Faten Hamama, the Egyptian-born actress whose victory in a beauty contest when she was only 7 inspired a cinematic career that would span nearly 100 films and establish her as the unrivaled “Lady of the Arabic Screen,” died on Saturday in Cairo. She was 83.
She had been in a hospital with an undisclosed illness, the Egyptian state news agency said.
Ms. Hamama was best known to American audiences as the wife of Omar Sharif, her sometime co-star whose career she had helped start, and for a leading role in the 1963 English-language film “Cairo” with George Sanders.
For a half-century, she stayed current by taking topical roles in films dealing with social justice and women’s rights. As an idolized national figure, she not only galvanized support for those causes but also helped redefine the Arab woman.
In 2000, she was named “Star of the Century” by the Egyptian Writers and Critics organization for her performances in the movies and on television and for her work as a producer. In 2007, eight of her films were among the top 100 Egyptian motion pictures cited by the cinema committee of the Supreme Council of Culture in Cairo.
Ms. Hamama was born on May 27, 1931, in Mansoura, in the Nile Delta. She was 6 when she attended her first film, she recalled, and identified with the star so immediately that when the movie was over she assumed that the audience’s ovation was intended for her.
After she won the beauty contest, her father, a civil servant in the Ministry of Education and a frustrated actor, proudly sent her photo to a movie producer, who cast her in the film “A Happy Day.” She was paid about $1.40 in today’s dollars.
But she was soon in demand by directors for her combination of innocent looks and seductive charm and called “Egypt’s Shirley Temple.” She later starred in, among other films, “The Nightingale’s Prayer,” “The Night of Fatima’s Arrest” and “I Want a Solution,” a powerful feminist drama that contributed to legal reforms that allowed women in Egypt to divorce their husbands.
In 1947, Ms. Hamama married the director Ezzel Dine Zulficar. After they divorced, she married Michel Demitri Shalhoub, an unknown actor whom she had met while filming “Struggle in the Valley” and with whom she shared her first on-screen kiss.
In an off-screen fairy-tale love story that captivated her fans, her co-star, raised Roman Catholic, converted to Islam and changed his name to Omar Sharif.
Married in 1955, they later appeared together in a number of films, including “River of Love,” an Egyptian production based on Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina.”
They divorced in 1974, and Mr. Sharif attributed the breakup to his frequent trips abroad after he was discovered by Hollywood and cast in a leading role in “Lawrence of Arabia.” Complaining about the political climate in Egypt, Ms. Hamama lived in Paris, London and Lebanon in the late 1960s, despite President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s invitation to return and his characterization of her as “a national treasure.”
After her second divorce, she married Dr. Mohamed Abdel Wahab Mahmoud, who survives her, along with two children from her earlier marriages, Nadia Zulficar and Tarek Sharif.
“Art is all that elevates and inspires the human feeling,” Ms. Hamama liked to say, “and all that fails by the feeling does not belong to art.”
____________________________________________________
Arab film icon Faten Hamama dies at 83
'Lady of the Arab screen' Faten Hamama appeared in almost 100 films and worked with masters of Egypt's film industry.
![Faten Hamama, here with her son Tarek, was in the film industry for almost 75 years [Getty Images]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vdDnG-poVodLzH-IyfK2C56H3-zQ1FOuTSUpIH2CxQrZbdki6eAlA2noPMuigMAprtusxWENURQY1YAPur_NUd-vwHnJLGpasSkVocyc6cJmk7v_n1bU48H1xZIjDvTgRpaN2kVnIUv1x9i3-QklwYDEE5ebjFd_cW2jsmTGzGAG_xUOWA-n7G_VgF=s0-d "Arab film icon Faten Hamama dies at 83")
Egyptian actress Faten Hamama, an Arab film icon and ex-wife of actor Omar Sharif, died at the age of 83, her son Tarek Sharif announced.
Hamama who passed away on Saturday, was hospitalised weeks earlier due to illness but had returned home, Egypt's official news agency, MENA, reported.
"Egypt and the Arab world have lost a creative and artistic talent who enriched Egyptian art with her sophisticated performances," the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.
"The Lady of the Arabic screen," as she was known, suffered "a sudden health problem which led to her death," MENA reported.
Hamama was less than ten years old when she made her screen debut and appeared in almost 100 films and worked with masters of Egypt's massive film industry, including Youssef Chahine.
She often starred alongside her former husband Omar Sharif. Born a Christian, he converted to Islam to marry Hamama and described her as the only love of his life.
The couple appeared together in the 1961 film River of Love based on Leon Tolstoy'sAnna Karenina.
They divorced in 1974 when Omar Sharif, then already famous in his homeland, launched a career in Hollywood.
A figure of the golden age of Egyptian cinema, Hamama's career reached its pinnacle in the 1940s and 1950s.
She starred in romantic movies alongside the famed Arab crooner Abdel Halim Hafez as well as in films advocating women's rights and condemning social injustices.
Hamama also had a daughter, Nadia, from a first marriage and tied the knot for a third time with a doctor, Mohamed Abdel Wahab.
____________________________________________________
Faten Hamama (Arabic: فاتن حمامة, Fātan Ḥamāmah), 27 May 1931 – 17 January 2015) was an Egyptian film and television actress and producer.
She made her screen debut in 1939, when she was only seven years old. Her earliest roles were minor, but her activity and gradual success helped to establish her as a distinguished Egyptian actress. Eventually, and after many successful performances, she was able to achieve stardom. Revered as an icon in Egyptian and Middle Eastern cinema, Hamama substantially helped in improving the cinema industry in Egypt and emphasized the importance of women in cinema and Egyptian society.
After a seven-year hiatus from acting, Hamama returned in 2000 in what was a much anticipated television mini-series, Wajh al-Qamar (وجه القمر, Face of the Moon). In 2000, she was selected as Star of the Century by the Egyptian Writers and Critics organization. In 2007, eight of the films she starred in were included in the top 100 films in the history of Egyptian cinema by the cinema committee of the Supreme Council of Culture in Cairo.
Faten Hamama was born in 1931 to a Muslim lower middle class family in Mansoura, Egypt (according to her birth certificate), but she claimed to have been born in the Abdeen quarter of Cairo. Her father, Ahmed Hamama, worked as a clerk in the Egyptian Ministry of Education and her mother was a housewife. She had an older brother, Muneer, a younger sister, Layla, and a younger brother, Mazhar. Her aspiration for acting arose at an early age. Hamama was influenced by Assia Dagher as a child. When she was six years old, her father took her to the theater to see an Assia Dagher film; when the audience clapped for Assia, Faten told her father she felt they were clapping for her.
