Omar Sharif dies at the age of 83

Omar Sharif has died at the age of 83.



The Egyptian actor, best known for roles in Doctor Zhivago and Lawrence of Arabia, suffered a heart attack in Cairo on Friday, his agent Steve Kenis said.

In May his son revealed the star had been suffering from Alzheimer’s. His son, Tarek Sharif, and two grandsons survive him.

Sharif was Oscar-nominated for his role in David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia and went on to win a Golden Globe for his performance. It was his first English-language role after appearing in over 20 Egyptian films.

He soon became a major Hollywood player and followed his breakthrough performance with roles in Behold a Pale Horse alongside Gregory Peck and Anthony Quinn, and in the 1965 epic Genghis Khan, playing the title role. In the same year, he reunited with Lean to star in Doctor Zhivago, which earned him another Golden Globe.

Sharif also starred alongside Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl and its sequel, Funny Lady. His decision to work with Streisand, who supported the State of Israel, angered the Egyptian government.

Sharif worked less frequently in recent years, and his last role was in 2013 drama Rock the Casbah. He has one film still to be released: a short called 1001 Inventions and the World of Ibn Al-Haytham.