Legendary Egyptian actor Omar Sharif dies at 83

 
But his big break came when David Lean cast him in the epic classic film “Lawrence of Arabia” in 1962 to play a supporting role opposite Peter O’Toole, the leading actor. This film raised Sharif to international stardom and earned him two Golden Globe Awards for Best Supporting Actor and New Star of the Year and an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor
          
Renowned Egyptian actor Omar Sharif, best known for his role in classic flicks such as “Lawrence of Arabia” and "Doctor Zhivago", has died at the age of 83 at a hospital in the Egyptian capital Cairo.



According to Steve Kenis, Sharif’s agent, the celebrated actor suffered “a heart attack” on Friday afternoon in an upmarket clinic in Cairo, where he been under treatment for his Alzheimer's disease for the last month.
Sharif was born on April 10, 1932, as Michel Demetri Chalhoub in Alexandria, Egypt, to a Christian family of Syrian-Lebanese decent. He studied mathematics and physics at the University of Cairo and later on studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. In 1955, he converted to Islam and married Egyptian actress Faten Hamama.
Sharif started his acting career in Egypt in 1954 with a role in “Sira Fi al-Wadi” (also known as Fight in the Valley or The Blazing Sun), which was followed by eleven more films and rapidly gained fame in his own country.