Omar Sharif marked by Google Doodle on his 86th birthday – what were the actor’s biggest films, did he have a wife and when was his death?
Here's the lowdown on the Egyptian actor who shot to international fame in the 1960s
WHAT would have been Omar Sharif's 86th birthday has been marked by a Google Doodle today.
Here's the lowdown on the Egyptian actor who shot to international fame in the 1960s.
Who was Omar Sharif?
Omar Sharif was born Michel Dimitri Chalhoub in Alexandria, Egypt, on April 10, 1932, to a Catholic mum and dad originally from Syria.
When he was aged four his family moved to Cairo where they became close friends with Egypt's King Farouk up until he was ousted from power in 1952.
Sharif went to Cairo University to study maths and physics before moving to London to pursue acting at the Royal Academy for Dramatic Art.
Following his conversion to Islam in 1955 to marry his wife Faten Hamama, he changed his name to Omar Sharif.
What were his biggest films?
Sharif starred in dozens of films during his long career which spanned from 1954 to 2015, the year of his death.
After becoming a star in his native Egypt he burst on to the international scene with his breakout role in Lawrence of Arabia alongside Peter O'Toole and Alec Guinness in 1962.
He received two Golden Globes and an Oscar nomination for his role as Sherif Ali in the WW1 epic.
Three years later he was cast in the title roll in the epic Doctor Zhivago set during the Russian Revolution, also directed by David Lean.
In 1968 he was cast opposite Barbara Streisand in her first film Funny Girl, a move which angered the Egyptian government because of her Jewish heritage.
Who was his wife?
Sharif converted to Islam and changed his name to marry his wife, actress Faten Hamama, in 1955.
They had one child, Tarek, together.
He and Streisand became romantically involved during the production which almost saw his citizenship revoked after it was exposed in the Hollywood press.
Sharif and his wife remained married until 1974 when they divorced after 19 years together.
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When did Omar Sharif die?
Sharif died on July 10, 2015, at the age of 83 following a heart attack.
He had suffered heart problems for years having a bypass in 1992.
He suffered a mild heart attack two years later.
Up until the operation it was reported that the actor had a 100 cigarette a day habit but quit after the op.
Sharif suffered from Alzheimer's disease towards the end of his life with his only son, Tarek, reporting that he began confusing his two biggest films Dr Zhivago and Lawrence of Arabia.
He is buried in the El-Sayeda Nafisa cemetery in southern Cairo.
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