In movies where visual splendor dominated, it says something about the talents of Omar Sharif who made his presence known in pictures like "Lawrence Of Arabia," "Doctor Zhivago," and "Genghis Khan." Sadly, however, the actor has passed away today at the age of 83.
Sharif got his start on camera in Egypt, where he quickly became a star, and it wasn’t long until Hollywood beckoned and he made the most of it. Sharif’s performances in "Lawrence Of Arabia" and "Doctor Zhivago" won him Golden Globe awards for each movie, and an Oscar nomination for ‘Arabia.’ His handsome features and continental stature allowed Sharif to play a variety of ethnicities and roles, and his skills brought him on the sets of filmmakers like William Wyler ("Funny Girl"), Sidney Lumet ("The Appointment"), Richard Lester ("Juggernaut"), and many more, including, of course, David Lean.
READ MORE: 5 Things You Might Not Know About David Lean’s ‘Lawrence Of Arabia’
While Sharif’s heyday was during the ’60s and ’70s, he’s worked steadily in the decades since, with this last appearance in Valeria Bruni Tedeschi’s “A Castle in Italy.” He had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, and is survived by a son and two grandsons.
