Biography
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.
Filmography
all 156
Movies 124
self 39
TV Shows 32
Narrator 3
Voice 2
Indiana Jones: The Search for the Lost Golden Age (2021)
Jodie Foster, Hollywood Under the Skin (2021)
Omar Sharif: Citizen of the World (2020)
TV Story Superstar (2020)
1001 Inventions and the World of Ibn Al-Haytham (2015)
A Castle in Italy (2013)
Rock the Casbah (2013)
Stardust Hollywood - Sternenstaub und Götterwelten (2013)
Belmondo, il était une fois le beau monde (2011)
J'ai oublié de te dire (2010)
A Night at the Movies: The Gigantic World of Epics (2009)
The Traveller (2009)
La Traversée du désir (2009)
The Last Templar (2009)
Hassan and Marcus (2008)
Once Upon a Time... Lawrence of Arabia (2008)
10,000 BC (2008)
Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs (2007)
Hanan W Haneen (2007)
Fred Zinnemann - Der Mann, der 'High Noon' machte (2007)
One Night with the King (2006)
Kronprinz Rudolf (2006)
The Ten Commandments (2006)
Fire at My Heart (2006)
The Coptic Museum (2006)
St. Peter (2005)
St. Peter (2005)
Shaka Zulu: The Citadel (2005)
Looking for Sophia (2004)
Hidalgo (2004)
Hollywood Legenden (2004)
The Making of 'Lawrence of Arabia' (2003)
Monsieur Ibrahim (2003)
Pyramid (2002)
The Parole Officer (2001)
Going Public (2000)
The Making of Lawrence of Arabia (2000)
The 13th Warrior (1999)
Cleopatra's Palace: In Search of a Legend (1999)
Vivement dimanche (1998)
Mysteries of Egypt (1998)
Heaven Before I Die (1997)
Umm Kulthum: A Voice Like Egypt (1996)
Catherine the Great (1996)
Ingrid Bergman Remembered (1996)
Gulliver's Travels (1996)
Viva el lunes (1995)
Lie Down with Lions (1994)
The Rainbow Thief (1994)
Laughter, Joy, Work and Love (1993)
Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris (1992)
Beyond Justice (1992)
Heavenly Sin (1992)
Parabéns (1992)
588 rue Paradis (1992)
Citizen Masrey (1991)
Mother (1991)
Memories of Midnight (1991)
Jonathan Ross Presents for One Week Only: Alejandro Jodorowsky (1991)
Desert Law (1991)
Journey of Love (1990)
Mountains of the Moon (1990)
The Puppeteer (1989)
The Possessed (1988)
Les pyramides bleues (1988)
Keys to Freedom (1988)
Grand Larceny (1987)
Anastasia - The Mystery of Anna (1986)
Harem (1986)
Harem (1986)
Peter the Great (1986)
The Mind of David Berglas (1985)
Vicious Circle (1985)
David Lean: A Life in Film (1985)
Top Secret! (1984)
The Far Pavilions (1984)
La Martingale (1983)
Ayoub (1983)
Wogan (1982)
Champs-Elysées (1982)
Green Ice (1981)
Inchon (1981)
Pleasure Palace (1980)
Oh! Heavenly Dog (1980)
The Baltimore Bullet (1980)
S+H+E: Security Hazards Expert (1980)
Bloodline (1979)
Ashanti (1979)
The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976)
Crime and Passion (1976)
30 millions d'amis (1976)
Numéro un (1975)
Funny Lady (1975)
Juggernaut (1974)
Spécial cinéma (1974)
The Tamarind Seed (1974)
Mysterious Island (1973)
The American Film Institute Salute to ... (1973)
The Mysterious Island (1973)
The Right to Love (1972)
Le Grand Échiquier (1972)
Cadet Rousselle (1971)
The Burglars (1971)
The Horsemen (1971)
V.I.P. Schaukel (1971)
The Last Valley (1971)
Samedi soir (1971)
Che! (1969)
The Appointment (1969)
Mackenna's Gold (1969)
Mayerling (1968)
Funny Girl (1968)
More Than a Miracle (1967)
The Night of the Generals (1967)
Poppies Are Also Flowers (1966)
Moscow in Madrid (1965)
Pasternak (1965)
Doctor Zhivago (1965)
The Mamluks (1965)
Marco the Magnificent (1965)
Genghis Khan (1965)
Zhivago: Behind the Camera with David Lean (1965)
The Car That Became a Star (1965)
The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964)
Behold a Pale Horse (1964)
Die Drehscheibe (1964)
The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
A Man in Our House (1961)
I Love My Master (1961)
Eshaet Hob (1960)
The River of Love (1960)
A Beginning and an Ending (1960)
My Only Love (1960)
Lawaat Al-Hub (1960)
Struggle on the Nile (1959)
Goha (1959)
Scandal in Zamalek (1959)
We the Students (1959)
For the Sake of a Woman (1959)
Rendezvous with a Stranger (1959)
Sayedat el kasr (1958)
Ghaltet Habibi (1958)
Beach of Secrets (1958)
Sleepless (1957)
Land of Peace (1957)
The Lebanese Mission (1956)
Cinépanorama (1956)
Dark Waters (1956)
Our Best Days (1955)
The Devil of the Desert (1954)
The Blazing Sun (1954)
The Oscars (1953)
Bambi Awards (1948)
Building the Great Pyramid
Doctor Zhivago: The Making of a Russian Epic
Ratings
Gallery
Information
Known ForActing
GenderMale
Birthday1932-04-10
Deathday2015-07-10 (83 years old)
Birth Nameميشيل يوسف ديمتري شلهوب
Birth PlaceAlexandria, Egypt
ReligionIslam
RelationshipsFaten Hamama (1955-01-01 - 1974-01-01)
ChildrenTarek Sharif
FatherJoseph Chalhoub
CitizenshipsEgypt
Also Known AsОмар Шариф, Michel Dimitri Chalhoub, عمر الشريف, Omar El Sherif
AwardsGolden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor, César Award for Best Actor, Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture, Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
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