Trivia of Omar Sharif

Trivia of Omar Sharif (10 April 1932 - 10 July 2015)

*Sharif's birth name was Michel Yusef Dimitri Chalhoub.He was born in Egypt and had Lebanese descent.He adopted the surname Sharif, meaning "noble" or "nobleman" in Arabic, after he was picked by Egyptian director Youssef Chahine to star in his Egyptian film The Blazing Sun (1954).

*Sharif's first English-language role was that of the historical epic movie Lawrence of Arabia (1962). Sharif was given the role when another candidate turned it down and could not use the contact lenses necessary to hide their eyes.Director David Lean insisted on using ethnic actors when possible to make the film authentic.Sharif's performance earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture, as well as a shared Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor.

*Early, the movie Lawrence of Arabia (1962) was banned in many Arab countries as they felt Arab historical figures and the Arab peoples were misrepresented. Omar Sharif arranged a viewing with President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt to show him that there was nothing wrong with the way they were portrayed. Nasser loved the movie and allowed it to be released in Egypt, where it went on to become a monster hit.

*While filming Lawrence of Arabia (1962), he bonded with co-star Peter O'Toole. Recalls Sharif, "Peter and I were like brothers immediately. He said to me, 'Your name is not Omar Sharif - no one is called Omar Sharif. Your real name is probably Freddy something!' And for the rest of the film and the rest of our lives, he's never called me Omar. He calls me Freddy."According to Sharif, O'Toole was a witty and charming companion who enjoyed playing practical jokes on the set, while O'Toole described Sharif as a generous and supportive colleague who helped him to improve his performance in the film.They continued to work together on several occasions, including in the 1965 film "The Night of the Generals" and the 2004 TV movie "Troy". O'Toole and Sharif remained close friends until O'Toole's death in 2013.

*He spoke fluently English, French, Greek, Italian, Spanish, and Arabic.His accent enabled him to play the role of a foreigner without anyone knowing exactly where he came from.

*Sharif so enthusiast heard that director David Lean was making Doctor Zhivago (1965), an adaptation of Boris Pasternak's 1957 novel.He was a fan of the novel and lobbied for one of the supporting roles, Pavel Antipov (Pasha).But Lean decided instead to cast him in the lead as Yuri Zhivago, a poet and physician.During filming, Sharif directed his son Tarek Sharif who play as Young Yuri Zhivago as a way to get closer to his character.For his performance, Sharif won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama.

*As Sharif got older, there were rumours he gambled all his money away in casinos. He denied this was ever true, but he was arrested for head-butting a policeman in a casino in 2003 when he was 71.He had alleged lost around £200,000 which caused the outburst.Sharif later said that assaulting a policeman was "the dream of every Frenchman".