Omar Sharif, the Egyptian actor best known for starring in classic films like Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago, would have been 86 today. Google celebrated the late actor’s birthday with a Doodle on Tuesday.
So who is the international star depicted in a dashing Google animation?
Omar Sharif in 2013 Zak Hussein/Getty
Omar Sharif in 2013
After beginning his acting career as a teenager in Egypt and appearing in more than a dozen movies, he was catapulted to international stardom with his breakout role in the 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia.
Playing the Arab warrior Sherif Ali, the actor made one of cinema’s most memorable entrances as he emerged from the horizons galloping on a camel. The role earned him his first Golden Globe award.
After proving himself in English-speaking roles, Sharif quickly became one of the first actors from the Arab world to dominate the silver screen.
His striking good looks, charisma and ability to speak multiple languages helped him land a handful of notable roles including the titular part in Doctor Zhivago, which earned him an Oscar nomination.
Omar Sharif Denis Cameron/Pix Inc./The LIFE Images Collection/Getty
Omar Sharif
Sharif eventually become known for playing the exotic leading man in roles such as The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), Genghis Khan (1965) and a big-time gambler in Funny Girl (1968).
Off-screen, Sharif married Egyptian actress Faten Hamama but they later divorced.
“It gave me glory, but it gave me loneliness also,” Sharif said of his career in a 2007 interview.
He died of a heart attack in 2015 at his home in Cairo, Egypt. He was 83.
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Omar Sharif has been honoured with today's Google doodle, marking what would have been his 86th birthday.
The actor is probably best known for playing the title role in 1965 romance Doctor Zhivago and alongside Peter O'Toole in the 1962 epic Lawrence of Arabia.
But he had a huge and varied career that saw him net three Golden Globes and a nomination for an Academy Award.
Many might not know that as well as being an actor, Sharif was an international bridge player and even wrote a syndicated column about the card game that appeared in the Chicago Tribune.
Who was Omar Sharif?
(Image: Getty Images)
(Image: Google)
Born Michel Demitri Shalhoub in Alexandria, Egypt in 1932, Sharif worked for his father’s lumber company before pursuing a movie career.
Taking the name Omar El-Sharif, he starred in Egyptian hits including his first film in 1954, Struggle in the Valley in which he co-starred with his future wife, actress Faten Hamama.
With Lawrence of Arabia, Sharif expanded his orbit from Egyptian matinee idol to international heartthrob.
What were his famous films?
(Image: Getty Images)
During the 1960s, the charismatic, multilingual actor played, among other roles, a king of Armenia in The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), a Mongol leader in Genghis Khan (1965), a Russian doctor in Doctor Zhivago (1965) and a big-time gambler in Funny Girl (1968).
"Today’s animated Doodle shows Sharif in true dashing form," said the team at Google.
In 1963 he picked up an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Lawrence of Arabia.
(Image: Mirrorpix)
Omar Sharif's love life
Dark-eyed heartthrob Sharif won the hearts of women all over the world after appearing on the big screen.
He stepped out with some of the world’s most glamorous women and admitted to falling in love with co-stars Ingrid Bergman and Ava Gardner.
According to Omar’s grandson, Lawrence of Arabia director David Lean would fly beauties in for Sharif and Peter O'Toole.
The two stars became firm friends and after wrapping scenes they would disappear into the drinking dens of Beirut – or retire to hotel rooms where their bathtubs were filled with champagne and women.
Omar Junior said: “Peter O’Toole and my grandfather remained very close friends. They were always sharing stories and reminiscing. And Peter told me all about what trouble they got in out there.
However, he denied his reputation as a womaniser.
Who was Omar Sharif's spouse?
(Image: Getty Images)
The actor married only once, to fellow Egyptian film legend Faten Hamama in 1955, converting from Christianity to Islam so they could marry a year after they starred together in the film Struggle in the Valley.
The couple had one son and two grandsons together. They separated in 1966 and divorced in 1974.
What did he do in later life?
When his heyday seemed to be behind him and the big roles started drying up, Sharif passed his days drinking with Peter O’Toole and other Hollywood hedonists.
(Image: Getty Images)
A regular in casinos, he is said to have lost £4million on the Spanish island of Lanzarote during a bridge game in the 1970s.
He also famously gave up playing roulette after he lost £750,000 in one night.
To fund his extravagant lifestyle, he wrote a column on card games for the Chicago Tribune and accepted roles as the “foreign gentleman” in a string of mediocre films.