When Faten won a children's beauty pageant in Egypt, her father sent her picture to the director Mohammed Karim who was looking for a young female child to play the role of a small girl with the famous actor and musician Mohamed Abdel Wahab in the film Yawm Said (يوم سعيد, Happy Day, 1939). After an audition, Abdel Wahab decided that Faten was the one he was looking for. After her role in the film, people called her "Egypt's own Shirley Temple". The director liked her acting and was impressed with her so much that he signed a contract with her father. Four years later, she was chosen by Kareem for another role with Abdel Wahab in the film Rossassa Fel Qalb (رصاصة في القلب,Bullet in the Heart, 1944) and in another film two years later, Dunya (دنيا, Universe, 1946). After her success, Hamama moved with her parents to Cairo and started her study in the High Institute of Acting in 1946.
Youssef Wahbi, an Egyptian actor and director, recognized the young actress's talent so he offered her a lead role in the 1946 film Malak al-Rahma (ملاك الرحمة, Angel of Mercy). The film attracted widespread media attention, and Hamama, who was only 15 at the time, became famous for her melodramatic role. In 1949, Hamama had roles in three films with Wahbi: Kursi Al-I'etraf (كرسي الاعتراف, Chair of Confession), Al-Yateematain (اليتيمتين, The Two Orphans), and Sït Al-Bayt (ست البيت, Lady of the House). All were successful films.
The 1950s were the beginning of the golden age of the Egyptian cinema industry and Hamama was a big part of it. In 1952 she starred in the film Lak Yawm Ya Zalem (لك يوم يا ظالم, Your Day will Come) which was nominated at the Cannes Film Festival for the Prix International award. She also played lead roles in Yousef Shaheen's Baba Ameen(بابا أمين, Ameen, my Father, 1950) and Sira' Fi Al-Wadi (صراع في الوادي, Struggle in the Valley, 1954) which was a strong nominee in the 1954 Cannes Film Festival for the Prix International award. Hamama is also known for playing the lead role in the first Egyptian mystery film Manzel Raqam 13 (منزل رقم 13, House Number 13). In 1963, she received an award for her role in the political film La Waqt Lel Hob (لا وقت للحب, No Time for Love). Hamama was also able to make it to Hollywood; in 1963 she had a role in the crime film, Cairo.
In 1947, Hamama married actor/director Ezzel Dine Zulficar while filming the Abu Zayd al-Hilali (أبو زيد الهلالي) film. They started a production company which produced the film Maw'ed Ma' Al-Hayat (موعد مع الحياة, Date with Life) in which she starred. This particular film earned her the title of the "lady of the Arabic screen". She divorced Zulficar in 1954. One year later, she married Egyptian film star Omar Sharif. Hamama continued to act in films directed by her first husband.
In 1954, while filming a Youssef Chahine film, Struggle in the Valley, Hamama refused to have the Egyptian actor Shukry Sarhan as a co-star, and Chahine offered Omar Sharif the role. Omar had just graduated from college then and was working for his father; Hamama accepted him as her co-star. Hamama had never agreed to act any scene involving a kiss in her career, but she shockingly agreed to do so in this film. The two fell in love, and Sharif converted to Islam and married her. This marriage started a new era of Hamama's career as the couple made many films together. Sharif and Hamama were the romantic leads of Ayyamna Al-Holwa (أيامنا الحلوة, Our Sweet Days), Ardh Al-Salam (أرض السلام, Land of Peace), La Anam (لا أنام, Sleepless), and Sayyidat Al-Qasr (سيدة القصر, The Lady of the Palace). Their last film together, before their divorce, was Nahr Al-Hob (نهر الحب, The River of Love) in 1960.
Hamama left Egypt from 1966 to 1971 due to the harassment by Egyptian Intelligence. She had been a supporter of the 1952 Revolution, but later became an opponent of the Free Officers and their oppressive regime. Consequently, she was forbidden to travel or participate in film festivals. She was only able to leave Egypt after many controversial disputes.
While Hamama was away, then President Gamal Abdel Nasser asked famous writers, journalists and friends to try to convince her to return to Egypt. He called her a "national treasure" and had even awarded her an honorary decoration in 1965. However, she would not return until 1971, after Nasser's death.
Hamama played roles conveying messages of democracy. She often criticized the laws in Egypt in her films. In the 1972 film Imbarotiriyat Meem (إمبراطورية ميم, The Empire of M), Hamama presented a pro-democratic point of view and received an award from the Soviet Union of Women in the Moscow International Festival. Her most significant political film was Oridu Hallan (أريد حلاً, I Want a Solution). In this film, she criticized laws governing marriage and divorce in Egypt. After the film, the Egyptian government abrogated a law that forbade wives from divorcing their husbands, therefore allowing khul'.
Hamama played roles conveying messages of democracy. She often criticized the laws in Egypt in her films. In the 1972 film Imbarotiriyat Meem (إمبراطورية ميم, The Empire of M), Hamama presented a pro-democratic point of view and received an award from the Soviet Union of Women in the Moscow International Festival. Her most significant political film was Oridu Hallan (أريد حلاً, I Want a Solution). In this film, she criticized laws governing marriage and divorce in Egypt. After the film, the Egyptian government abrogated a law that forbade wives from divorcing their husbands, therefore allowing khul'.
As Hamama became older, her acting roles declined and she made fewer films compared to earlier in her career, but nevertheless the films she was able to make tended to be successful. She made her first television appearances in her late career. She starred in the TV mini-series Dameer Ablah Hikmat (ضمير أبلة حكمت, Mrs. Hikmat's Conscience).
After 1993, her career came to a halt. It was not until 2000 that she returned in the successful TV mini-series Wajh ِِal-Qamar which was broadcast on 23 TV channels in the Middle East. In this mini-series, Hamama portrayed and criticized many problems in Egyptian and Middle Eastern society. Despite some criticisms, the mini-series received much praise and acclaim. Hamama was awarded the Egyptian Best TV Actor of the Year and the mini-series won the Best TV Series Award in the Egyptian Radio and Television Festival.
Before the 1950s, Hamama had leading roles in 30 films, in which she often played the role of a weak, empathetic, poor girl. After the 1950s, Hamama was in search of her real identity and was trying to establish herself as a distinct figure. During this period, her choice of material and roles was somewhat limited. However, film producers soon capitalized on her popularity with audiences in local and Middle Eastern markets and she began to play realistic, strong women, such as in Sira' Fi Al-Wadi (صراع في الوادي,Struggle in the Valley, 1954) where she portrayed a rich man's daughter who, contrary to stereotype, was a realistic woman who helped and supported the poor. In the 1952 film Miss Fatmah (الأستاذة فاطمة), Hamama starred as a law student who believed women were as important as men in society.
