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Actor Omar Sharif Has Died Aged 83 [Breaking]

By Anne Sewell
Published on: 02:52 PST, Jul 10, 2015

Actor Omar Sharif, best known for the classic films Doctor Zhivago and Lawrence of Arabia, has died today at the age of 83.

Born Michel Demitri Chalhoub in Egypt on April 10, 1932, Omar Sharif earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his role as Sherif Ali in the 1962 epic movie Lawrence of Arabia, as well as Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for that film. This was Sharif’s first English language film.

During his career, he won two other Golden Globes awards, one for his part in the 1965 film Doctor Zhivago. He also starred in the popular 1968 film Funny Girl as well as many other English and foreign language movies.

Omar Sharif also received a special award in November 2005, when he was given the inaugural Sergei Eisenstein Medal by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). This was in recognition of Sharif’s significant contributions to both world film and cultural diversity.

Besides his career in film, it is interesting to note that he once ranked among the world’s best-known contract bridge players and in 1967 formed Omar Sharif Bridge Circus, which toured the world.

In May of this year, it was reported on the Inquisitr that Omar Sharif had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

CNN quotes Omar Sharif’s agent, Steve Kenis, as saying on Friday, “He suffered a heart attack this afternoon in a hospital in Cairo.”

Of his family, Sharif was married from 1954 to 1974 to Faten Hamama, and they had one child together, Tarek El-Sharif. Besides his son, Omar Sharif had two grandsons, Omar Jr. (born 1983 in Montreal), who is also an actor, and Karim. RIP to a great actor and man.

[Image: Omar Shariff in Lawrence of Arabia – fair use / CC by SA 3.0 Georges Biard]

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