Omar Sharif (1932–2015) was an Egyptian actor who became one of the few Arab performers to achieve lasting international stardom. He is best remembered for Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, and Funny Girl, with a career that stretched across Egyptian, European, and American cinema.
Born in Alexandria to a prosperous family of Lebanese ancestry, he studied mathematics and physics before turning to acting, as detailed in his Britannica biography. His early fame in Egyptian films led to an international breakthrough that made him a romantic leading man of the 1960s.
His personal life drew nearly as much attention as his films. He married the Egyptian actress Faten Hamama, converted to Islam, and became a familiar face in Hollywood epics and European productions. His story connects Egyptian cinema to Hollywood’s golden age of epics, and his films continue to reach new audiences.
What are Omar Sharif’s most important movies?
Sharif’s career spanned more than five decades. The following overview summarizes the key facts about his life and the films that defined his legacy.
Omar Sharif was an Egyptian actor born Michel Dimitri Chalhoub, internationally known for Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, and Funny Girl.
Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965), Funny Girl (1968), and later Monsieur Ibrahim.
Married Egyptian actress Faten Hamama; converted to Islam around their marriage; father of Tarek Sharif and grandfather of Omar Sharif Jr.
Died , in Cairo after a heart attack; he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
Key insights
- Omar Sharif’s breakthrough in Lawrence of Arabia made him one of the few Egyptian actors to achieve global leading-man status.
- He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for Lawrence of Arabia.
- His marriage to Faten Hamama and his conversion to Islam are essential context for understanding his personal life.
- Omar Sharif Jr. has kept the family name visible in popular culture as a separate public figure.
- The heart attack was the immediate cause of death; Alzheimer’s disease was a longer-term condition diagnosed years earlier.
Snapshot facts
| Full name | Michel Dimitri Chalhoub |
|---|---|
| Professional name | Omar Sharif |
| Born | , Alexandria, Egypt |
| Died | , Cairo, Egypt |
| Nationality | Egyptian |
| Spouse | Faten Hamama (1955–1974) |
| Children | Tarek Sharif |
| Grandson | Omar Sharif Jr. |
| Notable films | Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, Funny Girl, Monsieur Ibrahim |
| Major award | Oscar nomination for Lawrence of Arabia; César Award for Monsieur Ibrahim |
Sharif began acting in Egyptian films during the 1950s and quickly became a major local star. His breakthrough came with The Blazing Sun (Sira’ Fi al-Wadi, 1954), directed by Youssef Chahine, in which he appeared opposite actress Faten Hamama.
Other important films of the early 1960s included The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), Behold a Pale Horse (1964), The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964/1965), Genghis Khan (1965), The Night of the Generals (1967), Mayerling (1968), and The Appointment (1969).
What role did Omar Sharif play in Lawrence of Arabia?
Sharif’s first major English-language role was Sherif Ali ibn el Kharish in David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia (1962), opposite Peter O’Toole. The film won seven Academy Awards, and Sharif received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, as reported by The New York Times. He also won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for the performance, according to TheaterMania.
The cast also included Alec Guinness; see Alec Guinness – Biography, Cause of Death, Wife, Net Worth and Height for more on the British actor’s own career.
The film’s success transformed Sharif from an Egyptian star into an international leading man. He reunited with David Lean for Doctor Zhivago (1965), playing the Russian physician and poet Yuri Zhivago. The film became one of the defining productions of his career and won him the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama. His son Tarek appeared as the young Zhivago in the film, a detail noted in his Wikipedia biography.
In Funny Girl (1968), Sharif played gambling entrepreneur Nicky Arnstein opposite Barbra Streisand’s Fanny Brice. The film was a major musical success and introduced Sharif to a new audience, although his casting as a Jewish character generated controversy because of his Egyptian background and the Arab-Israeli political conflict. He later returned with Streisand in Funny Lady (1975).
Other notable later films included The Tamarind Seed (1974), The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976), The Last Remake of Beau Geste (1977), Bloodline (1979), Green Ice (1981), Top Secret! (1984), The Jewel of the Nile (1985), The 13th Warrior (1999), Hidalgo (2004), and One Night with the King (2006). He also voiced a character in The Thief and the Cobbler (1993). In 2003, he starred in Monsieur Ibrahim, a performance that brought him the César Award for Best Actor, the French equivalent of an Oscar, as well as the Best Actor Award at the Venice Film Festival, both listed on his IMDb profile. He also received numerous honors for his contribution to Egyptian, Arab, French, and international cinema.
What religion was Omar Sharif?
Sharif was born Michel Shalhoub into a Christian family in Alexandria. Some accounts describe the family as Melkite Greek Catholic, a detail cited by BBC News.
He converted to Islam before marrying Faten Hamama, reportedly to satisfy the legal and social requirements for the marriage, as Al Jazeera reported. Egyptian records listed him as Muslim, and he received an Islamic funeral after his death. His conversion was closely connected to his marriage, but Islam remained his public religious identity thereafter.
Who was Omar Sharif’s wife?
Faten Hamama was a leading Egyptian actress known as the “Lady of the Arabic Screen.” Sharif married Hamama in 1955 after they appeared together in The Blazing Sun. The couple had one son, Tarek Sharif.