In Imbratoriyat Meem (امبراطورية ميم, The Empire of M), she played the role of a widow who takes care of her large family and suffers hardship. Her most influential film was Oridu Hallan (أريد حلا, I Want a Solution) which criticized the laws of marriage and divorce in Egypt. A law in Egypt that forbade khul' ( خلع ) – a divorce initiated by the wife.
Most critics agree that Hamama's most challenging role was in the 1959 film Dua'e Al-Karawan (دعاء الكروان, The Nightingale's Prayer), which was chosen as one of the best Egyptian film productions. It is based on the novel by the same name by the prominent Egyptian writer Taha Hussein. In this film, Hamama played the role of Amnah, a young woman who seeks revenge from her uncle for the honor killing of her sister. After this film, Hamama carefully picked her roles. In 1960, she starred in the film Nahr Hob (نهر حب, Love River) which was based on Leo Tolstoy's well known novel Anna Karenina and in 1961, she played the lead role in the film La Tutf'e al-Shams (لا تطفئ الشمس, Don't Turn Off the Sun) based on the novel by Ihsan Abdel Quddous.
Faten Hamama died on January 17, 2015, aged 83 due to health problems. Her son Tarek Sharif did not state the exact cause of death.
Hamama met director Ezzel Dine Zulficar, while filming Abu Zayd al-Hilali (أبو زيد الهلالى) in 1947, fell in love and wed. The marriage lasted for seven years. They divorced in 1954. The two remained friends, and Hamama continued to star in his films after the divorce. They had one child, a daughter, Nadia Zulficar. In 1954, Hamama chose Omar Sharif to co-star with her in a film. In this film, she uncharacteristically agreed to a romantic scene involving a kiss. During the filming, they fell in love. Sharif converted to Islam and married her. The couple co-starred in many films. However, after nearly two decades together, the couple divorced in 1974; they had one son, Tarek Sharif.
Hamama later married Dr Mohamed Abdel Wahab Mahmoud, an Egyptian physician. They resided in Cairo until her death on January 17, 2015 following a short illness.
Throughout Hamama's career, she received numerous accolades for best actress, and was nominated for the Cannes Film Festival's Prix International for her role in 1950's Your Day Will Come. She received her first award in 1951 for her role in I'm the Past. The country's Ministry of Guidance also awarded her the title of Best Actress in both 1955 and 1961. These were followed by many different awards for best actress from various national and international events. International ones included special awards for acting at the first Tehran International Film Festival in 1972 for her role in The Thin Thread, and in 1977 for her role in Mouths and Rabbits. In 1973, she received the Special Award at the Moscow International Film Festival for her role in Empire M. Other international accolades include the Best Actress awards at the Jakarta Film Festival in 1963 for her role in The Open Door, and at the Carthage Film Festival in 1988 for her role in Bitter Days, Nice Days.
Hamama was also a recipient of the Lebanese Order of Merit in 1984 for her role in The Night of Fatma's Arrest. She was later presented lifetime achievement awards, including one at the Montpellier Mediterranean Film Festival in 1993, and another at the Dubai International Film Festival in 2009. In 2001, the Egyptian Writers and Critics Organization chose her as "Star of the Century" at the Alexandria International Film Festival, honoring her lengthy career in Egyptian cinema.
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Faten Hamama
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Faten Hamama فاتن حمامة | |
|---|---|
Hamama in 1950s
| |
| Born | Faten Ahmed Hamama 27 May 1931 Mansoura, Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt |
| Died | 17 January 2015 (aged 83) Cairo, Egypt |
| Occupation | actress, producer, production manager, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1940–2001 |
| Religion | Islam[1] |
| Spouse(s) | Ezzel Dine Zulficar (1947–54; divorced) Omar Sharif (1955–74; divorced) Mohamed Abdel Wahab Mahmoud[when?] |
| Children | 2 |
Faten Hamama (Arabic: فاتن حمامة, Fātan Ḥamāmah 
listen (help·info), 27 May 1931 – 17 January 2015) was an Egyptian film and television actress and producer.[2]
listen (help·info), 27 May 1931 – 17 January 2015) was an Egyptian film and television actress and producer.[2]
She made her screen debut in 1939, when she was only seven years old. Her earliest roles were minor, but her activity and gradual success helped to establish her as a distinguished Egyptian actress. Eventually, and after many successful performances, she was able to achieve stardom. Revered as an icon in Egyptian and Middle Eastern cinema, Hamama has substantially helped in improving the cinema industry in Egypt and emphasizing the importance of women in cinema and Egyptian society.[3]
After a seven-year hiatus from acting, Hamama returned in 2000 in what was a much anticipated television miniseries, Wajh al-Qamar (وجه القمر, Face of the Moon). In 2000, she was selected as Star of the Century by the Egyptian Writers and Critics organization. In 2007, eight of the films she starred in were included in the top 100 films in the history of Egyptian cinema by the cinema committee of the Supreme Council of Culture in Cairo.[4]
Contents
[hide]Early life and career[edit]
Faten Hamama was born in 1931[5] to a Muslim lower middle class family in Mansoura, Egypt (according to her birth certificate), but she claimed to have been born in the Abdeen quarter of Cairo.[6] Her father, Ahmed Hamama, worked as a clerk in the Egyptian Ministry of Education and her mother was a housewife. She has an older brother, Muneer, a younger sister, Layla, and a younger brother, Mazhar.[7] Her aspiration for acting arose at an early age. Hamama says she was influenced by Assia Dagher as a child. When she was six years old, her father took her to the theater to see an Assia Dagher film; when the audience clapped for Assia, she told her father she felt they were clapping for her.[6]
When she won a children's beauty pageant in Egypt, her father sent her picture to the director Mohammed Karim who was looking for a young female child to play the role of a small girl with the famous actor and musician Mohamed Abdel Wahab in the film Yawm Said (يوم سعيد, Happy Day, 1939). After an audition, Abdel Wahab decided she was the one he was looking for. After her role in the film, people called her "Egypt's own Shirley Temple".[8][9] The director liked her acting and was impressed with her so much that he signed a contract with her father. Four years later, she was chosen by Kareem for another role with Abdel Wahab in the film Rossassa Fel Qalb (رصاصة في القلب,Bullet in the Heart, 1944) and in another film two years later, Dunya (دنيا, Universe, 1946). After her success, Hamama moved with her parents to Cairo and started her study in the High Institute of Acting in 1946.[10]
Career[edit]
