CY@CY Says Welcome to my dreamscape. Where a Lim is also a Ling.
It is sad to hear the news that Omar Sharif has died aged 83 from a heart attack yesterday afternoon in a hospital in Cairo. It was announced in May that he had Alzheimer’s disease.
I was in lower secondary at Kai Chung Middle School in Binatang when I watched Lawrence of Arabia at the Eastern Theatre and that was my first experience of watching Omar Sharif in a movie. It was a few years later when I was in Canada that I got to see Omar as the leading actor in Doctor Zhivago. He really shone in that movie.
Sharif was born to Syrian and Lebanese parents in in Alexandria, Egypt, in April 1932. Named Michel Demitri Chalhoub, he grew up Roman Catholic and earned a college degree in mathematics and physics before entering his family’s lumber business. He later went to London to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada).
Sharif began his career in Egyptian film in the 1950s and starred alongside the Egyptian actress Faten Hamama in “The Blazing Sun” in 1953. He converted to Islam to marry Hamama two years later. He and his wife had one son, Tarek Sharif, who appeared in “Dr. Zhivago” as a young version of Sharif’s title character. The couple separated in 1966 — a year after the actor moved to Europe — and ultimately divorced in 1974; Sharif never remarried.
Faten Hamama and Omar Sharif
Sharif’s big break came when David Lean cast him in Lawrence of Arabia. With the global success of the movie, Sharif became the first Arab actor to achieve worldwide fame, thanks to his charismatic presence in the epic film — and the two Golden Globe awards and Oscar nomination he drew because of it.
Omar Sharif in Lawrence of Arabia
David Lean went on to cast Sharif in the title role of his next epic Doctor Zhivago, in which he played a physician caught up in the Russian Revolution. The actor went through a daily routine of hair-straightening and skin-waxing in order to disguise his Egyptian looks. He won a further Golden Globe for his role in the movie.
Omar Sharif and Julie Christie in Dr Zhivago
Sharif played the Jewish husband to Barbara Streisand’s character in “Funny Girl,” which aroused a lot of controversy. When 1967’s Six Day War between Israel and Arab countries including Egypt occurred, Columbia execs considered replacing Sharif. The movie was banned in Egypt because Sharif was cast as a Jew.When a still depicting a love scene between the actor and Barbra Streisand was published, the Egyptian press began a movement to revoke Sharif’s citizenship.
Barbra Streisand and Omar Sharif in Funny Lady
Sharif, who spoke six languages, appeared in 118 TV and movie roles. He was adept at playing different nationalities, acting as Argentine-born revolutionary Che Guevara in “Che!” to Italian Marco Polo in “Marco the Magnificent” and Mongol leader Genghis Khan in “Genghis Khan.” He was also a world-class bridge player.
Sharif revealed in 2004 that he has another son from a one-night stand with an interviewer. He is thus survived by 2 sons and two grandsons, Omar Sharif Jr., an actor, and Karim.
Rest in peace, Sharif!