He was born in Alexandria, Egypt on April 10, 1932 (a very significant date to some people!) and died at the age of 83 on July 10, 2015.With his dark good looks and a charming gap-toothed smile, he was a unique actor who played many interesting roles including an Arab rebel, Yugoslav freedom-firgher, Russian doctor, Persian prince, Indian horse-trainer, etc. Though he grew up in Egypt, he was raised a Roman Catholic. He was also a multilingual actor speaking Arabic, English, French, Greek, Italian and Spanish. This made him a vary versatile actor.
His first big film role (which made him an International star) was the Arab named Ali in Lawrence of Arabia (Warning it's a very long film--well over 3 hours!) which was released in 1962. His co-star Peter O'Toole insisted that Sharif was to attend the American premiere in Hollywood with him. Of course they almost didn't make it because they ended up in jail, no thanks to Peter O'Toole's bad influence!This epic film by director David Lean is sweeping in that it was filmed in the desert and with the current use of technology and CGI, films aren't made like this any more. The very creative and challenged Director of Photography was Freddie Young. It's worth watching for that reason alone!There is much humor in this film too which makes it quite enjoyable.Some of the scenes remind me of the old Western movies. Visually it's stunning and the music by Maurice Jarre is very moving. Lawrence and Ali cross the Nefud Desert to Aqaba. This is the first of many journeys and battles. The biggest one is the journey to and takeover of Damascus. which is in Syria, a country which has been in the news in 2015. Here's a link about the real T.E. Lawrence who this film is based on.
It's well worth it to watch the documentary written, directed and produced by Laurent Bouzereau which is titled The Making of Lawrence of Arabia and is included on the comprehensive Collector's Edition DVD.
Here are some quotes from Omar Sharif about his experiences:
"My costume was extremely comfortable. I mean, they were very beautiful robes and I had twelve of them. The same ones because I never changed my costume throughout the film. I had twelve of them because one used to perspire a lot. And when I used to take them off at the end of the day, they were white inside from the salt that my body lost during the day. I think I lost about 20 pounds, at least."
"When I arrived in the desert, Peter had already practiced a lot riding camels. And I had never been on a camel. It's a very difficult thing to learn because you have no stirrups and the only way to learn how to ride a camel, trotting and galloping is to sit on it for hours and hours and days and days and weeks and weeks because what you have to learn is to get the rhythm. And one day, you just get it but for weeks we couldn't sit down properly."
"We had great solidarity making that film. I mean we had this camaraderie. We lived in tents. ... It can never be made again, you know, you could never put a group like that together again."
"I had not been so long from coming out of school. I went to an English school at that time. I had a proper accent for an Arab. As a matter of fact, Alec Guinness when arrived in the desert he invited me to have a cup of tea in his tent and he talked to me for about 2 hours. He asked me all about my background and all. The next day, when he started shooting we went to watch him, Peter O'Toole and I. When he started speaking, Peter said to me, "Fred" because he called me 'Fred.' Then he said, " he's doing you." I said, "Is he?" He had taken my accent and used it as an Arab speaking English."
"Peter O'Toole called me 'Fred' because when I went out to the desert for a screen test, we were introduced and he had already been out there for a month or two learning to ride camels and all that. They said to Peter, "This is Omar Sharif." He said,"Omar Sharif. No one in the world is called Omar Sharif. Your name must be 'Fred' which wasn't far wrong." My comment: Omar's given name at birth was Michel Demetri Shalhoub.
"I think it's the best of the films I have made....It's a real classic. A great piece of cinema."
BTW, Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif were both born in 1932 so they were almost the same age when they met and worked together on Lawrence of Arabia. Omar outlived him by two years.
Some quotes from Lawrence of Arabia:
"Al Lawrence. Truly, for some men nothing is written unless they write it."---Ali
"Does Auda still take me for one of his own bastards?"---Ali
"It is the servant who takes the money."---Lawrence
"Yet this is a tulip that the Turks could not buy."---Ali
He (Auda) will come (to Aqaba) because it is his pleasure."---Lawrence
"It was excecution, Lawrence. No shame in that."---Ali
"In Cairo you will put off these funny clothes. You will wear trousers and tell stories of our quaintness and barbarity...and then they will believe you.---Ali
"With Major Lawrence, mercy is a passion. With me, it is merely good manners.You may judge which motive is the more reliable."---Prince Feisal (played by Alec Guinness)
"Why don't you take a picture?"---Lawrence
"I must find something honorable."--Auda (played by Anthony Quinn)
Here are a few scenes from Lawrence of Arabia:
In The Yellow Rolls Royce (released in 1964), an episode in the history of a Rolls Royce car takes place in Trieste starting in 1941. Mrs. Gerda Millett, a wealthy woman played by Ingrid Bergman purchases the car and sets off for Yugoslavia. Sharif plays the dashing Mr. Davich who is assisted by her. She seems superficial and formal but the circumstances of war show another side of her. Omar's character turns out to be so much more than he first seemed to be!
