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Omar Sharif Biography Omar Sharif, the Egyptian actor best known for playing Sherif Ali in Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and the title role in Doctor Zhivago (1965), was born Michel Demitri Shalhoub on April 10, 1932 in Alexandria, Egypt to Joseph Shalhoub, a lumber merchant, and his wife, Claire (Saada). Of Lebanese and Syrian extraction, the young Michel was raised Catholic. He was educated at Victoria College in Alexandria and took a degree in mathematics and physics from Cairo University with a major. Afterward graduating from university, he entered the family lumber business.
Before making his English-language film debut with "Lawrence of Arabia", for which he earned a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nomination and international fame, Sharif became a star in Egyptian cinema. His first movie was the Egyptian film The Blazing Sun (1954) ("The Blazing Sun") in 1953, opposite the renowned Egyptian actress Faten Hamamah whom he married in 1955. He converted to Islam to marry Hamama and took the name Omar al-Sharif. The couple had one child (Tarek Sharif, who was born in 1957 and portrayed the young Zhivago in the eponymous picture) and divorced in 1974. Sharif never remarried.
Beginning in the 1960s, Sharif earned a reputation as one of the world's best known contract bridge players. In the 1970s and 1980s, he co-wrote a syndicated newspaper bridge column for the Chicago Tribune. Sharif also wrote several books on bridge and has licensed his name to a bridge computer game, "Omar Sharif Bridge", which has been marketed since 1992. Sharif told the press in 2006 that he no longer played bridge, explaining, "I decided I didn't want to be a slave to any passion any more except for my work. I had too many passions, bridge, horses, gambling. I want to live a different kind of life, be with my family more because I didn't give them enough time.". As an actor, Sharif had made a comeback in 2003 playing the title role of an elderly Muslim shopkeeper in the French film Monsieur Ibrahim (2003). For his performance, he won the Best Actor Award at the Venice Film Festival and the Best Actor César, France's equivalent of the Oscar, from the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma. Diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2012, Sharif died of a heart attack on July 10, 2015, in Cairo, Egypt.
Of Lebanese/Syrian descent, he resided in Egypt most of his life. Fluent in Arabic, English, French, Greek, Italian and Spanish, he graduated from Cairo University in 1963 with a joint degree in mathematics and physics. He wanted to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) but, shortly before he was to travel to London, a producer saw him and offered him the leading role in The Blazing Sun (1954), Sharif's first film. A world-class bridge player, he was known to anticipate or postpone shootings in order to be able to attend major bridge events. He authored and co-authored several books and a weekly syndicated column on the game of bridge and licensed his name to a bridge computer game.
Underwent triple bypass surgery (1992), and suffered a mild heart attack (1994). Until his bypass, Sharif smoked 100 cigarettes a day; he quit easily after the operation. Member of the jury at the Venice Film Festival in 1990. Ordered by a US court in Beverly Hills, California to take an anger management course for punching a parking attendant who refused to accept his European currency on 11 June 2005. Sharif was not present for the hearing (13 February 2007).
As of 2009, he is only one of six performers who won a Golden Globe Award as Best Lead Actor/Actress in a Motion Picture Drama without being nominated for an Oscar for that same role (his for Doctor Zhivago (1965)). The others are Spencer Tracy in The Actress (1953), Anthony Franciosa in Career (1959), Shirley MacLaine in Madame Sousatzka (1988), Jim Carrey in The Truman Show (1998) and Kate Winslet in Revolutionary Road (2008). His autobiography 'L'Éternel Masculin" was published in France in 1976 and in America the following year as "The Eternal Male".
In 1969, Sharif was named to star in a musical biography on Rudolph Valentino that director Mike Frankovich was preparing but which did not materialize. Received one-month suspended prison sentence for striking a police officer in a suburbanParis casino in July 2003. Was also fined $1,700 and ordered to pay the officer $340 in damages, for insulting and then head-butting the Pontoise policeman, who tried to intervene in an argument between the actor and a roulette croupier. [August 2003] Sharif stated in an interview on Egyptian television that his former wife, Faten Hamama, the only woman he ever married, was his only true love. He was the father of Tarek Sharif and grandfather of Omar Sharif Jr..