Sharif started turning down acting offers in the 1990s after his grandchildren reportedly began mocking him for the roles he had accepted.
(Image: Getty)
Sharif's surprising love of British football team
You wouldn't expect many A-list stars at the KCOM Stadium, but Sharif was a lifelong Hull City fan.
He was introduced to the club by his friend Tom Courtenay during the 1960s and even flew in to watch the team in their FA Cup final against Arsenal in 2014.
Omar, then 82, was invited to the match by fellow Egyptian and Tigers owner Assem Allam and recorded a reading of William Blake’s poem, The Tyger, for BT Sport in tribute to the club.
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He said: “Tom kept telling me about Hull City, so I began to idolise the team.”
Omar’s Hull link was recognised in 2010, when he got an honorary degree from Hull University and met his all-time top Tigers player Ken Wagstaff.
When and how did Omar Sharif die?
Back in 1992, Sharif had a triple heart bypass which caused him to quit smoking. Before that he was smoking up to 100 cigarettes a day.
Omar Sharif died in Cairo, Egypt on 10 July, 2015 from a heart attack after it was reported in May 2015 that he was suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
He was laid to rest at a packed-out funeral ceremony in Cairo the following week.
(Image: Getty)
The casket was carried in covered in the Egyptian flag and a black shroud, as mourners gathered to say a final farewell.
Among those attending were actor Hussein Fahmy and former Egyptian Antiquities Minister Zahi Hawas.
Fahmy reportedly described Sharif as "a man who loved Egypt and represented the Egyptian art in its best form."
Celebrated silver-screen star Omar Sharif claimed in April 2009, six years before his death in 2015, that he was responsible for bringing then-Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin together ahead of Sadat's historic 1977 visit to Israel.
In an interview with an Egyptian news Web site, the star of Doctor Zhivago and Lawrence of Arabia said Sadat called him and asked him to call Begin and ask him how a visit to Jerusalem would be received.
According to Sharif, he then called Begin who told him that Sadat would be greeted "like the Messiah."
The meeting was successful and led to the Camp David Accords in 1978 and later the Israel-Egypt peace treaty in 1979.
It has not been confirmed if Sharif's story is true, or if the legendary film star is writing his own script.
Omar Sharif (R) with Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia. Archives du 7e Art / Columbia Pictures
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Born as Michel Shalhoub on April 10, 1932, to a wealthy family in Alexandria, Egypt, Sharif grew interested in acting while studying mathematics and physics at university in Cairo.
But he worked in his father's timber business for several years before realizing his dream with a role in an Egyptian movie, "The Blazing Sun," in 1954 opposite the Middle East's biggest female star, Faten Hamama.
Raised as a Roman Catholic, Sharif converted to Islam and married Hamama in 1955, taking on his new name. They had a son, Tarek, who played Yuri in "Doctor Zhivago" at age 8, but the couple divorced in 1974.
Despite Sharif's image as a sex symbol and eligible bachelor, he did not remarry, saying he never fell in love with another woman.
"I've always been extremely lucky in my life," he told Al Jazeera television in 2007, while reflecting on how he "might have been happier" staying in Egypt where he had a contented family life and already was a star.
"Even for 'Lawrence of Arabia' I didn't ask to be an international actor," he said. "When going to America and becoming famous, it gave me glory but it gave me loneliness also and a lot of missing my own land and my own people and my own family."
Omar Sharif (center) talks with American singer Barbra Streisand (left) and britain's Princess Margaret (right) at the premiere of the film "Funny Girl," at the Odeon Cinema, London, Jan. 15, 1969. AP
After "The Blazing Sun," Sharif had appeared in several other Egyptian films before starring in 1958 in the French love story "Goha," which was seen in many English-speaking countries.
With more Egyptian movies to his credit, he was picked by director David Lean to play Sherif Ali in the 1962 epic "Lawrence of Arabia" alongside O'Toole, Alec Guinness and Anthony Quinn.
His portrayal of Lawrence's friend earned Sharif an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor and a contract with Columbia Studios. It won him renewed admiration when the film was restored and re-released in 1989.
'Not that kind of actor'
After "Lawrence of Arabia," Sharif played Sophia Loren's Armenian husband in "The Fall of the Roman Empire," a Spanish priest in "Behold a Pale Horse," Ingrid Bergman's Yugoslav lover in "The Yellow Rolls-Royce," all in 1964, and the title character in "Genghis Khan" in 1965.