Youssef Wahbi, an Egyptian actor and director, recognised the young actress's talent so he offered her a lead role in the 1946 film Malak al-Rahma (ملاك الرحمة, Angel of Mercy). The film attracted widespread media attention, and Hamama, who was only 15 at the time, became famous for her melodramatic role. In 1949, Hamama had roles in three films with Wahbi: Kursi Al-I'etraf (كرسي الاعتراف, Chair of Confession), Al-Yateematain (اليتيمتين, The Two Orphans), and Sït Al-Bayt (ست البيت, Lady of the House). All were successful films.[11]
The 1950s were the beginning of the golden age of the Egyptian cinema industry and Hamama was a big part of it.[11] In 1952 she starred in the film Lak Yawm Ya Zalem (لك يوم يا ظالم, Your Day will Come) which was nominated in the Cannes Film Festival for the Prix International award. She also played lead roles in Yousef Shaheen's Baba Ameen(بابا أمين, Ameen, my Father, 1950) and Sira' Fi Al-Wadi (صراع في الوادي, Struggle in the Valley, 1954) which was a strong nominee in the 1954 Cannes Film Festival for the Prix International award. Hamama is also known for playing the lead role in the first Egyptian mystery film Manzel Raqam 13 (منزل رقم 13, House Number 13). In 1963, she received an award for her role in the political film La Waqt Lel Hob (لا وقت للحب, No Time for Love).[12] Hamama was also able to make it to Hollywood; in 1963 she had a role in the crime film, Cairo.[13]
In 1947, Hamama married actor/director Ezzel Dine Zulficar while filming the Abu Zayd al-Hilali (أبو زيد الهلالي) film. They started a production company which produced the film Maw'ed Ma' Al-Hayat (موعد مع الحياة, Date with Life) in which she starred. This particular film earned her the title of the "lady of the Arabic screen". She divorced al-Faqqar in 1954. One year later, she married Egyptian film star Omar Sharif. Hamama continued to act in films directed by her first husband.[7]
In 1954, while filming a Youssef Chahine film, Struggle in the Valley, Hamama refused to have the Egyptian actor Shukry Sarhan as a co-star, and Chahine offered Omar Sharif the role. Omar had just graduated from college then and was working for his father; Hamama accepted him as her co-star. Hamama had never agreed to act any scene involving a kiss in her career, but she shockingly accepted to do so in this film. The two fell in love, and Sharif converted to Islam and married her. This marriage started a new era of Hamama's career as the couple made many films together.[11] Sharif and Hamama were the romantic leads of Ayyamna Al-Holwa (أيامنا الحلوة, Our Sweet Days), Ardh Al-Salam (أرض السلام, Land of Peace), La Anam (لا أنام, Sleepless), and Sayyidat Al-Qasr (سيدة القصر, The Lady of the Palace). Their last film together, before their divorce, was Nahr Al-Hob (نهر الحب, The River of Love) in 1960.[14]
Controversy in the late 1960s[edit]
Hamama left Egypt from 1966 to 1971 due to the harassment by Egyptian Intelligence as she claims. She had been a supporter of the 1952 Revolution, but later became an opponent of the Free Officers and their oppressive regime.[6] She said they were "asking her to cooperate" but she apologized and refused. In consequence, she was forbidden to travel or participate in film festivals. She was only able to leave Egypt after many controversial disputes.
While she was away, then President Gamal Abdel Nasser asked famous writers, journalists and friends to try to convince her to return to Egypt. He called her a "national treasure"[15] and had even awarded her an honorary decoration in 1965. However, she would not return until 1971, after Nasser's death. She played roles conveying messages of democracy. She often criticized the laws in Egypt in her films. In the 1972 film Imbarotiriyat Meem (إمبراطورية ميم, The Empire of M), Hamama presented a prodemocratic point of view and received an award from the Soviet Union of Women in the Moscow International Festival. Her most significant film was Oridu Hallan (أريد حلاً, I Want a Solution). In this film, she criticized laws governing marriage and divorce in Egypt.[16] After the film, the Egyptian government abrogated a law that forbade wives from divorcing their husbands, therefore allowing khul'.[17][18]
Late career[edit]
As Hamama became older, her acting roles declined and she made fewer films compared to earlier in her career, but nevertheless her films were successful.[19] She made her first television appearances in her late career. She starred in the TV mini-series Dameer Ablah Hikmat (ضمير أبلة حكمت, Mrs. Hikmat's Conscience).[20]
After 1993, her career came to a halt. It was not until 2000 that she returned in the successful TV mini-series Wajh ِِal-Qamar which was broadcast on 23 TV channels in the Middle East. In this mini-series, Hamama portrayed and criticized many problems in Egyptian and Middle Eastern society.[21] Despite some criticisms, the mini-series received much praise and acclaim. Hamama was awarded the Egyptian Best TV Actor of the Year and the mini-series won the Best TV Series Award in the Egyptian Radio and Television Festival.[22] She entered history as the highest paid actress in an Egyptian television miniseries until 2006, when another actress was paid more.[23]
Before the 1950s, Hamama had leading roles in 30 films, in which she often played the role of a weak, empathetic, poor girl. After the 1950s, Hamama was in search of her real identity and was trying to establish herself as a distinct figure. During this period, her choice of material and roles was somewhat limited. However, film producers soon capitalised on her popularity with audiences in local and Middle Eastern markets and she began to play realistic, strong women, such as in Sira' Fi Al-Wadi (صراع في الوادي,Struggle in the Valley, 1954) where she portrayed a rich man's daughter who, contrary to stereotype, was a realistic woman who helped and supported the poor. In the 1952 film Miss Fatmah (الأستاذة فاطمة), Hamama starred as a law student who believed women were as important as men in society.[24]
In Imbratoriyat Meem (امبراطورية ميم, The Empire of M), she played the role of a widow who takes care of her large family and suffers hardship.[20] Her most influential film wasOridu Hallan (أريد حلا, I Want a Solution) which criticized the laws of marriage and divorce in Egypt.[16][18] A law in Egypt that forbade Khul' ( خلع ) – a divorce initiated by the wife – was annulled immediately afterwards.[17]
Most critics agree that Hamama's most challenging role was in the 1959 film Dua'e Al-Karawan (دعاء الكروان, The Nightingale's Prayer), which was chosen as one of the best Egyptian film productions. It is based on the novel by the same name by the prominent Egyptian writer Taha Hussein. In this film, Hamama played the role of Amnah, a young woman who seeks revenge from her uncle for the honor killing of her sister.[25] After this film, Hamama carefully picked her roles. In 1960, she starred in the film Nahr Hob (نهر حب, Love River) which was based on Leo Tolstoy's well known novel Anna Karenina and in 1961, she played the lead role in the film La Tutf'e al-Shams (لا تطفئ الشمس, Don't Turn Off the Sun) based on the novel by Ihsan Abdel Quddous.
