Omar Sharif

When Doctor Zhivago was being made, at the end of every day the crew was one day saying that the performance by Alec Guinness was excellent, on another day that Julie Christie was brilliant and on some days that Rod Steiger was superb. Hearing this on a daily basis Sharif got very worried and asked David Lean why he didn't have any great lines to say or some great scene to act. David reassured him by saying that although everyone would love the individual performances of the star cast, after the end of the movie they would only think of him and remember "Yuri".

Sharif was paid the sum of 8,000 British pounds for appearing in Lawrence of Arabia.

Sharif appeared as guest twice on Late Night with David Letterman.

Showing that he's still a bit ornery, Sharif, according to a recent tabloid report, got into a brawl with a co-star of One Night With the King at the hotel where the cast was staying. The two men stopped fighting when they broke a lamp in the lobby.

Sharif has only been nominated for one Academy Award--in 1963 for Best Supporting Actor in Lawrence of Arabia.

Sharif has won two Golden Globe Awards: one for Most Promising Male Newcomer in 1963 for his performance in Lawrence of Arabia and a second for Best Actor in 1966 for Doctor Zhivago.

In November of 2005, Sharif was awarded a medal by UNESCO in honor of his significant contributions to world film and cultural diversity.

Sharif and Lawrence of Arabia co-star Peter O'Toole are appearing together once again in the upcoming film One Night with the King.

Shariff was recently sued for $50,000.00 by a parking lot attendant who claims Sharif assaulted him outside a Beverly Hills restaurant.

Son Tarek appeared with Sharif in Doctor Zhivago playing his father's character at age 8.

Sharif once said that aggressive feminists scare him.

Sharif considers Che!, made in 1969, to be his worst film role.

Before Lawrence of Arabia, Sharif had been a star in Egyptian films but was virtually unknown elsewhere.

Before his heart bypass surgery, Sharif used to smoke nearly 100 cigarettes per day. After the surgery, he quit smoking cold turkey.

In 2003, Sharif received a one month suspended jail termand a fine of $1,700.00 for head butting a police officer who intervened in a dispute between Sharif and a croupier inside a French casino.

Sharif was/is reportedly on a hit list made by a faction of the terrorist group al-Qaeda.

Sharif underwent triple bypass heart surgery in 1992.

Several tabloid reports once linked Sharif romantically to Funny Girl co-star Barbra Streisand.

Sharif co-starred with Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl and Funny Lady.

Sharif was raised a Catholic but converted to Islam in 1954 in order to marry his wife.

Omar Sharif is 5 feet, 11 inches tall.

Sharif licensed his name to a Bridge computer game.

Sharif, an avid bridge player, writes a regular newspaper column on the subject and has written several books on the game.

Sharif is fluent in English, Arabic, Greek, and French. He also speaks some Italian and Turkish.

Omar has one son named Tarek from his only marriage.

Sharif was married to Eqyptian actress Faten Hamama from 1954 to 1974.

After graduation from college, Shariff worked for a time in his father's lumber business before becoming an actor.

Sharif graduated from Cairo University with a major in math and physics.