Omar Sharif
Omar Sharif | |
|---|---|
عمر شريف | |
 Sharif in 1963 | |
| Born | Michel Yusef Dimitri Chalhoub[1] 10 April 1932 |
| Died | 10 July 2015 (aged 83) |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Burial place | Al-Sayyida Nafisa Cemetery, Cairo, Egypt |
| Nationality | Egyptian |
| Other names | Omar el-Sherief,[2] Omar Cherif |
| Education | Victoria College, Alexandria |
| Alma mater | Cairo University |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, bridge player |
| Years active | 1954–2015 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Omar Sharif Jr. (grandson) |
| Awards |
|
| Honours |  Order of Merit |
Omar Sharif (Arabic: عمر الشريف; 10 April 1932 – 10 July 2015) was an Egyptian actor who worked in many Hollywood movies. He acted in Arabic, French, and English movies. Sharif is most famous for his roles in Doctor Zhivago, Lawrence of Arabia and Funny Girl (1968). He was nominated for the Academy Award and won the Golden Globe Award three times. Sharif had a son and two grandsons. He converted from Christianity to Islam.
Contract bridge career
[change | change source]Sharif once ranked among the world's best-known contract bridge players, forming the "Omar Sharif Bridge Circus" in 1967 which toured the world, competing against famous teams.
With Charles Goren, Sharif co-wrote a syndicated newspaper bridge column for the Chicago Tribune[3] for several years, but later turned over most of the writing of the column to Tannah Hirsch.
He was also author or co-author of several books on bridge, and licensed his name to a bridge video game. An MS-DOS version and Amiga version was released in 1992 as Omar Sharif on Bridge. It is still sold in Windows and "mobile platform" versions.[4]
Health and death
[change | change source]In May 2015, it was reported that Sharif had Alzheimer's disease.[5] His son, Tarek El-Sharif, said that his father was getting confused. He was forgetting facts about some of the biggest movies of his career.[6]
On July 10, 2015, at the age of 83, Sharif died after a heart attack at a hospital in Cairo, Egypt.[7][8]
On July 12, 2015, Sharif's funeral was held at the Grand Mosque of Mushir Tantawi in eastern Cairo. The funeral was attended by a group of Sharif's relatives, friends and Egyptian actors. His casket was draped in the Egyptian flag and a black shroud.[9] He is burued in El-Sayeda Nafisa cemetery in southern Cairo.[10]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ "Notice d'autorité personne", Bibliothèque nationale de France site (retrieved August 17, 2015).[dead link]
- ↑ "(Title unknown)". The Arab Review (27–30): 56. 1962.
- ↑ "Change of Subject - Observations, reports, tips, referrals and tirades Chicago Tribune Blog". Chicago Tribune. September 6, 2005.
- ↑ "> {subcategory}". Thetradingcentre.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ↑ "Omar Sharif, star of Lawrence of Arabia, has Alzheimer's – agent". the Guardian. 25 May 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
- ↑ "Legendary actor Omar Sharif 'has Alzheimer's disease and confuses his starring roles in Doctor Zhivago and Lawrence of Arabia'". Daily Mail. 23 May 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
- ↑ "Film star Omar Sharif dies aged 83". BBC News website. 10 July 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
- ↑ "Press Association on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
- ↑ "Omar Sharif laid to rest at solemn Egyptian funeral in Cairo after heart attack - Daily Mail Online". Mail Online. 12 July 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
- ↑ "Hollywood icon Omar Sharif draped in the Egyptian flag and laid to rest in Cairo". The Telegraph. 19 July 2015.
Other websites
[change | change source]- Omar Sharif on IMDb