t I’m going to do. I think of what I’m doing right now.”
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Omar Sharif (Arabic: عمر الشريـف, Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [ˈʕomɑɾˤ eʃʃɪˈɾiːf]; born Michel Demitri Chalhoub [miˈʃel dɪˈmitɾi ʃælˈhuːb]; 10 April 1932 – 10 July 2015) was an Egyptian actor. He began his career in his native country in the 1950s, but is best known for his appearances in both British and American productions. His films included Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965) and Funny Girl (1968). He was nominated for an Academy Award. He won three Golden Globe Awards and a César Award.
Sharif, who spoke Arabic, English, Greek, French, Spanish and Italian, was often cast as a foreigner of some sort. He bridled at travel restrictions imposed during the reign of Egypt's Gamal Abdel Nasser, leading to self-exile in Europe. The estrangement this caused led to an amicable divorce from his wife, the iconic Egyptian actress Faten Hamama, for whom he had converted to Islam. He was a lifelong gambler, and at one time ranked among the world's top contract bridge players.
Contents
[hide]Early life
Omar Sharif, whose surname means "noble"[5][6] or "nobleman"[7] in Arabic, was born on 10 April 1932,[8] as Michel Demitri Chalhoub[9] in Alexandria, Egypt,[10] to a Melkite Greek Catholicfamily of Lebanese descent.[11] His father, Joseph Chalhoub, a precious woods merchant originally from Zahle, moved to Egypt in the early 20th century, particularly Alexandria, where Omar Sharif was born,[12] his family moved to Cairo when he was four.[13] His mother, Claire Saada, was a noted society hostess, and Egypt's King Farouk was a regular visitor until he was deposed in 1952.[14]
In his youth, Sharif studied at Victoria College, Alexandria, where he showed a talent for languages. He later graduated from Cairo University with a degree in mathematics and physics.[15] He then worked for a while in his father's precious wood business before studying acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.[14][15] In 1955, Sharif changed his name and converted toIslam in order to marry[15][16] fellow Egyptian actress Faten Hamama.[17][18]
Acting career
In 1954, Sharif began his acting career in his native Egypt with a role in Shaytan Al-Sahra ("Devil of the Desert"). In the same year he appeared in Sira` Fi al-Wadi ("Struggle in the Valley"). He quickly rose to stardom, appearing in Egyptian productions, including La Anam ("Sleepless") in 1958, Sayyidat al-Qasr ("Lady of the Palace") in 1959 and the Anna Karenina adaptation Nahr el hub ("The River of Love") in 1961. He also starred with his wife, Egyptian actress Faten Hamama, in several movies as romantic leads.[19]
Sharif's first English-language role was that of Sharif Ali in David Lean's historical epic Lawrence of Arabia in 1962.[20] This performance earned him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination and aGolden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture, as well as a shared Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor.[21][22] Casting Sharif in what is now considered one of the "most demanding supporting roles in Hollywood history", was both complex and risky, as he was virtually unknown at the time outside of Egypt. However, notes historian Steven Charles Caton, Lean insisted on using ethnic actors when possible to make the film authentic.[23]:56 Sharif would later use his ambiguous ethnicity in other films which enhanced his career: "I spoke French, Greek, Italian, Spanish and even Arabic", he said.[24]...with an accent that enabled me to play the role of a foreigner without anyone knowing exactly where I came from, something that has proved highly successful throughout my career."[23]:56
Over the next few years, Sharif co-starred in other films, including Behold a Pale Horse (1964). Director Fred Zinnemann said he chose Sharif partly on the suggestion of David Lean. "He said he was an absolutely marvelous actor,'If you possibly can take a look at him.'"[25] Film historian Richard Schickel wrote that Sharif gave a "truly wonderful performance", especially noteworthy because of his totally different role in Lawrence of Arabia: "It is hard to believe that the priest and the sheik are played by the same man".[26] Sharif also played a Yugoslav wartime patriot in The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964), the Mongolian conqueror in Genghis Khan (1965), a German military officer in The Night of the Generals (1967), Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria in Mayerling (1968) and Che Guevara in Che! (1969).
