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.
Series | God Bless Your Home | 2022-04-02 | |
Movie | The Crime | 2022-01-05 | |
Series | Finding Ola | 2022-02-03 | |
Movie | Indiana Jones: The Search for the Lost Golden Age | Self - Actor (archive footage) | 2021-05-07 |
Movie | Bara El Manhag | 2021-12-09 | |
Movie | Omar Sharif: Citizen of the World | Self - Actor / Various Roles (archive footage) | 2020-02-15 |
Movie | Stardust Hollywood - Sternenstaub und Götterwelten | Self | 2013-02-23 |
Movie | Rock the Casbah | Moulay Hassan | 2013-09-11 |
Movie | A Castle in Italy | Omar Sharif | 2013-10-30 |
Movie | Belmondo, il était une fois le beau monde | Intervenant | 2011-10-25 |
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 | A Night at the Movies: The Gigantic World of Epics | Self | 2009-12-20 |
Movie | The Traveller | Hassan | 2009-06-25 |
Movie | 10,000 BC | Narrator (voice) | 2008-03-04 |
Movie | Hassan and Marcus | 2008-07-03 | |
Movie | Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs | Self - Presenter | 2007-09-24 |
Movie | Fire at My Heart | Principe Nicola | 2006-01-01 |
Series | The Ten Commandments | Jethro | 2006-04-10 |
Series | Kronprinz Rudolf | Hans Canon | 2006-04-30 |
Movie | One Night with the King | Prince Memucan | 2006-10-10 |
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 | Hidalgo | Sheikh Riyadh | 2004-02-04 |
Movie | Hollywood Legenden | Self | 2004-01-01 |
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 |
Series | Monk | Unknown | 2002-07-12 |
Movie | Pyramid | Nakht (voice) | 2002-10-28 |
Movie | The Parole Officer | Victor | 2001-08-10 |
Movie | The Making of Lawrence of Arabia | Self | 2000-01-01 |
Movie | Going Public | 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 |
Movie | Heaven Before I Die | Khalil Gibran | 1997-01-01 |
Movie | Ingrid Bergman Remembered | Self (archive footage) | 1996-04-06 |
Series | Gulliver's Travels | Sorcerer | 1996-02-04 |
Movie | Catherine the Great | Razumovsky | 1996-04-28 |
Movie | Umm Kulthum: A Voice Like Egypt | Narrator | 1996-10-09 |
Movie | The Rainbow Thief | Dima | 1994-01-19 |
Movie | Lie Down with Lions | Safar Khan | 1994-06-12 |
Movie | Laughter, Joy, Work and Love | 1993-11-29 | |
Series | Parabéns | Self | 1992-09-19 |
Movie | 588 rue Paradis | Hagop | 1992-01-14 |
Movie | Heavenly Sin | 1992-10-03 | |
Movie | Beyond Justice | Emir Beni-Zair | 1992-12-02 |
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 | 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 | Les pyramides bleues | Alex | 1988-01-02 |
Movie | Keys to Freedom | Jonathan | 1988-01-01 |
Movie | The Possessed | Stepan Trofimovich Verkhovensky | 1988-02-24 |
Series | Peter the Great | Prince Feodor Romodanovsky | 1986-02-02 |
Movie | Harem | Sultan Hassan | 1986-02-09 |
Series | 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 |
Movie | Vicious Circle | Garcin | 1985-04-28 |
Series | The Far Pavilions | Koda Dad | 1984-04-22 |
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 | Wogan | Unknown | 1982-05-04 |
Movie | Green Ice | Meno Argenti | 1981-05-01 |
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 | Pleasure Palace | Louie Lefevre | 1980-10-22 |
Movie | Oh Heavenly Dog | Bart | 1980-07-11 |
Movie | Ashanti | Prince Hassan | 1979-02-21 |
Movie | Bloodline | Ivo Palazzi | 1979-06-29 |
Movie | Crime and Passion | Andre Ferren | 1976-02-06 |
Movie | The Pink Panther Strikes Again | Egyptian Assassin (uncredited) | 1976-12-15 |
Movie | Funny Lady | Nick Arnstein | 1975-03-15 |
Movie | The Tamarind Seed | Feodor Sverdlov | 1974-07-11 |
Movie | Juggernaut | Captain Alex Brunel | 1974-09-25 |
Series | Mysterious Island | Captain Nemo | 1973-12-17 |
Movie | The Mysterious Island | Captain Nemo | 1973-03-17 |
Movie | The Right to Love | Pierre | 1972-08-15 |
Movie | The Last Valley | Vogel | 1971-01-28 |
Movie | The Burglars | Abel Zacharia | 1971-10-27 |
Movie | The Horsemen | Uraz | 1971-08-16 |
Movie | The Appointment | Federico Fendi | 1969-05-22 |
Movie | Mackenna's Gold | Colorado | 1969-03-18 |
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 | Poppies Are Also Flowers | Dr. Rad | 1966-05-20 |
Movie | Genghis Khan | Genghis Khan / Temujin | 1965-04-15 |
Movie | Marco the Magnificent | Sheik Alla Hou | 1965-08-06 |
Movie | The Car That Became a Star | Davich (archiveFootage) | 1965-01-01 |
Movie | Moscow in Madrid | Self | 1965-12-31 |
Movie | The Mamluks | Ahmed | 1965-10-04 |
Movie | Doctor Zhivago | Dr. Yuri Zhivago | 1965-12-22 |
Movie | The Fall of the Roman Empire | Sohamus | 1964-03-24 |
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 | 1961-02-13 | |
Movie | A Man in Our House | Ibrahim Mohammed | 1961-04-17 |
Movie | Lawaat Al-Hub | 1960-10-01 | |
Movie | A Beginning and an Ending | Hassanein | 1960-10-31 |
Movie | My Only Love | Adel | 1960-10-03 |
Movie | Eshaet Hob | Hussien | 1960-11-21 |
Movie | The River of Love | Khalid | 1960-11-12 |
Movie | Rendezvous with a Stranger | Magdi | 1959-01-01 |
Movie | For the Sake of a Woman | Shokri | 1959-01-01 |
Movie | We the Students | 1959-01-02 | |
Movie | Scandal in Zamalek | 1959-01-23 | |
Movie | Goha | Goha | 1959-05-06 |
Movie | Struggle on the Nile | Muhassab | 1959-10-18 |
Movie | Beach of Secrets | Mamduh Ezzat | 1958-02-03 |
Movie | Sayedat el kasr | Adel | 1958-11-17 |
Movie | Ghaltet Habibi | Salah | 1958-04-14 |
Movie | Land of Peace | Ahmed | 1957-01-02 |
Movie | Sleepless | Aziz | 1957-10-31 |
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 Devil of the Desert | Essam | 1954-12-27 |
Movie | The Blazing Sun | Ahmed | 1954-03-01 |
Series | The Oscars | Unknown | 1953-03-19 |