Was close friends with Peter O'Toole, who nicknamed him "Freddy" on the set of Lawrence of Arabia (1962), because "no one could possibly be called Omar Sharif". Born the same day as Delphine Seyrig. When Omar Sharif signed on with Sam Spiegel to do Lawrence of Arabia (1962), it was a seven picture deal at $15,000 per film, which the producer convinced him was the standard rate at the time. The others were Doctor Zhivago (1965), Behold a Pale Horse (1964), The Night of the Generals (1967), Genghis Khan (1965), Mackenna's Gold (1969) and Funny Girl (1968). Served in Egypt's militia during the 1956 Suez crisis but considered the idea of actually using his rifle absurd as the enemy would simply level the apartment block he lived in with their return fire. Was later interviewed by British chat show host Michael Parkinson who had served with the British Army on the other side of the conflict, the pair comparing their memories of the events.
In an interview (sometime between 2007-09) in his native Egypt that he considered Che! (1969) to be one of his worst movies. Bollywood movie star Dilip Kumar was initially offered the role of Sherif Ali. He declined the role after which David Lean offered it to Omar Sharif which subsequently catapulted him onto the world scene. Sharif was supposed to play the role of Tafas who is shot by Sherif Ali in his introductory desert sequence. His Egyptian citizenship was almost withdrawn by the Nasser regime because of his public affair with Jewish actress Barbra Streisand, who was strongly supporting Israel in its Six Day War against Egypt. The first time he went to the United States was for the film premiere of Lawrence of Arabia (1962). The night before the opening Peter O'Toole took him to see Lenny Bruce in a show, after which they went backstage to see Bruce then went out for drinks. After a while Bruce said he had to go home for a few minutes so they accompanied him. While Bruce was giving himself a drug injection the police broke in and arrested them all. At the police station , Sharif asked to make a phone call and rang producer Sam Spiegel who eventually managed to get them released.
Had appeared with James Mason in four films: The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), Genghis Khan (1965), Mayerling (1968) and Bloodline (1979). Had appeared with Anthony Quayle four films: Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), Mackenna's Gold (1969) and The Tamarind Seed (1974). Was in three Oscar Best Picture nominees: Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965) and Funny Girl (1968), with the first of these the only winner. His mother was a professional gambler, ranked with King Farouk as one of the most daring players. Omar inherited his love of gambling from his mother playing in international bridge tournaments and in the '64 and 68 Olympic tournaments. Made his home in a large apartment built for him on the Bois de Boulogne in Paris. One of his main passions was horse racing and he bred horses for the sport.
Personal Quotes (27) I definitely want to do more theatre now. Or, two weeks in a film for a remarkable amount of money. I'd rather be playing bridge than making a bad movie. It made me the hero of the whole of France. To head-butt a cop is the dream of every Frenchman. Aggressive feminists scare me. [on Peter O'Toole] The very prototype of the ham. [interview with Diane Saenger, 2006] I've stopped [playing bridge] altogether. I decided I didn't want to be a slave to any passion any more except for my work. I had too many passions: bridge, horses, gambling. I want to live a different kind of life, be with my family more because I didn't give them enough time. I lived in America for a long time. Only ten per cent of all Americans have a passport. In other words, ninety per cent never left America. They don't know anything. The typical Middle Eastern man is far more intelligent. I said to [George W. Bush], even before he entered Iraq: "Forget about all that. We, the Arabs . . . are not like regular countries. You will drown there". He didn't believe me.
I stopped making movies because for the last twenty five years I've been making a lot of rubbish because I was in debt all the time. You know I used to gamble quite a bit and then I was always broke. I was always one film behind my debts and so at some point you know I had to work all the time to support my family and myself and all my expensive tastes and then I decided that it became ridiculous at some point. It got to the stage where my own grandchildren use to make fun of my films, which is very serious. They used to say, the previous one was terrible grandfather but this one is even worse so I decided it was time to stop and keep some dignity, especially vis a vis my grandchildren and so I decided to wait for something decent to come - something that I'd like, that I would feel enthusiastic about. I was a lonely man living out of suitcases in hotels and when you arrive in a new place and you don't know anyone, the only place where you can go if you're a well known person to have dinner alone is a casino. You go to the casino, have dinner by yourself, no one criticizes you and then you play a little bit to give yourself some emotion to fight the boredom of being by yourself, get some excitement. That's all. [final sentence in his autobiography] Actually, I want today to be like yesterday... Is that asking too much?
