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Omar Sharif turns 73

The legend lives on
9 April 2005, 18:00 PM
LIFESTYLE
Omar Sharif
Today on his 73rd birthday, it is opportune to glance at the action packed career of Omar Sharif. Every film buff has seen or at least heard of the international film star. He has to his credit a host of films such as David Lean'sThe Lawrence of Arabia(1962) andDr Zhivago(1965, at his most charismatic in the title role). Then there were other films:More than a Miracle(1967),Funny Girl(1968, as the wayward husband of Fanny Brice, played by Babra Streisand),Mayerling(1969), andChe!(also 1969, in the title role). However Sharif's romantic appeal was on the wane by the 1970s and after starring performances inThe Last Valley(1971),The Tamarind SeedandJuggernaut(both 1974), his film appearances dwindled to supporting roles in such films asThe Pink Panther Strikes Again(1976), andGreen Ice(1981) and the comedyTop Secret!(1984).

Sharif has worked in TV, appearing in tele films and mini-series. Sharif is also known worldwide as an expert at bridge, a game he took up on the set of his first movie, after running out of between-scenes reading matter. He has authored Omar Sharif's Life in Bridge.

Sharif comes from Egypt. This country stands tall --not just for the Pyramids and Nile --since its son went on to become one of the world's most respected and adored Hollywood stars. His career spans both the Middle East and the West, earning top name billing in many Arabic movies as well as his celebrity-encrusted epics filmed in the hills of California.

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Television is another medium where Sharif has excelled. He has starred in such critically acclaimed series as the Far Pavilions playing an Indian mentor, a Turkish sultan in Harem, and a Russian prince in Peter the Great. The name 'Omar Sharif' still carries great reverence in Europe, and last year the BBC commissioned him to be the voice of Nakht, the central character in Pyramid - the BBC's ambitious history programme that tells the story of the great pyramid of Giza through the eyes of the men who built it and centres on the tale of Nakht, an Egyptian conscript. For Sharif, it was a pleasure to take part in something that promoted the glories of his native Egypt.

Compiled by Cultural Correspondent