In 1965, Sharif reunited with Lean in order to play the title role in the epic love story Doctor Zhivago (1965), an adaptation of Boris Pasternak's 1957 novel, which was banned in the USSR for 30 years.[27][28] Set during World War I and the Russian Revolution, Sharif played the role of Yuri Zhivago, a poet and physician. Film historian Constantine Santas explained that Lean intended the film to be a poetic portrayal of the period, with large vistas of landscapes combined with a powerful score by Maurice Jarre. He notes that Sharif's role is "passive", his eyes reflecting "reality" which then become "the mirror of reality we ourselves see".[29] In a commentary on the DVD (2001 edition), Sharif described Lean's style of directing as similar to a general commanding an army.[29]:xxviii For his performance, he won theGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama,[30] while the film received ten Academy Award nominations, but Sharif was not nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor.[31]
Sharif was also acclaimed for his portrayal of Nicky Arnstein in Funny Girl (1968). He portrayed the husband of Fanny Brice, played by Barbra Streisand in her first film role. His decision to work alongside Streisand angered Egypt's government, because of her support for Israel during the Six Day War, however, and the country condemned the film. It was also "immediately banned" in numerous Arab nations.[32]:48 Streisand herself jokingly responded, "You think Cairo was upset? You should've seen the letter I got from my Aunt Rose!".[33] Sharif and Streisand became romantically involved during the filming.[32]:18 He admitted later that he did not find Streisand attractive at first, but her appeal soon overwhelmed him: "About a week from the moment I met her", he recalled, "I was madly in love with her. I thought she was the most gorgeous girl I'd ever seen in my life...I found her physically beautiful, and I started lusting after this woman."[32]:48[34] Sharif reprised the role in the film's sequel, Funny Lady in 1975.[35]
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Among Sharif's other films were the western Mackenna's Gold (1969), playing an outlaw opposite Gregory Peck; the thriller Juggernaut (1974), which co-starred Richard Harris, and the romantic drama The Tamarind Seed (1974), co-starring Julie Andrews, and directed by Blake Edwards. Sharif also contributed comic cameo performances in Edwards' The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976) and in the 1984 spy-film spoof Top Secret! In 2003, he received acclaim for his leading role in Monsieur Ibrahim, a 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.[36][37] For this performance, Sharif received the César Award for Best Actor.[38] Sharif's later film roles included performances in Hidalgo (2004) and Rock the Casbah (2013).
Contract bridge career
Sharif once ranked among the world's top 50 contract bridge players, and played in an exhibition match before the Shah of Iran.[39] With Charles Goren, Sharif co-wrote a syndicated newspaper bridge column for the Chicago Tribune[40] for several years, but mostly turned over the writing of the column to Tannah Hirsch. He was also both author and co-author of several books on bridge and licensed his name to a bridge video game; initially released in a MS-DOS version and Amiga version in 1992, Omar Sharif on Bridge is still sold in Windows and mobile platform versions.[41] Computer Gaming World in 1992 described the game as "easy to get into, challenging to play and well-designed",[42] and named it one of the year's best strategy games.[43] In 1993 the magazine stated that "it does not play a very good game of bridge", however, and criticized it for inadequate documentation and forcing players to conform to its bidding style. The magazine recommended two other bridge games instead.[44]
Sharif was a regular in casinos in France.[45]
Personal life
Family and personal relationships
Sharif lived in his native Egypt from his birth in 1932 until he moved to Europe in 1965.[46] He recounted that in 1932, his father "wasn't a wealthy man", but "earned quite a bit of money".[47] Before theEgyptian Revolution of 1952, King Farouk frequented Sharif's family home, 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 recounted that his father's timber business was very successful during that time, in ways that Sharif describes as dishonest or immoral.[48] By contrast, after 1952, Sharif stated that wealth changed hands in Egypt, under Nasser's nationalisation policies.[49] His father's business "took a beating".
