Sharif Omar

Egyptian-American actor, an elegant and handsome screen lover whose hit films include the magnificent Lawrence of Arabia (1962), which won him a 1962 Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor; Dr. Zhivago (1965) and Funny Girl (1968). His movie career never advanced beyond these films, and he moved into occasional TV roles. He was a noted bridge player, writing an internationally syndicated column on the subject. Sharif was devoted to his mother, who liked to gamble and encouraged her son to do so as well. He spoke five languages: Arabic, English, French, Spanish and Italian. He had income from a perfume sold in Europe, race horses kept in Argentina, and his bridge column and activities. He was also affiliated with a travel agency that booked bridge cruises. Well traveled himself, he lived in Paris for the most part. He bridled at travel restrictions imposed by the government of Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser, leading to self-exile in Europe. In 1955 married Egyptian actress Faten Hamama, and he had a son, Tarek, born in 1957, and a stepdaughter, Nadia. The marriage lasted ten years, but he remained close to his son and friendly with Hamama. They divorced in 1974. He claimed to have not had a serious relationship since his divorce. He had an illegitimate child with an Italian journalist but did not maintain contact with either of them. In 1995, Sharif had heart bypass surgery. On 6 August 2003 in Paris he received a one-month suspended sentence for hitting a police officer in a casino in July. In addition to his suspended sentence, he was ordered to pay a $1,700 fine and $340 in damages to the police officer. In later life, Sharif lived mostly in Cairo with his family. In addition to his son, he had two grandsons, Omar, (born 1983 in Montreal, today an actor) and Karim. He died on 10 July 2015 at age 83 after a heart attack at a hospital in Cairo, Egypt. Link to Wikipedia biography Read less