Omar Sharif Biography Quotes 19 Report mistakes

Early Life
Omar Sharif was born Michel Dimitri Chalhoub on April 10, 1932, in Alexandria, Egypt, into a cosmopolitan, Arabic-speaking Melkite Greek Catholic family. Raised amid the multilingual, Mediterranean culture of Alexandria, he absorbed Arabic, English, and French from an early age. He attended the prestigious Victoria College, a school that shaped many regional intellectuals and artists. After secondary school he studied in Cairo and briefly worked in his family's wood business, but the pull of performance and language would soon steer him toward the screen and stage.

Entry Into Egyptian Cinema
Sharif's film career began in mid-1950s Cairo, then a thriving hub for Arab cinema. Director Youssef Chahine, a formative figure in Egyptian film, cast him in Siraa fil-Wadi (Struggle in the Valley) in 1954. On that set Sharif met the celebrated actress Faten Hamama, already an icon of the Arab world. Their on-screen partnership catalyzed a series of successful films, and in 1955 he converted to Islam, adopted the name Omar Sharif, and married Hamama. The couple became Egyptian cinema's most luminous pairing, blending his poised screen presence with her emotional depth. Their only child, Tarek, was born in 1957, and Sharif's status as a leading man in Arabic-language films grew rapidly.

International Breakthrough
Sharif's leap to global fame came with David Lean's epic Lawrence of Arabia (1962). As Sherif Ali, he entered the film in one of cinema's most memorable introductions, riding out of a shimmering desert mirage toward Peter O'Toole's T. E. Lawrence. Producer Sam Spiegel and Lean were shaping a monumental production, and Sharif's performance stood alongside those of O'Toole, Alec Guinness, and Anthony Quinn. The role brought him an Academy Award nomination and major international awards, establishing him as a rare Arab star welcomed by world audiences without surrendering his identity.

Doctor Zhivago and Stardom
Reuniting with David Lean for Doctor Zhivago (1965), Sharif played Yuri Zhivago opposite Julie Christie and Geraldine Chaplin. The sweeping romance anchored his image as a leading man of sensitivity, capable of expressing longing and moral conflict with quiet intensity. The film's global reach ensured that Sharif's face and name became international shorthand for elegance and cosmopolitan charisma.

Range and Notable Collaborations
Over the next decade, Sharif oscillated between European and American productions. He appeared with Peter O'Toole again, co-starred with Omar Sharif? Actually he headlined The Night of the Generals (1967) opposite O'Toole and explored darker thriller territory. He joined Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl (1968), their chemistry and wit electrifying the musical. The pairing drew political controversy during the tense years following the 1967 war, yet it underscored Sharif's determination to work across boundaries of culture and politics. He took on diverse roles in films such as Mayerling and Mackenna's Gold, and later collaborated with Julie Andrews in The Tamarind Seed (1974). His polyglot fluency and adaptable persona made him a bridge between Arab cinema and the West.

Bridge, Writing, and Public Persona
Away from film sets, Sharif achieved near-legendary status in the world of contract bridge. He captained the Omar Sharif Bridge Circus, a touring exhibition team that popularized the game across continents. His syndicated bridge column, developed with expert collaborators, ran in newspapers worldwide, and his instructional books and appearances introduced countless new players to competitive play. This second career revealed a fiercely analytical mind and the same poise he brought to the screen, but it also fed a reputation for high-stakes risk-taking at the card table and racetrack.

Personal Life
Sharif and Faten Hamama, whose partnership had defined an era in Egyptian film, separated as his international career expanded; they divorced in 1974 but continued to be publicly respectful of one another. Their son Tarek occasionally appeared with his father, including in a small role in Doctor Zhivago. Sharif's life in Europe, especially in Paris, placed him among artists, filmmakers, and journalists who valued the articulate, urbane star who could discuss cinema and literature as fluently as he dissected a complex bridge hand. His on-screen rapport with Barbra Streisand and friendships with colleagues such as Peter O'Toole and David Lean cemented his place within a generation of cinematic giants.

Later Career
Sharif remained busy through changing cinematic fashions, taking character roles across Europe and North America. Decades after his first global triumphs, he returned to international acclaim in the French-language Monsieur Ibrahim (2003), a tender portrayal of a shopkeeper who mentors a young Parisian. The role earned him major honors and introduced him to a new audience, many of whom then discovered his earlier Arabic and English-language work. He continued to accept parts that played to his gifts for gentleness, gravity, and sly humor, including appearances in The 13th Warrior and Hidalgo.

Health and Final Years
In his final years, Sharif spent more time in Egypt and Europe, appearing occasionally on screen and in interviews that reflected on a career spanning more than half a century. In 2015 his family publicly disclosed that he was living with Alzheimer's disease, a revelation shared by his son Tarek with dignity and candor. Sharif died of a heart attack in Cairo on July 10, 2015, at the age of 83, and he was laid to rest in his homeland.

Legacy
Omar Sharif's imprint on world cinema lies in his singular ability to embody both the familiar and the exotic without resorting to caricature. With David Lean, Peter O'Toole, Faten Hamama, Barbra Streisand, Julie Christie, and other collaborators, he helped craft films that remain cultural landmarks. For Egyptian and Arab audiences, he proved that a regional star could command global attention while retaining pride in origin and language. For cinephiles everywhere, he remains an emblem of grace, multilingual intelligence, and the quiet power of screen presence. His other great passion, bridge, extended that legacy beyond the cinema, ensuring that his name still evokes both art and intellect, glamour and game, a life lived elegantly across borders.

Our collection contains 19 quotes who is written by Omar, under the main topics: Witty One-Liners - Wisdom - Live in the Moment - Art - Movie.

Other people realated to Omar: Robert Bolt (Playwright), James Clavell (Novelist), Tom Courtenay (Actor), J. Lee Thompson (Director), Richard Lester (Director)