Omar Sharif Biography

Omar Sharif (, ; born Michel Demitri Shalhoub, ; 10 April 1932) is an Egyptian actor who has starred in Hollywood films, including Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965) and Funny Girl (1968). He has been nominated for an Academy Award and has won two Golden Globe Awards.

Early life

Sharif was born Michel Demitri Shalhoub on 10 April 1932 in Alexandria, Egypt. He graduated from Victoria College, where he was a classmate of Edward Said. Sharif later graduated from Cairo University with degrees in mathematics and physics.

Acting career

In 1953, Sharif began his acting career with a role in Sira` Fi al-Wadi. He quickly rose to stardom, appearing in over 20 Egyptian productions, including Ayyamna el helwa with singer Abdel Halim Hafez, La anam in 1958, Sayedat el kasr in 1959 and the Anna Karenina adaptation Nahr el hub in 1961. He also starred with his wife, Egyptian actress Faten Hamama, in several movies as romantic leads.

Sharif's first English-language film was in the role of Sharif Ali in David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia in 1962. This performance earned him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor " Motion Picture. Following this breakthrough role, Sharif played a variety of characters, including a Spanish priest in Behold a Pale Horse (1964) and the Mongolian conqueror in Genghis Khan (1965). In the same year, Sharif reunited with Lean to play the title role in Doctor Zhivago, an adaptation of Boris Pasternak's novel.

Over the next few years, Sharif starred as a German military officer in The Night of the Generals, as Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria in Mayerling and as Che Guevara in Che!. Sharif was also acclaimed for his portrayal of Nicky Arnstein, husband to Fanny Brice in Funny Girl, though some thought he was miscast as a New York Jewish gambler. His decision to work with co-star Barbra Streisand angered Egypt's government at the time due to Streisand's support for the state of Israel. Streisand herself responded with "You think Cairo was upset? You should've seen the letter I got from my Aunt Rose!" Sharif reprised the role in the film's sequel, Funny Lady in 1975.

In 2003, he received acclaim for his role in the French-language film adaptation of the novel Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran, as a Muslim Turkish merchant who becomes a father figure for a Jewish boy.

Contract bridge career

Sharif once ranked among the world's best-known contract bridge players, forming the "Omar Sharif Bridge Circus" in 1967 which toured the world, competing against such powerhouse teams as Blue Team and Dallas Aces, at a time when barnstorming bridge teams were very popular. With Charles Goren, Sharif co-wrote a syndicated newspaper bridge column for the Chicago Tribune for several years, but has mostly turned over the writing of the column to Tannah Hirsch, whose name appears on the byline with Sharif to this day. He is also both author and co-author of several books on bridge and has licensed his name to a bridge video game; initially released in a MS-DOS version and Amiga version in 1992, Omar Sharif Bridge is still sold in Windows and "mobile platform" versions. For a number of years his partner at international tournaments was Egyptian contract bridge superstar Maged Elewa.

Sharif has been a regular in casinos in France.

In 2006, Sharif declared both pastimes as ended when he was asked if he still played bridge: "I've stopped altogether. I decided I didn't want to be a slave to any passion any more except for my work. I had too many passions, bridge, horses, gambling. I want to live a different kind of life, be with my family more because I didn't give them enough time."

Personal life

Family and personal relationships

Sharif lived in his native Egypt from birth in 1932 until he moved to Europe in 1965. He recounts that, in 1932, his father "wasn't a wealthy man", but "earned quite a bit of money". Before the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, King Farouk frequented Sharif's family's house, and became a friend and card game partner of Sharif's mother. His mother was an elegant and charming hostess who was all too delighted with the association because it gave her the privilege of "consorting only with the elite" of Egyptian society. Sharif also recounts that his father's timber business was very successful during that time, in ways that Sharif describes as dishonest or immoral.