When one sees what happens in the world between the religions, the different religions - killing each other and murdering each other, it's disgusting and as far as I am concerned it's ridiculous. So I thought I might be useful, I believe in God and I believe in religion, but believe religions should belong to you. The extraordinary thing is that the Jews believe that only the Jews can go to paradise, the Christians believe that only a Christian can go to paradise and the Muslims believe that only the Muslims can go to paradise. Now why should God, in His great justice, make somebody born that cannot go to paradise - it is absurd. Please forgive me I don't mean to say it's absurd, people made it absurd. Every moment is like that for me now and that is how it should be. To live well at my age you always have to think about concentrating your attention on the moment that is now and the moment you are living because you don't know how much longer you may live. [on being the "only Arab" working in Hollywood] I had to be very careful. For example, Columbia Pictures signed a five-year contract with me when I had made Lawrence of Arabia (1962) but they didn't pay me anything. When I made Doctor Zhivago (1965) they sold me to MGM for $15,000. I made the film for $15,000. My American lawyer said 'I can sue them', and I said no, leave it, I don't want them to think of me as someone who only wants money.
Since 1966, I have never lived with a woman, I have only lived in hotels and eaten in restaurants. Mine was a very happy life, I am not complaining. I lived very humbly, in fear, I accepted the films they wanted me to do and even films I didn't want to do and I didn't like because I was afraid of saying no. [in his 1977 autobiography] I might as well say it; the United States disconcerted me. Especially its women... And, yet, they weren't at fault. I found America disconcerting because it was unlike any country. It represented a world in which I was out beyond my depth. I learned to think and to live in a certain way among people who had much in common... And then all of a sudden, I'd been transported into a world in which everything was foreign: its emotions, sympathy, weaknesses, ideals, vices, envies, malice. America had its own values... I watched its way of being, its way of living, and I failed to understand. The self-confidence, superiority, and independence of the women... These women are different from the ones I'd known... In my country women are dependent. They blush. And I like that; I'm used to that... Curiously enough, American women don't blush. Was I to blame? I was a Europeanized Middle Eastern man. It was asking a lot to make me an Americanized Middle Eastern man as well. Asking too much perhaps. [on sex] Making love? It's communion with a woman. The bed is our holy table. There I find passion and purification.
[on Barbra Streisand] I thought she was not very attractive at first. But gradually she cast her spell over me. I fell madly in love with her talent. The feeling was mutual for four months - the time it took to shoot the movie. [on his prowess as a lover] See these hands? They are old. But they are soft. Only good for caressing. [on Che! (1969)] I wasn't satisfied with it. It was very awful because it was a movie about a very important figure in socialism and communism, and it was produced by the CIA. I didn't know and I wasn't aware of that. I had put a condition with them that this movie wouldn't offend the reputation of Ernesto 'Che' Guevara. [on being cast by David Lean in Lawrence of Arabia (1962)] They chose me for Lawrence of Arabia (1962) because I spoke English, had black hair, black eyes and a mustache. It was all luck. I was taken in a plane to the desert to meet David, and as we came in to land we could see him sitting all by himself. We landed right next to him, but he didn't move one step. When I got off the plane, he didn't say 'hello'. He simply walked round me to see my profile. Finally, he said "That's very good, Omar. Let's go to the make-up tent." I tried on a mustache, and it was decided I would grow one. I've shaved it off for a couple of films, but otherwise I've had it ever since. [on his favorite movies] I don't watch any films. Billy Elliot (2000) is the only film I've seen in the last 25 years. Oh, and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). Both of which I loved! I don't know what women are attracted to. I can't tell, but certainly I have no notion of having sex appeal or being seductive in any way. [on David Lean] He hated actors. I'll tell you that. He was interested in the film itself. His work was about making the film. He took actors - he didn't like them or love them or anything, he just thought: "This one will do for this part." When he took me from Egypt, he didn't know me. He just said: "I want an Arab person to play this Laurence of Arabia thing. I want a real Arab who speaks English." All this happened because I had been to an English school in Cairo, so he called me and I went to the desert and he loved me. He actually liked me very much. I was one of the only actors he actually liked, in all his life. He hated them.