Then came the title role in "Doctor Zhivago," the story of a physician and poet caught up in the Russian revolution. Despite criticism, the film and Sharif were a hit.
Confirming his flexibility, Sharif next played a Nazi officer in "The Night of the Generals," a Jewish gambler in "Funny Girl" opposite Barbra Streisand and an Austrian prince in "Mayerling." In 1969, he was a Mexican villain in "Mackenna's Gold," an Italian lawyer in "The Appointment" and a Latin revolutionary in "Che!"
But only "Funny Girl" was a success and Sharif came under increasing criticism for stiff and uninspired performances.
On the set of "Mayerling," he was asked about his approach to playing Prince Rudolph.
"I haven't a clue. I'm not that kind of actor," he said. "I play Rudolph like I play all my parts. Rudolph is me. I don't give a damn about how his mind works. All I care about is getting to the studio on time and remembering my lines."
In later years, Sharif appeared in TV mini-series and a steady string of films. For his 2003 role as an elderly Muslim shopkeeper in the French film "Monsieur Ibrahim," he won the best actor award at the Venice Film Festival.
Reportedly fluent in Arabic, English, Greek and French, Sharif became known for his passion for bridge and thoroughbred race horses. He wrote many books and newspaper columns about bridge and licensed his name to a computer game called "Omar Sharif Bridge."
"I'd rather be playing bridge than making a bad movie," he was once quoted as saying.
But in 2006, Sharif said he had given it up.
"I decided I didn't want to be a slave to any passion any more except for my work," he said in 2006. "I had too many passions - bridge, horses, gambling. I want to live a different kind of life, be with my family more because I didn't give them enough time."
In honour of his birthday, Google is changing its logo in 48 countries to an illustration of Omar Sharif.
This is a snapshot of his story:
Early steps
Born in 1932 to Syrian Lebanese parents in Alexandria, Egypt, Sharif's birth name was Michel Demitri Shalhoub.
Before becoming an actor, he graduated with a degree in mathematics and physics from Cairo University and worked for several years at his father's lumber company.
He left the family business and went on to study acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, Britain's capital.
In 1954, he began his acting career and starred in films with one of Egypt's leading actresses, Faten Hamama.
In 1955, he converted to Islam, changed his name to Omar Sharif, and married Faten soon after. They had a son, Tarek, before separating in 1966 and divorcing in 1974.
Despite Sharif's image as a eligible bachelor, he did not remarry, saying he never fell in love with another woman.
International fame
Sharif appeared in a number of Egyptian films before the British director David Lean added him to the cast of Lawrence of Arabia.
appeared in a number of Egyptian films before the British director David Lean added him to the cast of Lawrence of Arabia. Sharif played the role of an Arab warrior. The scene showing his arrival is considered a classic piece of cinema.
He first appears as a tiny dot in the desert horizon, growing larger as his camel gallops into the frame with Peter O'Toole.
His performance brought him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor, propelling him to international fame.
But international recognition came at a hefty personal price, as Sharif intimated in an interview with The Associated Press news agency in 2003.
"It separated me from my wife, from my family ... We didn't see each other any more and that was it, the end of our wedding," he said. "I might have been happier having stayed an Egyptian film star."
I might have been happier having stayed an Egyptian film star. Omar Sharif
Career struggles
After winning a third Golden Globe award for acting in Doctor Zhivago, Sharif's career went downhill.
He attributed his change of film fortune to what he called ''the cultural revolution'' at the end of the 1960s, as new directors focused on "making films about their own societies. There was no more room for a foreigner, so suddenly there were no more parts [for him to act]'," Sharif said.
He began appearing in films such as "The Pink Panther Strikes Again", and others he dismissed as "rubbish".
"I lost my self-respect and dignity," he told a reporter in 2004. "Even my grandchildren were making fun of me. 'Grandpa, that was really bad. And this one? It's worse'."
I lost my self-respect and dignity Omar Sharif
Health problems
Sharif had a triple heart bypass in 1992 and suffered a mild heart attack in 1994. At the time, he was declining film offers.
Away from his cinema career, Sharif was a world-class bridge player and also wrote on bridge for the Chicago Tribune newspaper. He quit the game in later years.
In May 2015, Sharif was suffering from Alzheimer's disease and was struggling to remember the biggest films of his career, according to his son, Tarek.
Sharif died in Cairo after suffering a heart attack on July 10, 2015, less than six months after his ex-wife's death.
Accolades