Death and funeral[edit]
Faten Hamama died on January 17, 2015, aged 83 due to health problems. Her son Tarek Sharif did not state the exact cause of death.[26]
Tributes soon poured in from across the film industry following her death, as well as from government figures. Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who was on a visit abroad, mourned her death and sent an envoy to her funeral, while a statement from his office described her as a person of "high creative value". "She will remain a symbol of the genuine Egyptian art and commitment to its ethics," the statement added.[27][28] The Ministry of Culture ordered a two-day period of mourning and a halt in all artistic activity.[29] Secretary-General of the Arab League, Nabil el-Arabi, called her a "symbol of refined Egyptian and Arab art".[28] The country’s dailies gave her prominence in their front pages, with newspaper Al-Akhbar displaying "Farewell to the Lady of the Arabic Screen" as a headline.[27]
The funeral was attended by thousands of mourners who blocked traffic around the mosque where the ceremony was being held. The event was broadcast live on a private channel.[29] Attendees included Minister of Culture Gaber Asfour, former presidential candidate Amr Moussa, as well as several actors and actresses, but not Omar Sharif.[28] King Mohammed VI of Morocco assigned his country's ambassador in Cairo to attend the funeral.[30]
Marriages and children[edit]
She and director Ezzel Dine Zulficar, while filming Abu Zayd al-Hilali (أبو زيد الهلالى) in 1947, fell in love and wed. The marriage lasted for seven years. They divorced in 1954. Hamama has said that her love for Zulficar was little more than a student's admiration and love for a teacher.[6] The two remained friends, and Hamama continued to star in his films after the divorce. They had one child, a daughter, Nadia Zulficar. In 1954, Hamama chose Omar Sharif to co-star with her in a film. In this film, she uncharacteristically agreed to a romantic scene involving a kiss. During the filming, they fell in love. Sharif converted to Islam and married her. The couple co-starred in many films. However, after nearly two decades together, the couple divorced in 1974; they had one son, Tarek Sharif.[6]
Hamama later married Dr Mohamed Abdel Wahab Mahmoud, an Egyptian physician.[31] They resided in Cairo until her death on 17 January 2015 following a short illness.[32]
Awards, nominations and honours[edit]
Further information: List of Faten Hamama's awards and nominations
Throughout Hamama's career, she has received numerous accolades for best actress, and was nominated for the Cannes Film Festival’s Prix International for her role in 1950's Your Day Will Come.[33] She received her first award in 1951 for her role in I'm the Past, which was presented to her by different venues, including the Egyptian Catholic Center for Cinema. The country's Ministry of Guidance also awarded her the title of Best Actress in both 1955 and 1961. These were followed by many different awards for best actress from various national and international events.[34] International ones included special awards for acting at the firstTehran International Film Festival in 1972 for her role in The Thin Thread, and in 1977 for her role in Mouths and Rabbits.[35] In 1973, she received the Special Award at the Moscow International Film Festival for her role in Empire M. Other international accolades include the Best Actress awards at the Jakarta Film Festival in 1963 for her role in The Open Door,[34][36] and at the Carthage Film Festival in 1988 for her role in Bitter Days, Nice Days.[35]
Hamama was also a recipient of the Lebanese Order of Merit in 1984 for her role in The Night of Fatma's Arrest.[34] She was later presented lifetime achievement awards, including one at the Montpellier Mediterranean Film Festival in 1993, and another at the Dubai International Film Festival in 2009.[35] In 2001, the Egyptian Writers and Critics Organization chose her as "Star of the Century" at the Alexandria International Film Festival, honouring her lengthy career in Egyptian cinema.[37]
Hamama was also honoured on several other occasions. Some of those include:
- Decoration of Creativity of First Degree, from Lebanese Prime Minister Prince Khaled Chehab (1953)[38]
- Decoration of the Republic of First Degree for Art, from Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser (1965)[38]
- Decoration of the State of the First Order, from Egyptian President Anwar Sadat (1976)[38]
- Decoration of the Cedar, from Lebanese President Émile Lahoud (2001)[39]
- Decoration of Intellectual Competence, from King Mohammed VI of Morocco (2001)[39]
Selected filmography[edit]
Main article: Filmography of Faten Hamama
| Year | International Title | Arabic Title | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | Happy Day | Yawm Said, يوم سعيد | Aneesa |
| 1944 | Bullet in the Heart | Rossassa Fel Qalb, رصاصة في القلب | Najwah |
| 1946 | Angel of Mercy | Malak al-Rahma, ملاك الرحمة | Thoraya |
| 1947 | Abu Zayd al-Hilali | Abu Zayd al-Hilali, أبو زيد الهلالي | Caliph's daughter |