25 Things You Never Knew About Omar Sharif Omar Sharif is a famous Egyptian actor who was born in Alexandria, Kingdom of Egypt, on April 10, 1932. This week would have been his 86th birthday had he not died from a heart attack on July 10, 2015. Sharif began his career as an actor during the 1950s and is probably best known for Sherif Ali in ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ and Yuri Zhivago in ‘Doctor Zhivago’. Other films in which he appeared included ‘Funny Girl’, ‘War in the Land of Egypt’, ‘Mysterious Island’, ‘S*H*E’, and ‘Bloodline’. This talented actor won three Golden Globes and a Cesar Award during his career. Here are five more things you did not know about Omar Sharif.
1. His Birth Name Was Michel Dimitri Chalhoub Although he is well-known by the name Omar Sharif, this is not the name with which he was born. He was actually called Michel Dimitri Chalhoub. Unlike many actors who change their name for professional purposes, Omar Sharif’s reasons were more personal. He took on the new name and changed his religion Christian to Islam in order to marry.
2. He Could Speak Five Languages Even as a child, Omar Sharif showed a talent for languages. As an adult, he traveled the world throughout his career. Although he was born in Egypt, he lived in London as a student, often worked in America, traveled Europe extensively, and later lived in Paris. As a result, he was fluent in five languages; Arabic, English, Italian, Spanish, and French.
3. He Was Married to Faten Hamama Sharif met actress Faten Hamama on the set ‘Struggle in the Valley’, a film in which they both starred in 1954. The couple fell in love and married the following year. She had previously been married to Ezzel Dine Zulficar from 1947 to 1954 and together, they had a daughter, Nadia Zulficar. They went on to have a son together, Tarek Sharif, who was born in 1957. Unfortunately, the marriage did not last and the couple separated in 1966. However, their divorce was not finalized until 1974. Sharif claims he never fell in love again and that was why he did not remarry. Hamama married her third husband Mohamed Abdel Wahab Mahmoud in 1975 and they remained married until her death in 2015.
4. He Was a Successful Contract Bridge Player One of Sharif’s personal passions was playing bridge. In addition to his acting career, he was also extremely successful as a contract bridge player. He was once ranked in the top 50 contract bridge players in the world. He represented the United Arab Republic in the 1964 World Bridge Olympics and was the playing captain of the Egyptian team in the 1968 Olympiad. He founded the Omar Sharif Bridge Circus in 1967 as he wanted to showcase bridge to the rest of the world.
5. He Supported Hull City Football Club Outside of work, Omar Sharif had many passions and one of these was football. He was an avid supporter of Hull City Football Club. When he lived in Paris during the 1970s, he would ring the football club’s automated match line to find out the results of a game. Sharif was also a
6. He wasn’t always box- office gold Despite his many career successes, Sharif wasn’t immune to the odd flop or two. His first box office failure came with 1969’s western, Mackenna’s Gold, in which he reunited with Beyond a Pale Horse co-star, Gregory Peck. 1969 saw another fail when he starred alongside lead actress, Anouk Aimee, in the Sidney Lumet feature film, The Appointment. 2 years later, he flopped again (this time with Michael Caine for company) in James Clavell’s The Last Valley. 1971’s French crime caper, The Burglar, gained huge audiences across France, but met with a lukewarm response across English speaking countries. Sharif later remarked that it was the offer of films by directors that he couldn’t turn down, but which turned into box office failures, that nearly killed off his acting career.
7. He quit gambling in 2000 After enjoying bridge for many decades, Sharif laid down his cards for the final time in 2000. What he’d once considered a passion had turned into an addition- one that Sharif had no intention of being a slave to. Despite his refusal to indulge in any gambling himself, Sharif did, however, continue to reap the rewards of the game, both by licensing his name to bridge software games, and co-authoring “Omar Sharif Talks Bridge”, a chronicle of some his biggest deals and tales about the game.
8. He temporarily retired from Hollywood For much of the 1990’s, Sharif was reduced to minor bit parts and walk- on appearances. His first big role in years came at the end of the decade, with the 1999 historical action film, The 13th Warrior. The film was financially disastrous, losing almost $129 million at the box office and making the record books as one of the biggest box office failures in history. Sharif was so embarrassed at the film’s failure that he temporarily retired from film-making, and didn’t hit our screens again until 2003’s Monsieur Ibrahim.