By contrast, after 1952, Sharif states that wealth changed hands in Egypt, under Nasser's nationalization policies. His father's business "took a beating". Travel restrictions in the form of "exit visas" were required of Egyptians, and his own travel to take part in international films was sometimes impeded, which he could not tolerate. The Nasser government's travel restrictions influenced Omar's decision to remain in Europe between his film shoots, a decision that cost him his marriage to Egyptian film legend Faten Hamama, though they remained friends. It was a major cross-roads in Omar's life and changed him from an established family man to a lifelong bachelor living in European hotels. When commenting about his fame and life in Hollywood, Sharif said, "It gave me glory, but it gave me loneliness also. And a lot of missing my own land, my own people and my own country." Due to the state of war between Egypt and Israel, Sharif's Egyptian citizenship was almost withdrawn by the Egyptian Government when his affair with Barbra Streisand was made public in the Egyptian press due to Streisand's vocal support of Israel.

In 1955, Sharif converted to Islam to marry Egyptian actress Faten Hamama. The couple had one son, Tarek El-Sharif, born 1957 in Egypt, who appeared in Doctor Zhivago as Yuri at the age of eight. They separated in 1966 and the marriage ended in 1974. Sharif never remarried; he stated that since his divorce, he never fell in love with another woman, although he lived abroad for years.

Sharif became friends with Peter O'Toole during the making of Lawrence of Arabia. They have appeared in several other films together and remain close friends. He is also good friends with Egyptologist Zahi Hawass. Actor and friend Tom Courtenay revealed in an interview for the July 19, 2008, edition of BBC Radio's Test Match Special that Sharif supported Hull City Association Football Club and in the 1970s would telephone their automated scoreline from his home in Paris for score updates. Sharif was given an honorary degree by the University of Hull in 2010 and used the occasion to meet up with Hull City football player Ken Wagstaff.

At present, Sharif resides mostly in Cairo with his family. In addition to his son, he has two grandsons, Omar (born 1983 in Montreal) and Karim. Omar Sharif, Jr. is also an actor. He is most recently known for playfully tussling on stage at the 83rd Academy Awards ceremony with actor Kirk Douglas, who was presenting the award for Best Supporting Actress that evening. Sharif Jr. also generated buzz for coming out as both gay and half-Jewish during the aftermath of the 2011 Egyptian revolution, saying he fears for his safety after Islamist parties' triumph in parliamentary elections.

Criminal convictions

In August 2003, Sharif received a one-month suspended prison sentence for striking a police officer in a suburban Parisian casino the previous month. He was fined the equivalent of US$1,700. On February 13, 2007, Sharif was "found guilty of assaulting a Beverly Hills parking lot attendant and breaking his nose".

Doha Tribeca Film Festival

On October 27, 2011, Sharif became irritated with a woman who was queuing up to have her photo taken with him on the red carpet at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival. He struck her, but after a moment he turned and leaned in to pose for a picture with her.

Religious views

Sharif stated in an interview on Egyptian television that he is a Muslim, denying all rumors that he was not. He also denied claims that any of his children are Jewish.

Awards

In November 2005, Sharif was given the Sergei Eisenstein Medal by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in recognition of his significant contributions to world film and cultural diversity. The medal, which is handed out very infrequently, is named after Russian director Sergei Eisenstein. Only 25 have been struck, as determined by the agreement between UNESCO, Russia's Mosfilm and the Vivat Foundation.