The marriage eventually ended in divorce; sources list different years for the divorce, including 1968 and 1974. Sharif did not remarry, although he maintained relationships with several women later in life.
What was Omar Sharif like when he was young?
Born , in Alexandria, Sharif grew up in a prosperous family of Lebanese ancestry. His father, Joseph Shalhoub, was a lumber merchant, and Sharif initially worked in the family business.
He studied at Cairo University, graduating in mathematics and physics. He was fluent in several languages, an ability that later helped him work extensively in international cinema, as noted by DW.
What was Omar Sharif’s height?
Publicly available height listings vary across different databases, and no official medical measurement has been published.
Because online profiles list different values, Sharif’s height should be treated as “listed at” a given figure in a particular database rather than as a definitive fact.
Who is Omar Sharif Jr.?
Omar Sharif Jr. is an actor and public figure who has worked in film and television. He is the grandson of Omar Sharif and the son of Tarek Sharif.
Omar Sharif Jr. is a different person from Omar Sharif himself. The name also should not be confused with unrelated public figures such as Omar Sy, Omar Apollo, or Omar Marmoush.
Is Omar Sharif Jr. Omar Sharif’s son or grandson?
Grandson. Omar Sharif had one son, Tarek Sharif, who became an actor and appeared as the young Yuri Zhivago in Doctor Zhivago. Tarek is the father of Omar Sharif Jr., making the younger Sharif the actor’s grandson, not his son.
What was Omar Sharif’s cause of death?
Omar Sharif died in a Cairo hospital on , at the age of 83. His agent said the immediate cause was a heart attack, a detail reported by BBC News. The Los Angeles Times covered his death in its obituary as well.
Did Omar Sharif have any long-term illnesses before his death?
Sharif’s agent confirmed in 2015 that the actor had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, reportedly in 2012. The illness affected his memory and contributed to his withdrawal from public life.
The heart attack was the acute event that caused death. Alzheimer’s disease was a separate, longer-term condition diagnosed years earlier; reports describe it as an underlying illness, not the immediate cause of death.
What were the key milestones in Omar Sharif’s life?
- : Born in Alexandria, Egypt, as Michel Dimitri Chalhoub.
- Early 1950s: Began acting in Egyptian cinema.
- 1955: Married Egyptian actress Faten Hamama; later converted to Islam.
- 1962: Gained international fame as Sherif Ali in Lawrence of Arabia.
- 1963: Received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
- 1965: Starred in Doctor Zhivago.
- 1968: Starred in Funny Girl opposite Barbra Streisand.
- 1974: Divorced Faten Hamama.
- 2003: Starred in Monsieur Ibrahim; won a César Award for the role.
- : Died in Cairo after a heart attack.
Sources: The New York Times; BBC News; Britannica.
What is confirmed about Omar Sharif and what remains unclear?
| Established information | Information that remains unclear |
|---|---|
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Why is Omar Sharif remembered as a bridge between Egyptian and international cinema?
Sharif’s career crossed several film industries at a time when few Arab actors reached global audiences. Lawrence of Arabia gave him visibility, but Doctor Zhivago and Funny Girl solidified his reputation as a romantic leading man.
In his later years, he earned renewed respect as a character actor, most notably for Monsieur Ibrahim. His fluency in multiple languages and his ability to move between Egyptian, European, and American productions made him a genuinely international figure.
Where can you find reliable information about Omar Sharif?
Major news organizations and reference works documented his life in detail:
What is Omar Sharif’s lasting legacy?
Omar Sharif’s journey from Alexandria to the center of international cinema made him a rare global representative of Arab acting talent. His films remain widely watched, and his name continues through his grandson, Omar Sharif Jr. Readers interested in other international screen careers can explore Salma Hayek: Biography, Age, Husband, Net Worth, Movies & More.
Frequently asked questions about Omar Sharif
What was Omar Sharif’s real name?
He was born Michel Dimitri Chalhoub and later took the professional name Omar Sharif.
What was Omar Sharif’s first major Egyptian film?
The Blazing Sun (Sira’ Fi al-Wadi, 1954), directed by Youssef Chahine, in which he appeared opposite Faten Hamama.
Did Omar Sharif ever win an Academy Award?
No. He was nominated once, for Best Supporting Actor in Lawrence of Arabia (1962), but never won an Oscar.
Who is Tarek Sharif?
Tarek Sharif is Omar Sharif’s son and the father of Omar Sharif Jr. He became an actor and appeared as the young Yuri Zhivago in Doctor Zhivago (1965).
How old was Omar Sharif when he died?
He was 83. Born on April 10, 1932, he died on July 10, 2015.
Which film earned Omar Sharif a César Award?
Monsieur Ibrahim (2003). He also received the Best Actor Award at the Venice Film Festival for the same performance.
Did Omar Sharif remarry after Faten Hamama?
No. After his divorce from Faten Hamama, Sharif did not remarry.
Oliver Arthur Morgan Harrison is a staff writer for StoryShift.uk, covering UK news, culture, politics and technology. He works under Editor-in-Chief Maarika Tamm and UK Managing Editor Oliver Grant, following the newsroom standards for sourcing, verification and fact-checking set out in our editorial policies.