | Mayor Abdel Razek El-Shershaby | 1991-12-23 |
Movie | Memories of Midnight | Constantin Demiris | 1991-11-30 |
Movie | Mother | Hagop | 1991-11-27 |
Movie | Mountains of the Moon | Arab Chief in Cairo (uncredited) | 1990-02-16 |
Movie | Journey of Love | Rico | 1990-12-07 |
Movie | The Puppeteer | Mohamed Gad Al-Karim | 1989-12-18 |
Movie | Keys to Freedom | Jonathan | 1988-01-01 |
Movie | The Possessed | Stepan Trofimovich Verkhovensky | 1988-02-24 |
Movie | Les pyramides bleues | Alex | 1988-01-02 |
Movie | Grand Larceny | Rashid Saud | 1987-01-01 |
Movie | Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna | Czar Nicholas II | 1986-12-07 |
Series | Harem | Sultan Hassan | 1986-02-09 |
Series | Peter the Great | Prince Feodor Romodanovsky | 1986-02-02 |
Movie | Harem | Sultan Hassan | 1986-02-09 |
Series | Anastasia - The Mystery of Anna | Czar Nicholas II | 1986-12-07 |
Movie | David Lean: A Life in Film | Self | 1985-01-01 |
Series | The Mind of David Berglas | Unknown | 1985-12-25 |
Movie | Vicious Circle | Garcin | 1985-04-28 |
Series | The Far Pavilions | Koda Dad | 1984-04-22 |
Movie | The Far Pavilions | Koda Dad | 1984-04-21 |
Movie | Top Secret! | Agent Cedric | 1984-06-08 |
Movie | Ayoub | Ayoub/Abdul Hamid Al-Sukkari | 1983-07-07 |
Movie | La Martingale | Alex Joski | 1983-10-13 |
Series | Champs-Elysées | Self | 1982-01-16 |
Series | Wogan | Self | 1982-05-04 |
Movie | Green Ice | Meno Argenti | 1981-05-21 |
Movie | Inchon | Indian Brigadier | 1981-05-04 |
Movie | S+H+E: Security Hazards Expert | Baron Cesare Magnasco | 1980-02-23 |
Movie | The Baltimore Bullet | The Deacon | 1980-04-01 |
Movie | Oh! Heavenly Dog | Bart | 1980-07-11 |
Movie | Pleasure Palace | Louie Lefevre | 1980-10-22 |
Movie | Ashanti | Prince Hassan | 1979-02-21 |
Movie | Bloodline | Ivo Palazzi | 1979-06-29 |
Series | 30 millions d'amis | Self | 1976-01-06 |
Movie | The Pink Panther Strikes Again | Egyptian Assassin (uncredited) | 1976-12-15 |
Movie | Crime and Passion | Andre Ferren | 1976-02-06 |
Movie | Funny Lady | Nick Arnstein | 1975-03-15 |
Series | Numéro un | Self - Host | 1975-04-05 |
Movie | The Tamarind Seed | Feodor Sverdlov | 1974-07-11 |
Series | Spécial cinéma | Self | 1974-09-25 |
Movie | Juggernaut | Captain Alex Brunel | 1974-09-25 |
Series | The American Film Institute Salute to ... | Self | 1973-04-02 |
Movie | The Mysterious Island | Captain Nemo | 1973-03-17 |
Series | Mysterious Island | Captain Nemo | 1973-12-17 |
Series | Le Grand Échiquier | Self | 1972-01-12 |
Movie | The Right to Love | Pierre | 1972-08-15 |
Movie | The Last Valley | Vogel | 1971-01-28 |
Series | Samedi soir | Self | 1971-01-09 |
Series | V.I.P. Schaukel | Self | 1971-05-09 |
Series | Cadet Rousselle | Self | 1971-11-04 |
Movie | The Burglars | Abel Zacharia | 1971-10-27 |
Movie | The Horsemen | Uraz | 1971-08-16 |
Series | الحب الضائع | عمر | 1969-01-01 |
Movie | Mackenna's Gold | Colorado | 1969-03-18 |
Movie | The Appointment | Federico Fendi | 1969-05-22 |
Movie | Che! | Che Guevara | 1969-06-27 |
Movie | Funny Girl | Nick Arnstein | 1968-09-19 |
Movie | Mayerling | Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria | 1968-10-31 |
Movie | The Night of the Generals | Major Grau | 1967-01-29 |
Movie | More Than a Miracle | Prince Rodrigo Fernandez | 1967-10-19 |
Movie | The Poppy Is Also a Flower | Dr. Rad | 1966-05-20 |
Movie | The Car That Became a Star | Davich (archiveFootage) | 1965-01-01 |
Movie | Zhivago: Behind the Camera with David Lean | Self | 1965-01-01 |
Movie | Pasternak | Himself | 1965-12-31 |
Movie | Genghis Khan | Genghis Khan / Temujin | 1965-04-15 |
Movie | Marco the Magnificent | Sheik Alla Hou | 1965-08-06 |
Movie | Moscow in Madrid | Self | 1965-12-31 |
Movie | Doctor Zhivago | Dr. Yuri Zhivago | 1965-12-22 |
Movie | The Mamluks | Ahmed | 1965-10-04 |
Movie | The Fall of the Roman Empire | Sohamus | 1964-03-24 |
Series | Die Drehscheibe | Self | 1964-04-01 |
Movie | The Yellow Rolls-Royce | Davich | 1964-12-31 |
Movie | Behold a Pale Horse | Francisco | 1964-08-14 |
Movie | Lawrence of Arabia | Sherif Ali | 1962-12-11 |
Movie | I Love My Master | Unknown | 1961-02-13 |
Movie | A Man in Our House | Ibrahim Mohammed | 1961-04-17 |
Movie | My Only Love | Adel | 1960-10-03 |
Movie | A Beginning and an Ending | Hassanein | 1960-10-31 |
Movie | Agony of Love | Unknown | 1960-10-01 |
Movie | Eshaet Hob | Hussein | 1960-11-21 |
Movie | The River of Love | Khalid | 1960-11-12 |
Movie | We the Students | Unknown | 1959-01-02 |
Movie | Rendezvous with a Stranger | Magdi | 1959-01-01 |
Movie | Scandal in Zamalek | Unknown | 1959-01-23 |
Movie | For the Sake of a Woman | شكري زدحمد | 1959-03-16 |
Movie | Struggle on the Nile | Muhassab | 1959-10-18 |
Movie | Goha | Goha | 1959-05-06 |
Movie | Ghaltet Habibi | Salah | 1958-04-14 |
Movie | Beach of Secrets | Mamduh Ezzat | 1958-02-03 |
Movie | Sayedat el kasr | Adel | 1958-11-17 |
Movie | Land of Peace | Ahmed | 1957-01-02 |
Movie | Sleepless | Aziz | 1957-10-31 |
Series | Cinépanorama | Self | 1956-02-04 |
Movie | Dark Waters | Ragab | 1956-01-16 |
Movie | The Lebanese Mission | Mokrir | 1956-09-12 |
Movie | Our Best Days | Ahmad | 1955-03-07 |
Series | This Is Your Life | Unknown | 1955-07-29 |
Movie | The Blazing Sun | Ahmed | 1954-03-01 |
Movie | The Devil of the Desert | Essam | 1954-12-27 |
Series | The Oscars | Self | 1953-03-19 |
Series | Bambi Awards | Self | 1948-01-01 |
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