| 1948 | The Small Millionaire | Al-Millionairah al-Saghirah, المليونيرة الصغيرة | Pilot's girlfriend |
| Immortality | Khulood, خلود | Laila / Amal | |
| The Two Orphans | Al-Yateematain, اليتيمتين | Ne'mat | |
| Towards Glory | Nahwa al-Majd, نحو المجد | Suhair | |
| 1949 | Chair of Confession | Kursi al-I'tiraf, كرسي الاعتراف | Phileberta |
| Lady of the House | Sitt al-Bayt, ست البيت | Elham | |
| Every House Has a Man | Kul Bayt Lahu Rajel, كلّ بيت له راجل | Faten | |
| 1951 | Son of the Nile | Ibn al-Nile, ابن النيل | Zebaida |
| Your Day Will Come | Lak Yawm Ya Zalem, لك يوم يا ظالم | Ne'mat | |
| I'm The Past | Ana al-Madi, أنا الماضي | Elham's daughter | |
| 1952 | House Number 13 | Al-Manzel Raqam 13, المنزل رقم 13 | Nadia |
| Immortal Song | Lahn al-Kholood, لحن الخلود | Wafa' | |
| Miss Fatimah | Al-Ustazah Fatimah, الأستاذة فاطمة | Fatimah | |
| 1953 | A'isha | A'isha, عائشة | A'isha |
| Date with Life | Maw'ed Ma' al-Hayat, موعد مع الحياة | Amal | |
| 1954 | Pity My Tears | Irham Dmoo'i, ارحم دموعي | Amal |
| Traces in the Sand | Athar Fi al-Rimal, أثار في الرمال | Ragia | |
| The Unjust Angel | Al-Malak al-Zalem, الملاك الظالم | Nadia | |
| Always with You | Dayman Ma'ak, دائما معاك | Tefeeda | |
| Date with Happiness | Maw'ed Ma' al-Sa'adah, موعد مع السعادة | Ehsan / Amal | |
| Struggle in the Valley | Sira' Fi al-Wadi, صراع في الوادي | Amal | |
| 1955 | Our Beautiful Days | Ayyamna al-Holwa, أيامنا الحلوة | Hoda |
| Love and Tears | Hob Wa Dumoo'', حب و دموع | Fatimah | |
| 1956 | Love Date | Maw'ed Gharam, موعد غرام | Nawal |
| Struggle in the Pier | Sira' Fi al-Mina, صراع في الميناء | Hameedah | |
| 1957 | Road of Hope | Tareeq al-Amal, طريق الأمل | Faten |
| Land of Peace | Ard al-Salam, أرض السلام | Salma | |
| Sleepless | La Anam, لا أنام | Nadia Lotfy | |
| 1958 | The Barred Road | Al-Tareeq al-Masdood, الطريق المسدود | Fayza |
| The Virgin Wife | Al-Zawjah al-Azra', الزوجة العذراء | Mona | |
| Lady of the Castle | Sayyidat al-Qasr, سيدة القصر | Sawsan | |
| 1959 | Among the Ruins | Bayn al-Atlal, بين الأطلال | Mona |
| The Nightingale's Prayer | Doaa al-Karawan, دعاء الكروان | Amnah | |
| 1960 | River of Love | Nahr al-Hob, نهر الحب | Nawal |
| 1961 | I Will Not Confess | Lan A'tref, لن أعترف | Amal |
| Don't Set the Sun Off | La Tutf'e al-Shams, لا تطفئ الشمس | Layla | |
| 1962 | The Miracle[40] | Al-Mu'jiza, المعجزة | Layla |
| 1963 | Cairo (USA) | Cairo | Amina |
| No Time For Love[41] | La Waqt Lil Hob, لا وقت للحُب | Fawziyah | |
| The Open Door[34] | Al-Bab al-Maftooh, الباب المفتوح | Laila | |
| The Last Night | Al-Laylah al-Akheera, الليلة الأخيرة | Nadia / Fawziyah | |
| 1965 | The Sin | Al-Haram, الحرام | Azizah |
| Story of a Lifetime[42] | Hikayet al-'Omr Kolloh, حكاية العمر كلّه | Nadia | |
| The Confession[43] | Al-'Itriaf, الاعتراف | Nawal | |
| 1966 | Something in My Life[43] | Shai' Fi Hayati, شيء في حياتي | A'ida |
| 1970 | The Great Love[43] | Al-Hob al-Kabeer, الحب الكبير | Hanan |
| 1971 | The Thin Thread[43] | Al-Khayt al-Rfee, الخيط الرفيع | Mona |
| 1972 | M Empire | Imbratoriyat Meem, امبراطورية ميم | Mona |
| 1974 | My Love[43] | Habibati, حبيبتي | Samia |
| I Need a Solution | Oridu Hallan, أريدُ حلاً | Fawziyah | |
| 1977 | Mouths and Rabbits[43] | Afwah wa Araneb, أفواه و أرانب | Ne'mat |
| 1979 | No Condolences for Ladies[43] | Wa La 'Aza'a Lil Sayyidat, ولا عزاء للسيدات | Rawya |
| 1985 | The Night of Fatima's Arrest[43] | Laylat al-Qabd 'Ala Fatimah, ليلة القبض على فاطمة | Fatimah |
| 1988 | Sweet Days.. Bitter Days[43] | Yawm Mur Yawm Hilw, يوم مر.. يوم حلو | Aisha |
| 1993 | Land of Dreams[43] | Ard al-Ahlam, أرض الأحلام | Nargis |
Television[edit]
| Year | Title | Arabic | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Miss Hikmat's Conscience (mini-series)[44] | Dameer Ablah Hikmat, ضمير أبلة حكمت | Hikmat |
| 2000 | Face of the Moon (mini-series) | Wajh al-Qamar, وجه القمر | Ibtisam al-Bostany |
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t I’m going to do. I think of what I’m doing right now.”
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Omar Sharif (Arabic: عمر الشريـف, Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [ˈʕomɑɾˤ eʃʃɪˈɾiːf]; born Michel Demitri Chalhoub [miˈʃel dɪˈmitɾi ʃælˈhuːb]; 10 April 1932 – 10 July 2015) was an Egyptian actor. He began his career in his native country in the 1950s, but is best known for his appearances in both British and American productions. His films included Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965) and Funny Girl (1968). He was nominated for an Academy Award. He won three Golden Globe Awards and a César Award.
Sharif, who spoke Arabic, English, Greek, French, Spanish and Italian, was often cast as a foreigner of some sort. He bridled at travel restrictions imposed during the reign of Egypt's Gamal Abdel Nasser, leading to self-exile in Europe. The estrangement this caused led to an amicable divorce from his wife, the iconic Egyptian actress Faten Hamama, for whom he had converted to Islam. He was a lifelong gambler, and at one time ranked among the world's top contract bridge players.
