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Captivated by the seemingly many personas of late actor Omar Sharif, Egyptian filmmaker Mark Lotfy and Swedish director Axel Petersén delved into the legendary star’s eventful career, tracing how the politics of 1950s Egypt formed the international star’s complex character.

Their new documentary, “The Life and Times of Omar Sharif,” shows in particular how the policies of President Gamal Abdel Nasser and the political climate of the time led him to change his name and convert to Islam, and later to become a cosmopolitan individual who was equally at home in Cairo, Paris or Los Angeles.

Sharif’s life and career are described as a “dramatic balancing act, set on an East-West axis, illustrated by the hundreds of characters he played, on and off screen, in the changing political landscapes of Hollywood and the Middle East.”

Produced by Sigrid Helleday’s Stockholm-based Fedra in co-production with Lotfy’s...

His influence has permeated the fabric of Hollywood films for decades and sadly Omar Sharif has passed away today (July 10).

The beloved actor, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease earlier this year, is survived by his son Tarek Sharif and two grandsons. His agent Steve Kenis told BBC News, “He suffered a heart attack this afternoon in a hospital in Cairo.”

Sharif was best-known for playing Sherif Ali in 1962’s “Lawrence of Arabia. Omar previously told The Guardian, "When I made this film I thought: 'This is a crazy thing. There are no girls, no very famous actors at that time, only men and no action, not a lot of action. Not a lot of fights…' It was so good because the director [David Lean] was a brilliant man. That’s the truth. David Lean was a great, great man. Great man."...

Omar Sharif, who received an Oscar nomination for his towering performance in the 1962 classic Lawrence of Arabia, passed away earlier today at the age of 83. His agent, Steve Kenis, revealed earlier this year that the actor had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. Steve Kenis confirmed that Omar Sharif died after suffering a heart attack in Cairo, Egypt.

The actor was born as Michel Shalhoub in Alexandria, Egypt in April 1932, to a lumber merchant. After graduating from Victoria College in Alexandria, and later from Cairo University, he entered his family's lumber business, before moving to London to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (Rada). In the 1950s, he became a rising star in Egyptian cinema, starring in films such as The Blazing Sun, Our Best Days and The Lebanese Mission before making his English-language debut with Lawrence of Arabia, for which he won a Golden Globe Award for and received an Oscar nomination.

Omar Sharif has died at the age of 83. The Lawrence of Arabia actor passed away on Friday, July 10. "He suffered a heart attack this afternoon in a hospital in Cairo," his agent, Steve Kenis, told BBC News.  Sharif was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease earlier this year. "It's difficult to determine what stage. It's obvious he won't improve and will get worse," his son, Tarek Sharif, told Spanish newspaper El Mundo in May, via The Telegraph. The Alexandria, Egypt native [real name: Michel Shalhoub] earned a physics and [...]...

A man almost as famous for his skill at bridge as for his superlative acting abilities, as well as a patrician presence on screen for years, Omar Sharif has died at the age of 83. Born Michel Demetri Chalhoub in Egypt, he studied at Victoria College in Alexandria and showed a talent for learning languages. There, he began to develop an interest in theatre and performing, but focused instead on obtaining a degree in mathematics and physics at the University Of Cairo, before joining his father in the family business of precious woods. Yet he still felt the lure of acting, and headed to the Royal Academy Of Dramatic Art in London before returning to start his film career in Egypt in 1953. He appeared in more than 20 productions, and it was during this period he met Faten Hamama who would become his wife, and inspired Sharif to convert to Islam. The couple had a son,...

Some sad news about one of film's living legends. Omar Sharif is battling Alzheimer's disease and is resting at his home in Cairo, the actor's agent confirmed Tuesday to E! News. The 83-year-old actor's son, Tarek Sharif, first revealed his dad's diagnosis in an interview with Spain's El Mundo over the weekend but did not go into details. Sharif, who was born in Alexandria, Egypt, was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role of revolutionary Sherif Ali in the 1962 classic Lawrence of Arabia, his collaboration with co-star Peter O'Toole also resulting in an enduring friendship. His three Golden Globe wins include one for Lawrence, the year he was also...

Lawrence of Arabia star Omar Sharif is battling Alzheimer's disease, his spokesperson has confirmed.

The actor's agent Steve Kenis told The AP that Sharif has been diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease.

Omar's son Tarek Sharif first revealed the news in an interview with Spanish outlet El Mundo.

Sharif most recently appeared on the big screen in the 2013 French-Moroccan film Rock the Casbah, and appeared in the television series The Ten Commandments and The Traveller in the last decade.

The Egyptian actor's English-language breakthrough in Lawrence of Arabia (1962) earned him two Golden Globe Awards, and led to his casting in another Golden Globe-winning title role in Doctor Zhivago (1965).

He would become a Hollywood mainstay over the next decade, with prominent parts in Funny Girl, Juggernaut and Top Secret!.

Agent confirms actor, 83, has degenerative diseaseSon revealed diagnosis in interview with Spanish newspaper

The actor Omar Sharif has Alzheimer’s disease, his agent Steve Kenis confirmed to the Associated Press on Monday.

No additional details were provided about the 83-year-old or his care. His son, Tarek Sharif, revealed the diagnosis in an interview with Spanish newspaper El Mundo on 23 May.

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Alec Guinness: Before Obi-Wan Kenobi, there were the eight D’Ascoyne family members (photo: Alec Guiness, Dennis Price in ‘Kind Hearts and Coronets’) (See previous post: “Alec Guinness Movies: Pre-Star Wars Career.”) TCM won’t be showing The Bridge on the River Kwai on Alec Guinness day, though obviously not because the cable network programmers believe that one four-hour David Lean epic per day should be enough. After all, prior to Lawrence of Arabia TCM will be presenting the three-and-a-half-hour-long Doctor Zhivago (1965), a great-looking but never-ending romantic drama in which Guinness — quite poorly — plays a Kgb official. He’s slightly less miscast as a mere Englishman — one much too young for the then 32-year-old actor — in Lean’s Great Expectations (1946), a movie that fully belongs to boy-loving (in a chaste, fatherly manner) fugitive Finlay Currie. And finally, make sure to watch Robert Hamer’s dark comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets...

David Lean is a master director that has been woefully underrepresented in high definition. Now one of his higher tiered films is finally making its way to the format and the results are breathtaking. Prepare to have Laura.s Theme running through your head. it is while I.m typing this review. General Yevgraf Zhivago (Alec Guinness) is searching for the daughter of his poet brother. He has a young girl (Rita Tushingham) who he thinks may be her brought into the offices of the mine supervisor and commences to tell the tale of his brother.s life and loves. As a child, Yuri Zhivago.s (Tarek Sharif) mother died and left him destitute with only a balalaika. His father had...