Omar Sharif

Omar Sharif (Arabic: عمر الشريف‎, Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [ˈʕomɑɾˤ eʃʃɪˈɾiːf]; born Michael Demitri Shalhoub, [ˈmɑjkel dɪˈmitɾi ʃælˈhuːb]; April 10, 1932) is an Egyptian actor who has starred in Hollywood films, most famously in Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago and Funny Girl. He has been nominated for an Academy Award and has won three Golden Globe Awards. Omar Sharif was born Michel Dimitri Shalhoub in Alexandria into a wealthy Lebanese family. Sharif graduated from Alexandria's Victoria College, where he is reported by his schoolmate Edward W. Said to have been sadistic and physically abusive in his capacity as "head boy" at Alexandria's Victoria College. Sharif later graduated from Cairo University with degrees in both mathematics and physics. In 1953, Sharif began his acting career with a role in Sira` Fi al-Wadi.