Omar Sharif, star of ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ and ‘Dr. Zhivago’ dead

Doctor Zhivago star Omar Sharif has died after suffering a heart attack in hospital in Cairo, aged 83, Sky News reports. And he was beloved as the suave Nicky Arnstein, who woos Barbra Streisand’s Fanny Brice, in amusing Girl and amusing Lady. Sharif had been suffering from Alzheimers.

He died of a heart attack in a hospital in Cairo, the Associated Press reported, citing his agent, Steve Kenis.

It was his performance as Sherif Ali opposite Peter O’Toole’s piercing blue-eyed Lawrence that would catapult Sharif to a global stardom no Arab actor achieved before or since.

The film’s director, David Lean, also helmed Zhivago, which Sharif starred in as the title role.

Born Michel Emitri Shalhoub, in Alexandria, the actor converted to Islam (and changed his name to Omar al-Sharif) to marry Faten Hamama, an actress he met on the set of his first movie. We also heard that he was not happy with his hotel room, checking four palatial suites before deciding on one.

His son Tarek gave an interview to Spain’s El Mundo newspaper in May, revealing his father’s condition.

Omar Sharif found his fame in 1962 film Lawrence Of Arabia.