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Omar Sharif
Omar Sharif (born Michel Yusef Dimitri Chalhoub; 10 April 1932 – 10 July 2015) was an Egyptian actor, generally regarded as his country's greatest male film star. He began his career in Egypt in the early 1950s. He is best known for his appearances in American, British, French, and Italian productions, and has been described as "the first Egyptian and Arab to conquer Hollywood". His career encompassed over 100 films spanning 50 years, and brought him many accolades including three Golden Globe Awards and a César Award for Best Actor.
Sharif played opposite Peter O'Toole as Sherif Ali in the David Lean epic Lawrence of Arabia (1962), which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and portrayed the title role in Lean's Doctor Zhivago (1965), earning him the Golden Globe for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama. He continued to play romantic leads in films like Funny Girl (1968) and The Tamarind Seed (1974) and historical figures like the eponymous characters in Genghis Khan (1965), The Mamelukes (1965), and Che! (1969). His acting career continued well into old age, with a well-received turn as a Muslim Turkish immigrant in the French film Monsieur Ibrahim (2003). Sharif made his final film appearance in 2015, the year of his death.
Sharif spoke five languages: Arabic, English, French, Italian and Spanish. He bridled at travel restrictions imposed by the government of Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser in the 1960s. He was a lifelong horse racing enthusiast, and at one time ranked among the world's top contract bridge players. He was the recipient of high civil honors from multiple countries, including the Egyptian Order of Merit and the French Legion of Honour. He was one of only 25 grantees of UNESCO's Sergei Eisenstein Medal, in recognition of his significant contributions to world film and cultural diversity.
Sharif was born Michel Yusef Dimitri Chalhoub (Arabic: ميشيل يوسف ديمتري شلهوب ) in Alexandria, Kingdom of Egypt (now Republic of Egypt), to a Melkite Greek Catholic family. Although most sources claim he was of Syrian and Lebanese descent, Sharif stated in interviews that all of his ancestors were of Syrian descent, making him and his family members of the Antiochian Greek Christian minority (also known as Rūm). He adopted the surname Sharif, meaning "noble" or "nobleman" in Arabic, after he was picked by Egyptian director Youssef Chahine to star in his film The Blazing Sun. He later converted to Islam and changed his name legally in order to marry Faten Hamama.
His father, Yusef Chalhoub, a precious woods merchant, moved to the port city of Alexandria with his mother in the early 20th century from Zahlé. Sharif was later born in Alexandria. His family moved to Cairo when he was four. His mother, Claire Saada, was a noted society hostess, in whose house Egypt's King Farouk was a regular visitor prior to his deposition in 1952.
In his youth, Sharif studied at Victoria College, Alexandria, where he showed a talent for languages, He befriended fellow actor Ahmed Ramzy and Youssef Chahine in school. He later graduated from Cairo University with a degree in mathematics and physics. He worked for a while in his father's precious wood business before beginning his acting career in Egypt. In 1955, he adopted the stage name "Omar Sharif". He married fellow Egyptian actress Faten Hamama.
It has been widely reported that Sharif studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, but the academy told Al Jazeera that this was not true.
Sharif began his acting career in Egypt with a role in The Blazing Sun (1954). He was also in The Devil of the Desert (1954). Sharif quickly rose to stardom, appearing in Our Beautiful Days (1955), The Lebanese Mission (1956) (a French film), Struggle in the Pier (1956), Sleepless (1957), Land of Peace (1957), and Goha (1958) (a Tunisian film that marked the debut of Claudia Cardinale).
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Omar Sharif
Omar Sharif (born Michel Yusef Dimitri Chalhoub; 10 April 1932 – 10 July 2015) was an Egyptian actor, generally regarded as his country's greatest male film star. He began his career in Egypt in the early 1950s. He is best known for his appearances in American, British, French, and Italian productions, and has been described as "the first Egyptian and Arab to conquer Hollywood". His career encompassed over 100 films spanning 50 years, and brought him many accolades including three Golden Globe Awards and a César Award for Best Actor.
Sharif played opposite Peter O'Toole as Sherif Ali in the David Lean epic Lawrence of Arabia (1962), which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and portrayed the title role in Lean's Doctor Zhivago (1965), earning him the Golden Globe for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama. He continued to play romantic leads in films like Funny Girl (1968) and The Tamarind Seed (1974) and historical figures like the eponymous characters in Genghis Khan (1965), The Mamelukes (1965), and Che! (1969). His acting career continued well into old age, with a well-received turn as a Muslim Turkish immigrant in the French film Monsieur Ibrahim (2003). Sharif made his final film appearance in 2015, the year of his death.
Sharif spoke five languages: Arabic, English, French, Italian and Spanish. He bridled at travel restrictions imposed by the government of Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser in the 1960s. He was a lifelong horse racing enthusiast, and at one time ranked among the world's top contract bridge players. He was the recipient of high civil honors from multiple countries, including the Egyptian Order of Merit and the French Legion of Honour. He was one of only 25 grantees of UNESCO's Sergei Eisenstein Medal, in recognition of his significant contributions to world film and cultural diversity.
Sharif was born Michel Yusef Dimitri Chalhoub (Arabic: ميشيل يوسف ديمتري شلهوب ) in Alexandria, Kingdom of Egypt (now Republic of Egypt), to a Melkite Greek Catholic family. Although most sources claim he was of Syrian and Lebanese descent, Sharif stated in interviews that all of his ancestors were of Syrian descent, making him and his family members of the Antiochian Greek Christian minority (also known as Rūm). He adopted the surname Sharif, meaning "noble" or "nobleman" in Arabic, after he was picked by Egyptian director Youssef Chahine to star in his film The Blazing Sun. He later converted to Islam and changed his name legally in order to marry Faten Hamama.
His father, Yusef Chalhoub, a precious woods merchant, moved to the port city of Alexandria with his mother in the early 20th century from Zahlé. Sharif was later born in Alexandria. His family moved to Cairo when he was four. His mother, Claire Saada, was a noted society hostess, in whose house Egypt's King Farouk was a regular visitor prior to his deposition in 1952.
In his youth, Sharif studied at Victoria College, Alexandria, where he showed a talent for languages, He befriended fellow actor Ahmed Ramzy and Youssef Chahine in school. He later graduated from Cairo University with a degree in mathematics and physics. He worked for a while in his father's precious wood business before beginning his acting career in Egypt. In 1955, he adopted the stage name "Omar Sharif". He married fellow Egyptian actress Faten Hamama.
It has been widely reported that Sharif studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, but the academy told Al Jazeera that this was not true.
Sharif began his acting career in Egypt with a role in The Blazing Sun (1954). He was also in The Devil of the Desert (1954). Sharif quickly rose to stardom, appearing in Our Beautiful Days (1955), The Lebanese Mission (1956) (a French film), Struggle in the Pier (1956), Sleepless (1957), Land of Peace (1957), and Goha (1958) (a Tunisian film that marked the debut of Claudia Cardinale).
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