Omar Sharif, “Doctor Zhivago” (1965) Photo Courtesy MGM / The Hollywood Archive
Omar Sharif the Egypt-born actor best known for the David Lean film “Doctor Zhivago” has died at age 83.
According to ABC news, the Oscar nominated Actor died in Cairo, Egypt on Friday afternoon (June 10, 2015) after suffering a heart attack. He was also known to be battling Alzheimer’s disease.
Egypt-born international playboy, Sharif won two Golden Globe awards and an Oscar nomination for his role as Sherif Ali in David Lean’s 1962 epic “Lawrence of Arabia.”
He went on to win a Golden Globe three years later for his role in “Doctor Zhivago.”
Other memorable roles came opposite Barbra Streisand in her first film “Funny Girl” and as Julie Andrews’ lover in spy thriller “The Tamarind Seed.”
In his prime, Sharif , with his dark eyes, debonair demeanor and exotic accent, was considered quite the jet-set playboy, his looks getting as much attention as his acting ability. “When he walked on the “Zhivago” set in Spain, I took one look and said, ‘I can’t act with that man. He’s too gorgeous!’ ” one of his “Zhivago” co-stars, Geraldine Chaplin, told The New York Times in 1965 per CNN.
His final film role came in 2013 with “Rock the Casbah”, according to IMDB.
Little Known facts about Omar Sharif per IMDB:
- World-class Bridge player, he has been known to anticipate or postpone shootings in order to be able to attend major bridge events.
- Fluent in English, Arabic, Spanish, Greek and French.
- Of Lebanese/Syrian descent, but lived in Egypt all his life
- Underwent triple bypass surgery in 1992, and suffered a mild heart attack in 1994. Until his bypass, Sharif smoked 100 cigarettes a day; after the operation he quit easily.
- Was close friends with Peter O’Toole, who nicknamed him Freddy on the set of Lawrence of Arabia (1962), because ‘no one could possibly be called Omar Sharif’.
- As of 2009, he is only one of six performers who won a Golden Globe Award as Best Lead Actor/Actress in a Motion Picture Drama without being nominated for an Oscar for that same role (his for Doctor Zhivago (1965)). The others are Spencer Tracy in The Actress (1953), Anthony Franciosa in Career (1959), Shirley MacLaine in Madame Sousatzka (1988), Jim Carrey in The Truman Show (1998) and Kate Winslet in Revolutionary Road (2008).