Omar Sharif, star of ‘Doctor Zhivago,’ ‘Lawrence of Arabia,’ dies at 83

Omar Sharif once said: “When one sees what happens in the world between the religions, the different religions – killing each other and murdering each other, it’s disgusting and as far as I am concerned it’s ridiculous”.

Tributes to Sharif were quick to flow on social media.

Sharif is survived by his son and two grandsons, actor Omar Sharif Jr. and Karim.

The Oscar-nominated actor, who nabbed three Golden Globe Awards in his career, had recently spent a month in the hospital been, as indicated by Egyptian state media.

It was in acting that Sharif, ne Michel Demitri Chalhoub, sought his fame, leaving work at his father’s lumber company and becoming a leading man in Egypt under the name Omar Sharif.

Sharif was reported to have suffered from and been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease earlier this year, reported by his agent.

Sharif made his film debut in the 1954 Egyptian production “The Blazing Sun” opposite Hamama.

Though he had over 100 films to his credit, “Doctor Zhivago” was considered his Hollywood classic.

A year later, Sharif converted to Islam and married Hamama. The film’s producer, Sam Spiegel, went to Cairo to search for a replacement and found Sharif. “I might have been happier having stayed an Egyptian film star”.

He said the actor mistook fans for people he used to know. This would earn him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Director David Lean came to him again for the role of Doctor Yuri Zhivago, in the romantic era film, “Doctor Zhivago“. His introductory scene became an iconic symbol of the film, a black-clad Sharif galloping across the blistering desert on his camel before shooting O’Toole’s guide.

During his career spanning nearly 60 years he also starred opposite Barbra Streisand in “Funny Girl” and played Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara in the 1969 biopic ‘Che!’. His casting in amusing Girl resulted in a few controversy because at the time, the Six Day War between Israel and Arab countries, including Egypt, was taking place. In his later years, he admitted regretting taking roles in substandard movies in order to pay off gambling debts, claiming he was “always one film behind my debts”.