In 1954 Sharif starred in the film Struggle in the Valley opposite Faten Hamama, who shared a kiss with him, although she had previously refused to kiss on screen.[50] The two fell in love; Sharif converted to Islam and married her.[51] They had one son, Tarek El-Sharif, born in 1957 in Egypt, who appeared in Doctor Zhivago as Yuri at the age of eight. The couple separated in 1966 and the marriage ended in 1974.[52] Sharif never remarried; he stated that since his divorce, he had never fallen in love with another woman.[52]
The Nasser government imposed travel restrictions in the form of "exit visas", so Sharif's travel to take part in international films was sometimes impeded, which he could not tolerate. These travel restrictions[52] influenced Sharif's decision to remain in Europe between his film shoots, a decision that cost him his marriage to Faten Hamama, though they remained friends. It was a major crossroads in Sharif'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".[52] When Sharif's affair with Barbra Streisand was made public in the Egyptian press, his Egyptian citizenship was almost withdrawn by the Egyptian Government because of Streisand's vocal support of Israel, which was then in a state of war with Egypt.[53]
Sharif became friends with Peter O'Toole during the making of Lawrence of Arabia. They appeared in several other films together and remained close friends. He was also good friends with Egyptologist Zahi Hawass. Actor and friend Tom Courtenay revealed in an interview for the 19 July 2008 edition of BBC Radio's Test Match Special that Sharif supported Hull City Association Football Club and in the 1970s he 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 he used the occasion to meet Hull City football player Ken Wagstaff.[54] Sharif also had an interest in horse racing spanning more than 50 years. He had a long friendship with racehorse trainer David Smaga and Sharif was often seen at French racecourses, with Deauville-La Touques Racecourse being his favourite. Sharif's horses won a number of important races and he had his best successes with Don Bosco, who won the Prix Gontaut-Biron, Prix Perth and Prix du Muguet. He also wrote for a French horse racing magazine.[55]
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In later life, Sharif lived mostly in Cairo with his family.[52] In addition to his son, he had two grandsons, Omar (born 1983 in Montreal) and Karim.[52] Omar Sharif, Jr. is also an actor.[56]
Illness and death
In May 2015 it was reported that Sharif was suffering from Alzheimer's disease.[57] His son Tarek El-Sharif said that his father was becoming confused when remembering some of the biggest films of his career; he would mix up the names of his best-known films, Doctor Zhivago and Lawrence of Arabia, often forgetting where they were filmed.[58]
On 10 July 2015, less than six months after Hamama's death at the same age, Sharif died after suffering a heart attack at a hospital in Cairo, Egypt.[59] He was 83.
On 12 July 2015, Sharif's funeral was held at the Grand Mosque of Mushir Tantawi in eastern Cairo. The funeral was attended by a group of Sharif's relatives, friends and Egyptian actors, his casket draped in the Egyptian flag and a black shroud.[60]
Awards
In November 2005, Sharif was awarded the inaugural[61] 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 awarded 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.[62]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Shaytan al-Sahra[63] | 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 | Ahmed | Also known as Our Best Days |
| 1956 | Sira` Fi al-Mina | Ragab | Also known as A Fight Within the Port |
| 1957 | Ard al-Salam | Ahmed | Known as Land of Peace |
| 1957 | La Châtelaine du Liban | Mokrir | Also known as The Lebanese Mission; credited as Omar Cherif |
| 1958 | La Anam | Aziz | Also known as Sleepless and No Tomorrow |
| Goha | Goha | Credited as Omar Cherif | |
| 1959 | Sayyidat al-Qasr | Adel | Lady of the Palace |
| Siraa fil Nil[64] | Muhassab | Struggle on the Nile | |
| 1960 | Bidaya wa Nihaya | Hassanien | Also known as A Beginning and an End |
| Hobi al-Wahid | My Only Love | ||
| Esha'a hob | Hussein | A Rumor of Love | |
| Nahr al-Hob | Khalid | The River of Love | |
| 1961 | Fi Baytouna Ragoul[64] | Ibrahim | Also known as في بيتنا رجل A Man in our House |
| 1962 | Lawrence of Arabia | Sherif Ali | Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor Nominated – Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| 1964 | The Fall of the Roman Empire | Sohamus | |
| Behold a Pale Horse | Francisco | ||
| The Yellow Rolls-Royce | Davich | ||