Filmography

Films

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1954	Shaytan al-Sahra		Known as Devil of the Sahara
1954	Sira` Fi al-Wadi	Ahmed	Also known as The Blazing Sun or Struggle in the Valley or Fight in the Valley'
1955	Ayyamna al-Holwa (Our Best Days)	Ahmed
1956	Siraa Fil-Mina	Ragab
1957	Ard al-Salam	Ahmed	Known as Land of Peace
1957	The Lebanese Mission	Mokrir	Original title was La Châtelaine du Liban; credited as Omar Cherif
1958	La anam	Aziz	Also known as I Do Not Sleep and No Tomorrow
1958	Goha	Goha	Credited as Omar Cherif
1959	Fadiha fil-zamalek		Scandal in Zamalek
1959	Sayedat el kasr	Adel	Lady of the Castle
1959	Seraa fil Nil	Muhassab	Struggle on the Nile
1960	Bidaya wa nihaya
1960	Hobi al-wahid		My Only Love
1960	Esha'a hob		Rumor of Love
1960	Nahr al-Hob	Khalid	The River of love
1961	A Man in our House	Ibrahim
1962	Lawrence of Arabia	Sherif Ali
1964	Behold a Pale Horse	Francisco
1964	The Fall of the Roman Empire	Sohamus
1965	Doctor Zhivago	Yuri
1965	The Yellow Rolls-Royce	Davich
1965	Genghis Khan	Genghis Khan
1967	The Night of the Generals	Major Grau
1967	More Than A Miracle	Prince Rodrigo Fernandez
1968	Funny Girl	Nick Arnstein
1968	Mayerling	Archduke Rudolf
1969	Che!	Che Guevara
1969	The Appointment	Frenderico Fendi
1969	Mackenna's Gold	Colorado
1970	The Last Valley	Vogel
1971	The Horsemen	Uraz
1971	The Burglars	Abel Zacharia
1973	The Mysterious Island	Captain Nemo	TV miniseries; also known as L'Ile Mysterieuse
1974	Juggernaut	Captain Axel Brunel
1974	The Tamarind Seed	Feodor Sverdlov
1975	Ace Up My Sleeve	Andre Ferren	also known as Crime and Passion
1975	Funny Lady	Nicky Arnstein
1976	The Pink Panther Strikes Again	Egyptian Assassin	uncredited cameo
1979	Ashanti: Land of No Mercy	Prince hassan
1979	Bloodline	Ivo Palazzi
1979	S-H-E	Baron Cesare Magnasco	S-H-E: Security Hazards Expert
1980	Oh Heavenly Dog	Bart
1980	The Baltimore Bullet	The Deacon
1980	Pleasure Palace	Louis Lefevre	TV movie
1981	Green Ice	Meno Argenti
1984	Top Secret!	Agent Cedric
1986	Peter the Great	Prince Feodor Romodanovsky	TV series
1986	Harem	Sultan Hassan	TV movie
1986	Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna	Czar Nicholas II	TV series
1987	The Novice
1988	The Possessed	Stepan	Les Possédés
1989	Al-aragoz	Mohamed Gad El Kareem	The Puppeteer
1990	The Opium Connection
1990	The Rainbow Thief	Dima
1991	Memories of Midnight	Constantin Demiris	TV movie
1991	Mowaten masri		An Egyptian Citizen
1992	Beyond Justice	Emir Beni-Zair
1992	Grand Larceny
1992	Mayrig
1992	Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris	Marquis Hippolite	TV Movie
1992	588 rue paradis	Hagop	Mother
1993	Dehk we le'b we gad we hob		Laughter, Games, Seriousness and Love
1994	Lie Down With Lions	Safar Khan	TV movie; Red Eagle
1995	Catherine the Great	Razumovsky	TV movie
1996	Gulliver's Travels	The Sorcerer	TV movie
1997	Heaven Before I Die	Khalil Gibran
1998	Mysteries of Egypt	Grandfather	Documentary
1999	The 13th Warrior	Melchisideck
2001	The Parole Officer	Victor
2003	Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran	Monsieur Ibrahim Deneji
2004	Hidalgo	Sheikh Riyadh
2005	Imperium: Saint Peter	Saint Peter	TV movie
2005	Fuoco su di me	Principe Nicola	Fire at my Heart
2005	Shaka Zulu: The Last Great Warrior
2006	One Night with the King	Prince Memucan
2006	The Crown Prince	Hans Canon	TV movie; Kronprinz Rudolf
2007	Hanan W Haneen		TV series
2007	The Ten Commandments	Jethro	TV series
2008	The Last Templar	Konstantine	TV series
2008	Hassan & Marcus	Hassan/Morcus	Hassan wa Morcus
2008	10,000 BC	Narrator	Voice only
2009	The Traveller
2009	J'ai oublié de te dire	Jaume	I forgot to Tell You
2009	La Traversée du désir
2013	Rock the Casbah

Bibliography

• The Eternal Male (1977)
• Omar Sharif's Life in Bridge (1983)
• Omar Sharif Talks Bridge (2004)
• Bridge Deluxe II Play with Omar Sharif (instruction manual)