9. He took a firm position on the Egyptian revolution The Egyptian revolution of 2011 saw youth groups across the country staging widespread demonstrations against the increasing hold of police brutality during Mubarak’s presidency. The clashes between demonstrators and security forces resulted in over 800 deaths. A further 6000 were injured. Sharif made his feelings on the revolution clear, calling for the resignation of the country’s president with the statement: “Given that the entire Egyptian people don’t want him and he’s been in power for 30 years, that’s enough”.
10. He had a heart bypass After years of puffing away on over 100 cigarettes a day, Sharif suffered a heart attack in 1994. Although the attack was relatively mild, the years of smoking had done their damage, and a triple heart bypass was ordered. After the bypass, Sharif never picked up another cigarette again.
11. His final years were marked by ill health Although Sharif’s 1994 heart bypass was a success, by 2015, his health had become an increasing concern to those around him. Whispers of Alzheimer’s disease circulated when Sharif’s son, Tarek, mentioned his father was becoming increasingly confused and forgetful, and would often struggle to remember the names of some his best-known films. In July 2015, Sharif’s health took a turn for the worse. His death on 15th July from a heart attack came less
12. He was court ordered to attend anger management classes In 2005, the hot- headed Sharif was forced to take anger management classes by a US court in Beverly Hills. The court order came after Sharif was found guilty of assaulting a parking attendant for refusing to accept his European currency. The actor pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor, despite not being present at the hearing itself. Along with the classes, Sharif was placed on a 2-year probation, and ordered to keep at least 100 yards from the victim, witnesses and restaurant at which the incident occurred.
13. He was fined $1700 for headbutting a cop Sharif’s 2005 court case wasn’t the first time he’d had trouble with the law. In 2003, Sharif received a one month suspended prison sentence after attacking a police officer in a Parisian casino. The police officer incurred the wrath of the tempestuous Sharif after intervening in a dispute between the actor and a member of the casino’s staff. Sharif was fined $1700, while the officer was awarded $340 in damages for his troubles.
14. He was friends with Hollywood Royalty As you’d expect from an actor that starred alongside some of the greatest movie legends of the 20th century, Sharif had some very famous friends. His friendship with acting legend, Peter O’Toole, is a prime example. The pair first starred together on the set of 1962’s Lawrence of Arabia. During the filming of the movie, O’Toole gave Sharif the affectionate moniker of “Freddy”, after declaring “no one could possibly be called Omar Sharif”. The friendship endured for many years, and would see the pair team up again in the 2005 biblical epic, One Night with the King.
15. He served during the Suez Canal Crisis In 1962, the world was buzzing with news of the combined invasion of Egypt by Israeli, French and UK troops. The aim of the (ultimately unsuccessful) mission was to regain western control of the Suez Canal and depose Egyptian President, Gamal Abdel Nasser. Sharif did his due patriotic duty and joined the Egyptian militia. However, he was a reluctant recruit, and considered the idea of going up against the advanced weaponry of the enemy with his pea shooter rifle absurd. The conflict did at least create some lasting memories for Sharif, which he shared during an interview with British television host, Michael Parkinson. Coincidently, Parkinson had also served during the crisis (albeit for the opposite side) and the two spent the interview comparing their recollection of events.
16. His introduction to America got off to a rocky start Sharif’s first visit to the USA was for the premiere of Lawrence in Arabia. His trip got off to a shaky start when co- star, Peter O’Toole, dragged him along to a Lenny Bruce show the night before the big opening. After the performance ended, Bruce (a notorious drug addict), O’Toole and Sharif shared a few drinks before retiring to Bruce’s apartment. A short time after they arrived, the party was broken up by the arrival of the police. When Bruce was found shooting up in the bathroom, the police put the whole gang under arrest and marched them off to the local police station. Fortunately, Sharif had the presence of mind to call producer, Sam Spiegel, who’s army of six lawyers managed to get the three released on bail just in time for the big premiere.
17. He nearly lost out on his big break Sharif’s big break in Lawrence of Arabia almost didn’t happen at all. His breakthrough role as Sherif Ali was originally offered to Bollywood star, Dilip Kumar. Sharif was intended for the lesser role of Tafas, a minor character who gets shot by Sherif Ali in the movie’s opening sequence. Fortunately for Sharif, Kumar turned down the role, and Sharif’s subsequent promotion to the role of Sherif Ali would lead to one of the finest performances in film history.