| 1965 | Genghis Khan | Genghis Khan | |
| Marco the Magnificent | Sheik Alla Hou, 'The Desert Wind' | ||
| Doctor Zhivago | Dr. Zhivago (Yuri) | Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama | |
| 1966 | The Poppy Is Also a Flower | Dr. Rad | |
| 1967 | The Night of the Generals | Major Grau | |
| More Than a Miracle | Prince Rodrigo Fernandez | ||
| 1968 | Funny Girl | Nick Arnstein | |
| Mayerling | Archduke Rudolf | ||
| 1969 | Mackenna's Gold | Colorado | |
| The Appointment | Frenderico Fendi | ||
| Che! | Che Guevara | ||
| 1970 | The Last Valley | Vogel | |
| 1971 | The Horsemen | Uraz | |
| The Burglars | Abel Zacharia | simultaneously shot in French as Le Casse with the same cast | |
| 1974 | The Tamarind Seed | Feodor Sverdlov | |
| Juggernaut | Captain Alex Brunel | ||
| 1975 | Funny Lady | Nicky Arnstein | |
| 1976 | Ace Up My Sleeve | Andre Ferren | also known as Crime and Passion |
| The Pink Panther Strikes Again | Egyptian assassin | uncredited cameo | |
| 1979 | Ashanti: Land of No Mercy | Prince Hassan | |
| Bloodline | Ivo Palazzi | ||
| 1980 | S*H*E[65] | Baron Cesare Magnasco | S*H*E: Security Hazards Expert |
| The Baltimore Bullet | The Deacon | ||
| Oh! Heavenly Dog | Bart | ||
| 1981 | Green Ice | Meno Argenti | |
| Inchon | Indian officer | uncredited cameo | |
| 1984 | Top Secret! | Agent Cedric | |
| 1987 | Grand Larceny | Rashid Saud | |
| 1988 | The Possessed | Stepan | Les Possédés |
| Les Pyramides bleues[66] | Alex | The Novice | |
| 1989 | Al-aragoz [67] | Mohamed Gad El Kareem | The Puppeteer |
| 1990 | The Rainbow Thief | Dima | |
| 1991 | War in the Land of Egypt | Known as El Mowaten Masri or An Egyptian Citizen | |
| 1992 | Beyond Justice | Emir Beni-Zair | |
| Mayrig | Hagop | ||
| 588 rue paradis | Hagop | Mother | |
| 1993 | Dehk we le'b we gad we hob[64] | Laughter, Games, Seriousness and Love | |
| 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 | Monsieur Ibrahim | César Award for Best Actor |
| 2004 | Hidalgo | Sheikh Riyadh | |
| 2006 | One Night with the King | Prince Memucan | |
| 2008 | Hassan & Marcus | Hassan/Morcus | Hassan wa Morcus |
| 10,000 BC | Narrator | Voice only | |
| 2009 | The Traveller | Older Hassan | Commonly known as Al Mosafer |
| J'ai oublié de te dire[68] | Jaume | I forgot to Tell You | |
| 2013 | Rock the Casbah | Moulay Hassan | |
| 2015 | 1001 Inventions and the World of Ibn Al-Haytham | Grandfather/Narrator | Voice; final film role[4] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | The Mysterious Island | Captain Nemo | TV miniseries; also known as L'Ile Mysterieuse |
| 1984 | The Far Pavilions | Koda Dad | TV miniseries, based on The Far Pavilions |
| 1986 | Peter the Great | Prince Feodor Romodanovsky | TV miniseries |
| Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna | Czar Nicholas II | TV miniseries | |
| 1991 | Memories of Midnight | Constantin Demiris | TV movie |
| 1992 | Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris | Marquis Hippolite | TV Movie |
| 1995 | Catherine the Great | Razumovsky | TV movie |
| 1996 | Gulliver's Travels | The Sorcerer | TV movie |
| 2001 | Shaka Zulu: The Citadel | The King | TV movie |
| 2005 | Imperium: Saint Peter | Saint Peter | TV movie |
| 2006 | The Ten Commandments | Jethro | TV miniseries |
| 2007 | Hanan W Haneen | Raouf | Egyptian TV series,also known as Tenderness and Nostalgia |
| 2008 | The Last Templar | Konstantine | TV series |
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Omar Sharif, original name Michael Demitri Shalhoub, Michael also spelledMichel, Shalhoub also spelled Chalhoub (born April 10, 1932, Alexandria, Egypt—died July 10, 2015, Cairo), Egyptian actor of international acclaim, known for his dashing good looks and for iconic roles in such films as Lawrence of Arabia(1962) and Doctor Zhivago (1965).
Shalhoub was born in Alexandria, the only son of a prosperous lumber merchant. When he was four years old, he moved with his family to Cairo, where he attended English schools. With early aspirations of being an actor, Shalhoub participated in theatre productions in secondary school. At the urging of his father, he worked for the family’s lumber business after graduating. In 1953 his acting dreams were realized when he was cast opposite Egyptian star Faten Hamama in Siraa fil-wadi (1954; “Struggle in the Valley”). He began his acting career using a pseudonym, which went through several variations and eventually was rendered consistently in English as Omar Sharif. Sharif went on to star in several more films with Hamama, whom he married in 1955 (the couple divorced in 1974).