Contents
[hide]Early life
Omar Sharif, whose surname means "noble"[5][6] or "nobleman"[7] in Arabic, was born on 10 April 1932,[8] as Michel Demitri Chalhoub[9] in Alexandria, Egypt,[10] to a Melkite Greek Catholicfamily of Lebanese descent.[11] His father, Joseph Chalhoub, a precious woods merchant originally from Zahle, moved to Egypt in the early 20th century, particularly Alexandria, where Omar Sharif was born,[12] his family moved to Cairo when he was four.[13] His mother, Claire Saada, was a noted society hostess, and Egypt's King Farouk was a regular visitor until he was deposed in 1952.[14]
In his youth, Sharif studied at Victoria College, Alexandria, where he showed a talent for languages. He later graduated from Cairo University with a degree in mathematics and physics.[15] He then worked for a while in his father's precious wood business before studying acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.[14][15] In 1955, Sharif changed his name and converted toIslam in order to marry[15][16] fellow Egyptian actress Faten Hamama.[17][18]
Acting career
In 1954, Sharif began his acting career in his native Egypt with a role in Shaytan Al-Sahra ("Devil of the Desert"). In the same year he appeared in Sira` Fi al-Wadi ("Struggle in the Valley"). He quickly rose to stardom, appearing in Egyptian productions, including La Anam ("Sleepless") in 1958, Sayyidat al-Qasr ("Lady of the Palace") in 1959 and the Anna Karenina adaptation Nahr el hub ("The River of Love") in 1961. He also starred with his wife, Egyptian actress Faten Hamama, in several movies as romantic leads.[19]
Sharif's first English-language role was that of Sharif Ali in David Lean's historical epic Lawrence of Arabia in 1962.[20] This performance earned him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination and aGolden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture, as well as a shared Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor.[21][22] Casting Sharif in what is now considered one of the "most demanding supporting roles in Hollywood history", was both complex and risky, as he was virtually unknown at the time outside of Egypt. However, notes historian Steven Charles Caton, Lean insisted on using ethnic actors when possible to make the film authentic.[23]:56 Sharif would later use his ambiguous ethnicity in other films which enhanced his career: "I spoke French, Greek, Italian, Spanish and even Arabic", he said.[24]...with an accent that enabled me to play the role of a foreigner without anyone knowing exactly where I came from, something that has proved highly successful throughout my career."[23]:56
Over the next few years, Sharif co-starred in other films, including Behold a Pale Horse (1964). Director Fred Zinnemann said he chose Sharif partly on the suggestion of David Lean. "He said he was an absolutely marvelous actor,'If you possibly can take a look at him.'"[25] Film historian Richard Schickel wrote that Sharif gave a "truly wonderful performance", especially noteworthy because of his totally different role in Lawrence of Arabia: "It is hard to believe that the priest and the sheik are played by the same man".[26] Sharif also played a Yugoslav wartime patriot in The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964), the Mongolian conqueror in Genghis Khan (1965), a German military officer in The Night of the Generals (1967), Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria in Mayerling (1968) and Che Guevara in Che! (1969).
In 1965, Sharif reunited with Lean in order to play the title role in the epic love story Doctor Zhivago (1965), an adaptation of Boris Pasternak's 1957 novel, which was banned in the USSR for 30 years.[27][28] Set during World War I and the Russian Revolution, Sharif played the role of Yuri Zhivago, a poet and physician. Film historian Constantine Santas explained that Lean intended the film to be a poetic portrayal of the period, with large vistas of landscapes combined with a powerful score by Maurice Jarre. He notes that Sharif's role is "passive", his eyes reflecting "reality" which then become "the mirror of reality we ourselves see".[29] In a commentary on the DVD (2001 edition), Sharif described Lean's style of directing as similar to a general commanding an army.[29]:xxviii For his performance, he won theGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama,[30] while the film received ten Academy Award nominations, but Sharif was not nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor.[31]
Sharif was also acclaimed for his portrayal of Nicky Arnstein in Funny Girl (1968). He portrayed the husband of Fanny Brice, played by Barbra Streisand in her first film role. His decision to work alongside Streisand angered Egypt's government, because of her support for Israel during the Six Day War, however, and the country condemned the film. It was also "immediately banned" in numerous Arab nations.[32]:48 Streisand herself jokingly responded, "You think Cairo was upset? You should've seen the letter I got from my Aunt Rose!".[33] Sharif and Streisand became romantically involved during the filming.[32]:18 He admitted later that he did not find Streisand attractive at first, but her appeal soon overwhelmed him: "About a week from the moment I met her", he recalled, "I was madly in love with her. I thought she was the most gorgeous girl I'd ever seen in my life...I found her physically beautiful, and I started lusting after this woman."[32]:48[34] Sharif reprised the role in the film's sequel, Funny Lady in 1975.[35]
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Among Sharif's other films were the western Mackenna's Gold (1969), playing an outlaw opposite Gregory Peck; the thriller Juggernaut (1974), which co-starred Richard Harris, and the romantic drama The Tamarind Seed (1974), co-starring Julie Andrews, and directed by Blake Edwards. Sharif also contributed comic cameo performances in Edwards' The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976) and in the 1984 spy-film spoof Top Secret! In 2003, he received acclaim for his leading role in Monsieur Ibrahim, a French-language film adaptation of the novel Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran, as a Muslim Turkish merchant who becomes a father figure for a Jewish boy.[36][37] For this performance, Sharif received the César Award for Best Actor.[38] Sharif's later film roles included performances in Hidalgo (2004) and Rock the Casbah (2013).
Contract bridge career
Sharif once ranked among the world's top 50 contract bridge players, and played in an exhibition match before the Shah of Iran.[39] With Charles Goren, Sharif co-wrote a syndicated newspaper bridge column for the Chicago Tribune[40] for several years, but mostly turned over the writing of the column to Tannah Hirsch. He was also both author and co-author of several books on bridge and licensed his name to a bridge video game; initially released in a MS-DOS version and Amiga version in 1992, Omar Sharif on Bridge is still sold in Windows and mobile platform versions.[41] Computer Gaming World in 1992 described the game as "easy to get into, challenging to play and well-designed",[42] and named it one of the year's best strategy games.[43] In 1993 the magazine stated that "it does not play a very good game of bridge", however, and criticized it for inadequate documentation and forcing players to conform to its bidding style. The magazine recommended two other bridge games instead.[44]
Sharif was a regular in casinos in France.[45]
Personal life
Family and personal relationships
Sharif lived in his native Egypt from his birth in 1932 until he moved to Europe in 1965.[46] He recounted that in 1932, his father "wasn't a wealthy man", but "earned quite a bit of money".[47] Before theEgyptian Revolution of 1952, King Farouk frequented Sharif's family home, and became a friend and card-game partner of Sharif's mother. His mother was an elegant and charming hostess who was all too delighted with the association because it gave her the privilege of "consorting only with the elite" of Egyptian society. Sharif also recounted that his father's timber business was very successful during that time, in ways that Sharif describes as dishonest or immoral.[48] By contrast, after 1952, Sharif stated that wealth changed hands in Egypt, under Nasser's nationalisation policies.[49] His father's business "took a beating".
