Omar Sharif

Omar Sharif (Arabic: عمر الشريف‎, Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [ˈʕomɑɾˤ eʃʃɪˈɾiːf]; born Michel Demitri Shalhoub, [ˈmɑjkel dɪˈmitɾi ʃælˈhuːb]; April 10, 1932) is an Egyptian actor who has starred in Hollywood films including Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago and Funny Girl. He has been nominated for an Academy Award and has won two Golden Globe Awards. Omar Sharif was born Michel Dimitri Shalhoub in Alexandria into a Catholic Egyptian family. Sharif graduated from Victoria College, where he was classmates with Edward W. Said. Sharif later graduated from Cairo University with degrees in both mathematics and physics. 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 Sherif Ali in David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia in 1962.

Actor