Here's a scene from The Yellow Rolls Royce:
1:27 is where it sort of starts with Omar
"Can I trust you with a secret? There has been a coup d'etat in my country. Prince Peter is now king."---Mr. Davich
"How stupid of me! Naturally, moving as you do in the highest of diplomatic circles, you should've heard of it."---Mr. Davich
"Don't worry, Mr. Davich, we are on the same side of the fence."---Mrs. Millett
"Mr. Davich, I want to know why you threw your passport away."---Mrs. Millett
"One more yap out of that and I'll shoot it."---Mr. Davich
"Flattery will get you nowhere."---Mrs. Millett
"Regretfully it's a matter of life and death."---Mr. Davich
"I happen to love my country."---Mr.Davich
His most famous film in which he starred was Doctor Zhivago (based on the novel by Boris Pasternak who was a poet and tramslator and this novel was somewhat biographical and political ) which was also directed by David Lei Zhivago is a a committed doctor in love with two women, Tonya and Lara. What a romantic and beautifully filmed production that film is! One of the most beautiful scenes is the winter scene at the place in the country. It's almost worth seeing just for that scene alone!! Talk about visual beauty in a film!The theme song was Somewhere My Love (also called Lara's Theme) which you can hear on Youtube where there are many versions by people like Andy Williams, Ray Conniff, etc. The child Yuri Zhivago was played by Omar's son Tarek Sharif.
There are many similarities between the two films Lawrence of Arabia & Doctor Zhivago. The same director David Lean, director of photography Freddie Young, music composer Maurice Jarre. Some of the images are similar too. The first has the image of blood on the sand while the second has the image of blood on the snow.
Here are a few scenes from Doctor Zhivago:
Here are somea quotes from the film Doctor Zhivago:
"He said that poetry was no more a vocation than good health."--Yuevgraf (played by Alec Guinness) quoting Yuri.
"He said that poetry was no more a vocation than good health."--Yuevgraf (played by Alec Guinness) quoting Yuri.
"I think we may go mad if we think about all that."---Yuri
It's well worth it to watch the documentary on the making of Doctor Zhivago which Omar Sharif narrated.
In 1984, in The Far Pavilions he played Koda Dad, a great supporting role for him as he plays a man who is a father figure for the main character Ashton, played by Ben Cross.
Here's a scene from The Far Pavilions:
Based on the Biblical story of Esther, One Night with the King (2006)was another film in which Omar acted in a supporting role but his character was an important part in the story as he provided the voice of reason and wisdom for King Xerxes.
"Why thirst you for warfare, when we can drink so deeply of peace?"---Omar as Prince Memucan in One Night with the King.
A scene from One Night with the King:
One of the last films he starred in was Monsieur Ibrahim (2003 which was based on a book by French author Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt. In this post I'll include a review of this last great film he starred in. In this film, he is also a father figure for the character Momo.
Those who want to know more about the personal side of Omar Sharif might want to read his biography titled The Eternal Male which he wrote with Marie Therese Guinchard.
Omar Sharif, Jr. is his grandson by his son Tarek and he was born in Montreal, Canada. His mother is Jewish and he is openly gay.
Here are some scenes from Monsieur Ibrahim, which I consider to be one of the last great roles that Omar Sharif played:
Here are some quotes from Monsieur Ibrahim:
"I'm not an Arab, Momo. I'm from the Golden Crescent."---Monsieur Ibrahim
"Water isn't rare, mademoiselle. True stars are."---Monsieur Ibrahim
"Imagine me in a boat with her (Bridget Bardot) and my wife. The boat sinks. What do I do? I bet that my wife knows how to swim."---Monsieur Ibrahim
"Listen to me. You owe me nothing. If you have to steal, I prefer you do it in my shop....Look at me. You owe me nothing."---Monsieur Ibrahim
"I'm 16 you know. I've already done it."---Momo.
"You only have one pair of feet.Look after them. If your shoes hurt you. You change them. You can't change your feet."---Monsieur Ibrahim
"When will you adopt me?"---Momo
"When I buy, I have the money, here and now."---Monsieur Ibrahim
