Omar Sharif
Country: Egypt
Gender: M
Birthday: 1932-04-10
Died: 2015-07-10
Biography
Omar Sharif, the Franco-Arabic actor best known for playing Sherif Ali in Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and the title role in Doctor Zhivago (1965), was born Michel Demitri Shalhoub on April 10, 1932 in Alexandria, Egypt to Joseph Shalhoub, a lumber merchant, and his wife, Claire. Of Lebanese and Syrian extraction, the young Michel was raised a Roman Catholic. He was educated at Victoria College in Alexandria and took a degree in mathematics and physics from Cairo University with a major. Afterward graduating from university, he entered the family lumber business. Before making his English-language film debut with "Lawrence of Arabia", for which he earned him a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nomination and international fame, Sharif became a star in Egyptian cinema. His first movie was the Egyptian film Siraa Fil-Wadi (1954) ("The Blazing Sun") in 1953, opposite the renowned Egyptian actress Faten Hamama whom he married in 1955. He converted to Islam to marry Hamama and took the name Omar al-Sharif. The couple had one child (Tarek Sharif, who was born in 1957 and portrayed the young Zhivago in the eponymous picture) and divorced in 1974. Sharif never remarried. Beginning in the 1960s, Sharif earned a reputation as one of the world's best known contract bridge players. In the 1970s and '80s, he co-wrote a syndicated newspaper bridge column for the Chicago Tribune. Sharif also wrote several books on bridge and has licensed his name to a bridge computer game, "Omar Sharif Bridge", which has been marketed since 1992. Sharif told the press in 2006 that he no longer played bridge, explaining, "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." As an actor, Sharif had made a comeback in 2003 playing the title role of an elderly Muslim shopkeeper in the French film Monsieur Ibrahim (2003). For his performance, he won the Best Actor Award at the Venice Film Festival and the Best Actor César, France's equivalent of the Oscar, from the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma.
Actor:
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1. The Blazing Sun (1954), film...Ahmed
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2. The Blazing Sun (1954), film
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3. The Lebanese Mission (1956), film...Mokrir
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4. Dark Waters (1956), film
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5. A Beginning and an Ending (1960), film...Hassanein
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6. Lawrence of Arabia (1962), film...Sherif Ali
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7. The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964), film...Davich
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8. The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), film...Sohamus
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9. Behold a Pale Horse (1964), film...Francisco
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10. Doctor Zhivago (1965), film...Yuri
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11. Genghis Khan (1965), film...Genghis Khan / Temujin-Genghis Khan
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12. Marco the Magnificent (1965), film...Emir Alaou
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13. Poppies Are Also Flowers (1966), film
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14. The Night of the Generals (1967), film...Major Grau
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15. More Than a Miracle (1967), film...Prince Rodrigo Fernandez
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16. Mayerling (1968), film...Archduke Rudolf
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17. Funny Girl (1968), film...Nick Arnstein
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18. Mackenna's Gold (1969), film...John Colorado
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19. The Appointment (1969), film...Frederico Fendi
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20. Che! (1969), film...Che Guevara
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21. The Horsemen (1971), film...Uraz
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22. The Burglars (1971), film...Abel Zacharia
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23. The Last Valley (1971), film
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24. Le droit d'aimer (1972), film...Pierre
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25. The Mysterious Island (1973), film...Captain Nemo
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26. Mysterious Island (1973), series...Le capitaine Nemo
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27. Juggernaut (1974), film...Captain Alex Brunel
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28. The Tamarind Seed (1974), film...Feodor Sverdlov
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29. Funny Lady (1975), film...Nicky Arnstein / Nick Arnstein
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30. Three to Get Ready (1976), film...Andre Ferren
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31. Bloodline (1979), film...Ivo Palazzi
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32. Ashanti (1979), film...Prince Hassan
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33. OH HEAVENLY DOG (1980), film...Bart
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34. Green Ice (1981), film...Meno Argenti
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35. Top Secret! (1984), film...Agent Cedric
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36. The Far Pavilions (1984), series
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37. Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna (1986), film...Czar Nicholas II
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38. Harem (1986), film...Sultan Hassan
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39. Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna (1986), series...Czar Nicholas II
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40. Grand Larceny (1987), film...Rashid Saud
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41. Paradise Calling (1988), film...Alex
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42. The Possessed (1988), film
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43. The Rainbow Thief (1990), film...Dima
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44. Beyond Justice (1991), film...Emir Beni-Zair
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45. The Law of the Desert (1991), series...Emir Beni-Zair
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46. Sidney Sheldon's Memories of Midnight (1991), series...Constantin Demiris
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47. Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris (1992), film...Marquis Hippolite
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48. 588 Rue Paradis (1992), film...Hagop
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49. Red Eagle (1994), film...Safar Khan
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50. Gulliver's Travels (1996), series...The Sorcerer
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51. Heaven Before I Die (1997), film...Khalil Gibran
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52. Mysteries of Egypt (1998), film...Grandfather
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53. The 13th Warrior (1999), film...Melchisidek
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54. Shaka Zulu: The Citadel (2001), film...The Sultan
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55. Shaka Zulu: The Citadel (2001), series...The Sultan
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56. Hidalgo (2004), film...Sheikh Riyadh
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57. Looking for Sofia (2004), film...Self
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58. St. Peter (2005), film...San Pietro
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59. One Night with the King (2006), film...Prince Memucan
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60. The Ten Commandments (2006), film...Jethro
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61. Kronprinz Rudolf (2006), film...Hans Canon
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62. Fire at My Heart (2006), film...Principe Nicola
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63. The Ten Commandments (2006), series...Jethro
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64. The Crown Prince (2006), series...Hans Canon
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65. Hassan wa Morcus (2008), film...Hassan / Morcus
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66. The Last Templar (2009), film...Konstantine
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...Self
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68. Chasing Mummies (2010), series...Self
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69. J'ai oublié de te dire (2010), film
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70. A Castle in Italy (2013), film...Omar Sharif
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71. A Castle in Italy (2013), film...Omar Sharif
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72. Rock the Casbah (2013), film...Moulay Hassan Ben Amor
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73. Maria By Callas (2017), film...Self (archive footage)
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...Self - Interviewee / Comédien (archive footage)
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75. Omar Sharif -Life of a Nomad (2020), film...Self (archive footage)
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...Self (archive footage)
Narrator:
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1. 10,000 B.C. (2008), film