18. He won a Sergei Eisenstein Medal During his long and illustrious career, Sharif was the proud recipient of multiple award and nomination nods. His first success came with his performance as Sherif Ali in Lawrence of Arabia, a role that won him a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the 35th Academy Awards. Sharif ultimately lost out on the award to fellow actor Edward Begley, who claimed top price for his extraordinary performance in the 1962 classic, Sweet Bird of Youth. Sharif didn’t stay defeated for long, however, and went on to claim two Golden Globes that year for the same role. In 1968, he continued his run of award success with a third Golden Globe for his role as the titular character in Doctor Zhivago. 2005 saw perhaps his biggest and proudest moment, when he picked up an extremely rare (and extremely coveted) Sergei Eisenstein Medal from UNESCO. The medal (one of only 25 to ever be awarded) was delivered in recognition of Sharif’s significant contribution to world cinematography and diversity.
19. He had an affair with Barbara Streisand During the 1967 filming of the musical classic, Funny Girl, Sharif enjoyed a short-lived fling with his leading lady, Barbara Streisand. Given that both Streisand and Sharif were married at the time, their romance stirred up quite the controversy. Despite the pair’s mutual infatuation, their love was not too last, and after an intense four months, the final curtain was drawn on both the affair, and, coincidentally enough, the filming of the movie.
20. He caused international controversy Despite being short-lived, Sharif’s relationship with Streisand managed to stir up some serious international controversy. Their affair hit the headlines just as the world was dealing with the fallout of the Israeli-Egyptian Six Day War. The romantic union of a Jew and an Egyptian incensed both sides, and the Egyptian government went so far as to issue a public ban on the film and threaten to withdraw Sharif’s Egyptian citizenship. The situation was made especially uncomfortable for Sharif by the fact that all the investors in Funny Girl were, like Streisand herself, both Jewish and heavily pro-Israel. However, the pair weathered the storm and continued their relationship until the very final days of shooting.
21. He wasn’t a fan of fried egg sandwiches Never one to rest on his laurels, Sharif didn’t stay heartbroken for long after the end of his entanglement with Streisand. The next leading lady to fall for his dashing good lucks was French actress, Catherine Deneuve, his co-star in the 1968 movie, Mayerling. Next on the list was German- American actress, Barbara Bouchet, who caught Sharif’s roving eye when she appeared near naked on the cover of Playboy. Sharif’s reputation as a lady’s man was clearly well founded, but there was one young, attractive co-star that completely failed to ignite his passions. Julie Christie, his co-star on 1965’s Dr Zhivago, dampened the desire of her leading man by her apparently off-putting habit of eating fried egg sandwiches on set.
22. He may have had more children than we realized Sharif had a son, Tarek, with former wife, Faten Hamama. However, it’s thought that Sharif may have had more children than he publicly acknowledged. Before his death, an Italian journalist claimed that Sharif had fathered her child after a brief dalliance in the late ‘60’s. Sharif dismissed the suggestion and claimed that theirs had been a “very brief affair” and that he didn’t consider the child his son. He did manage to contradict himself somewhat when he went on to say, “It is possible that I might
23. He and Peter O’Toole shared champagne baths In 1976, Sharif released his memoirs, L’Éternel Masculin, in France. A year later, the English version, The Eternal Male, was released in America. Chronicling the actor’s wild exploits in the ‘60’s, the autobiography is particularly interesting for its description of the high jinks he and Peter O’ Toole got up to on the set of Lawrence in Arabia. Sharif described how the pair would have champagne baths, and once managed to squander nine months’ salary during a single gambling session. “We’d drink without stopping for 48 hours . . . we went hunting girls in every bar, every nightclub”, he recalled.
24. His parents had friends in high places Sharif was raised in a wealthy district of Cairo, where his mother, one of the most glamorous “It” girls of her day, would regularly play host to such distinguished company as King Farouk, the deposed Egyptian monarch. “My mother used to play cards with King Farouk,” Sharif recalled in his autobiography. “He believed she was good luck to him – she was his mascot”.
25. His love of acting inspired some dramatic acts When Sharif was ten, he was sent to a strict, British-style boarding school in Cairo. It was there that Sharif fell in love with acting- much to the horror of his deeply conventional father, who had planned for Sharif to join him in the family trade. After his father banned him from taking acting further, Sharif was so distraught that he slit his wrists. Although a dramatic gesture, Sharif later admitted that it wasn’t a serious suicide attempt.