Sharif quickly rose to stardom in his native Egypt, appearing in more than 20 films before garnering international acclaim as Sherif Ali in David Lean’s epicLawrence of Arabia. His portrayal of the loyal Arab chief earned him an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor. Following this breakthrough role, Sharif was much in demand to play a variety of characters, including a Spanish priest in Behold a Pale Horse (1964) and the Mongolian conqueror inGenghis Khan (1965). Among Sharif’s most famous roles is the title character in Doctor Zhivago, Lean’s adaptation of Boris Pasternak’s novel of the same name. Starring opposite Julie Christie, Sharif portrayed a poet-doctor in the middle of a love triangle. He later was cast as a German military man inThe Night of the Generals (1967), Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria in Mayerling (1968), and revolutionaryChe Guevara in Che! (1969). Sharif was also well known for his portrayal of Nick Arnstein, husband toBarbra Streisand’s Fanny Brice in Funny Girl (1968); he reprised the role of Arnstein in the film’s sequel,Funny Lady (1975).
Sharif continued to appear both on-screen and on television into the 21st century, though he appeared in few notable roles after the mid-1970s. Instead, he devoted much of his time to the card game bridge, releasing books, videos, and video games on the subject. Beginning in the 1970s, Sharif published a syndicated column about bridge. He also wrote an autobiography, L’Éternel Masculin (1976; The Eternal Male), with Marie-Thérèse Guinchard.
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Omar Sharif, original name Michael Demitri Shalhoub, Michael also spelled Michel, Shalhoub also spelled Chalhoub (b. April 10, 1932, Alexandria, Egypt - d. July 10, 2015, Cairo, Egypt), was an Egyptian actor of international acclaim, known for his dashing good looks and for iconic roles in such films as Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Doctor Zhivago (1965).
Shalhoub was born in Alexandria, the only son of a prosperous lumber merchant. When he was four years old, he moved with his family to Cairo, where he attended English schools. With early aspirations of being an actor, Shalhoub participated in theater productions in secondary school. At the urging of his father, he worked for the family’s lumber business after graduating. In 1953 his acting dreams were realized when he was cast opposite Egyptian star Faten Hamama in Siraa fil-wadi (1954; “Struggle in the Valley”). He began his acting career using a pseudonym, which went through several variations and eventually was rendered consistently in English as Omar Sharif. Sharif went on to star in several more films with Hamama, whom he married in 1955 (the couple divorced in 1974).
Shalhoub was born in Alexandria, the only son of a prosperous lumber merchant. When he was four years old, he moved with his family to Cairo, where he attended English schools. With early aspirations of being an actor, Shalhoub participated in theater productions in secondary school. At the urging of his father, he worked for the family’s lumber business after graduating. In 1953 his acting dreams were realized when he was cast opposite Egyptian star Faten Hamama in Siraa fil-wadi (1954; “Struggle in the Valley”). He began his acting career using a pseudonym, which went through several variations and eventually was rendered consistently in English as Omar Sharif. Sharif went on to star in several more films with Hamama, whom he married in 1955 (the couple divorced in 1974).
Sharif quickly rose to stardom in his native Egypt, appearing in more than 20 films before garnering international acclaim as Sherif Ali in David Lean's epic Lawrence of Arabia. His portrayal of the loyal Arab chief earned him an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor. Following this breakthrough role, Sharif was much in demand to play a variety of characters, including a Spanish priest in Behold a Pale Horse (1964) and the Mongolian conqueror in Genghis Khan (1965). Among Sharif’s most famous roles is the title character in Doctor Zhivago, Lean’s adaptation of Boris Pasternak's novel of the same name. Starring opposite Julie Christie, Sharif portrayed a poet-doctor in the middle of a love triangle. He later was cast as a German military man in The Night of the Generals (1967), Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria in Mayerling (1968), and the revolutionary Che Guevara in Che! (1969). Sharif was also well known for his portrayal of Nick Arnstein, husband to Barbra Streisand's Fanny Brice in Funny Girl (1968); he reprised the role of Arnstein in the film’s sequel, Funny Lady (1975).
Sharif continued to appear both on-screen and on television into the 21st century, though he appeared in few notable roles after the mid-1970s. Instead, he devoted much of his time to the card game bridge, releasing books, videos, and video games on the subject. Beginning in the 1970s, Sharif published a syndicated column about bridge. He also wrote an autobiography, L’Éternel Masculin (1976; The Eternal Male), with Marie-Thérèse Guinchard.
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