Omar Sharif
Omar Sharif, Omar El -Sharif, originally Maechel (Michael) Chalhoub, ( born April 10, 1932 in Alexandria, Egypt) is an Egyptian actor from a Lebanese family and an internationally known bridge players. His most famous role is that of Doctor Zhivago (1965).
Life
Sharif studied in Cairo mathematics and physics and worked evenings and after the University first in his father's timber business in Al Manasra district. Among the young people in the vicinity of his father's business, he was regarded as industrious and especially dutiful elegant young man with a special interest for the fine arts and the western literature. In 1953 he started his acting career under the name of Omar el Sherif with a role in the Egyptian movie Deadly Revenge ( Siraa Fil - Wadi ) by Youssef Chahine. The whereabouts of the family business is not known.
After 1953 he came by he took the name Omar El -Sharif, from Christianity to Islam in order to marry in 1955, the Egyptian actress Faten Hamama popular to what his fame in the Arab world increased abruptly. The couple separated in 1966 and divorced amicably in 1974. The marriage comes from a son named Tarek.
Sharif stepped up in the early 1960s in numerous Egyptian movies and in 1962 abruptly also known internationally, as was his director David Lean in his epic film Lawrence of Arabia an important role. He played the role of Sherif Ali, and was introduced by director Lean in a famous scene in the plot: Sherif rides, coming from the desert horizon for minutes at the camera counter. Sharif played here on the side of Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness and Anthony Quinn and was honored with the Golden Globe Award for Best Young Actor and an Academy Award nomination. The film made Sharif a sought-after star and earned him roles in Hollywood productions such as The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964 ) and Genghis Khan (1965 ) a.
1965, director David Lean Omar Sharif the coveted title role in the well- ambitious film project of the 1960s, the monumental Strip Doctor Zhivago, in which Sharif is seen as a young doctor who is against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution in a nurse (Julie Christie ) in love. The gigantic success of this classic film ( one of the biggest box office hits of the decade ) Sharif established as an international top star and heartthrob. He was considered such funds pregnant that one. Despite his oriental appearance cast him in the film The Night of the Generals (1967 ) as a German Wehrmacht officer (where he again played alongside Peter O'Toole )
To a great success was the musical Funny Girl (1968 ), in which Sharif played the second lead role opposite Barbra Streisand. Shortly after the Six Day War of 1967 caused the screen romance between the Jewish Streisand and the Egyptian Muslim Sharif headlines. With films like Che! (1969, with Sharif as Che Guevara ) or Mackenna's Gold ( 1969) could Sharif in the late 1960s, unable to repeat his earlier successes, and finally lost its status as funds promising top star. In the 1970s, his roles and films have been increasingly insignificant. Sharif said he had to take many second-rate film offers because he had high gambling debts and big money problems due to his passion for games.
Since the 1980s, Sharif is seen mainly in TV series, supporting roles, low-budget productions or Egyptian films. A later success with critics and audiences succeeded in 2003 with the lead role in the film adaptation of Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt's novel Monsieur Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Koran.
In later years, the actor was dissatisfied that he is identified by the public almost exclusively with the role of Doctor Zhivago and find his other film appearances scant attention: "I am for all the world only Dr. Zhivago! "
While working as an actor hardly took profiled rollers, Omar Sharif established as a professional bridge player and took part in several times a team Olympiads. In 1987, a VHS Play Bridge With Omar Sharif was produced in the United States, with which you could play bridge with Omar Sharif quasi- interactive. In an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung he stated in December 2003, no longer actively playing. However, the whole game Sharif could not separate. So he's namesake for a PC game of bridge.
Sharif is participating with eight own horses at the racetrack sports and spends claims to two evenings a week with this activity.
In February 2008 it was announced that Sharif had been convicted on 19 of that month by a California judge to $ 300,000 for pain and suffering. He had 2005 in Beverly Hills a parking attendant from Guatemala beaten up in a drunken state, who had insisted on being paid in dollars. Instead, Sharif wanted to pay with a 20- euro note. The same message was reminded that Sharif was sentenced in August 2003 in France, because he had become violent against the police. He was sentenced to one month probation and fined $ 1,700 converted.