In 1954 Sharif starred in the film Struggle in the Valley opposite Faten Hamama, who shared a kiss with him, although she had previously refused to kiss on screen.[50] The two fell in love; Sharif converted to Islam and married her.[51] They had one son, Tarek El-Sharif, born in 1957 in Egypt, who appeared in Doctor Zhivago as Yuri at the age of eight. The couple separated in 1966 and the marriage ended in 1974.[52] Sharif never remarried; he stated that since his divorce, he had never fallen in love with another woman.[52]
The Nasser government imposed travel restrictions in the form of "exit visas", so Sharif's travel to take part in international films was sometimes impeded, which he could not tolerate. These travel restrictions[52] influenced Sharif's decision to remain in Europe between his film shoots, a decision that cost him his marriage to Faten Hamama, though they remained friends. It was a major crossroads in Sharif's life and changed him from an established family man to a lifelong bachelor living in European hotels. When commenting about his fame and life in Hollywood, Sharif said, "It gave me glory, but it gave me loneliness also. And a lot of missing my own land, my own people and my own country".[52] When Sharif's affair with Barbra Streisand was made public in the Egyptian press, his Egyptian citizenship was almost withdrawn by the Egyptian Government because of Streisand's vocal support of Israel, which was then in a state of war with Egypt.[53]
Sharif became friends with Peter O'Toole during the making of Lawrence of Arabia. They appeared in several other films together and remained close friends. He was also good friends with Egyptologist Zahi Hawass. Actor and friend Tom Courtenay revealed in an interview for the 19 July 2008 edition of BBC Radio's Test Match Special that Sharif supported Hull City Association Football Club and in the 1970s he would telephone their automated scoreline from his home in Paris for score updates. Sharif was given an honorary degree by the University of Hull in 2010 and he used the occasion to meet Hull City football player Ken Wagstaff.[54] Sharif also had an interest in horse racing spanning more than 50 years. He had a long friendship with racehorse trainer David Smaga and Sharif was often seen at French racecourses, with Deauville-La Touques Racecourse being his favourite. Sharif's horses won a number of important races and he had his best successes with Don Bosco, who won the Prix Gontaut-Biron, Prix Perth and Prix du Muguet. He also wrote for a French horse racing magazine.[55]
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In later life, Sharif lived mostly in Cairo with his family.[52] In addition to his son, he had two grandsons, Omar (born 1983 in Montreal) and Karim.[52] Omar Sharif, Jr. is also an actor.[56]
Illness and death
In May 2015 it was reported that Sharif was suffering from Alzheimer's disease.[57] His son Tarek El-Sharif said that his father was becoming confused when remembering some of the biggest films of his career; he would mix up the names of his best-known films, Doctor Zhivago and Lawrence of Arabia, often forgetting where they were filmed.[58]
On 10 July 2015, less than six months after Hamama's death at the same age, Sharif died after suffering a heart attack at a hospital in Cairo, Egypt.[59] He was 83.
On 12 July 2015, Sharif's funeral was held at the Grand Mosque of Mushir Tantawi in eastern Cairo. The funeral was attended by a group of Sharif's relatives, friends and Egyptian actors, his casket draped in the Egyptian flag and a black shroud.[60]
Awards
In November 2005, Sharif was awarded the inaugural[61] Sergei Eisenstein Medal by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in recognition of his significant contributions to world film and cultural diversity. The medal, which is awarded very infrequently, is named after Russian director Sergei Eisenstein. Only 25 have been struck, as determined by the agreement between UNESCO, Russia's Mosfilm and the Vivat Foundation.[62]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Shaytan al-Sahra[63] | Known as Devil of the Sahara | |
| 1954 | Sira` Fi al-Wadi | Ahmed | Also known as The Blazing Sun or Struggle in the Valley or Fight in the Valley |
| 1955 | Ayyamna al-Holwa | Ahmed | Also known as Our Best Days |
| 1956 | Sira` Fi al-Mina | Ragab | Also known as A Fight Within the Port |
| 1957 | Ard al-Salam | Ahmed | Known as Land of Peace |
| 1957 | La Châtelaine du Liban | Mokrir | Also known as The Lebanese Mission; credited as Omar Cherif |
| 1958 | La Anam | Aziz | Also known as Sleepless and No Tomorrow |
| Goha | Goha | Credited as Omar Cherif | |
| 1959 | Sayyidat al-Qasr | Adel | Lady of the Palace |
| Siraa fil Nil[64] | Muhassab | Struggle on the Nile | |
| 1960 | Bidaya wa Nihaya | Hassanien | Also known as A Beginning and an End |
| Hobi al-Wahid | My Only Love | ||
| Esha'a hob | Hussein | A Rumor of Love | |
| Nahr al-Hob | Khalid | The River of Love | |
| 1961 | Fi Baytouna Ragoul[64] | Ibrahim | Also known as في بيتنا رجل A Man in our House |
| 1962 | Lawrence of Arabia | Sherif Ali | Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor Nominated – Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| 1964 | The Fall of the Roman Empire | Sohamus | |
| Behold a Pale Horse | Francisco | ||
| The Yellow Rolls-Royce | Davich | ||
| 1965 | Genghis Khan | Genghis Khan | |
| Marco the Magnificent | Sheik Alla Hou, 'The Desert Wind' | ||
| Doctor Zhivago | Dr. Zhivago (Yuri) | Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama | |
| 1966 | The Poppy Is Also a Flower | Dr. Rad | |
| 1967 | The Night of the Generals | Major Grau | |
| More Than a Miracle | Prince Rodrigo Fernandez | ||
| 1968 | Funny Girl | Nick Arnstein | |
| Mayerling | Archduke Rudolf | ||
| 1969 | Mackenna's Gold | Colorado | |
| The Appointment | Frenderico Fendi | ||
| Che! | Che Guevara | ||
| 1970 | The Last Valley | Vogel | |
| 1971 | The Horsemen | Uraz | |
| The Burglars | Abel Zacharia | simultaneously shot in French as Le Casse with the same cast | |
| 1974 | The Tamarind Seed | Feodor Sverdlov | |
| Juggernaut | Captain Alex Brunel | ||
| 1975 | Funny Lady | Nicky Arnstein | |
| 1976 | Ace Up My Sleeve | Andre Ferren | also known as Crime and Passion |
| The Pink Panther Strikes Again | Egyptian assassin | uncredited cameo | |
| 1979 | Ashanti: Land of No Mercy | Prince Hassan | |
| Bloodline | Ivo Palazzi | ||
| 1980 | S*H*E[65] | Baron Cesare Magnasco | S*H*E: Security Hazards Expert |
| The Baltimore Bullet | The Deacon | ||
| Oh! Heavenly Dog | Bart | ||
| 1981 | Green Ice | Meno Argenti | |
| Inchon | Indian officer | uncredited cameo | |
| 1984 | Top Secret! | Agent Cedric | |
| 1987 | Grand Larceny | Rashid Saud | |
| 1988 | The Possessed | Stepan | Les Possédés |
| Les Pyramides bleues[66] | Alex | The Novice | |
| 1989 | Al-aragoz [67] | Mohamed Gad El Kareem | The Puppeteer |
| 1990 | The Rainbow Thief | Dima | |
| 1991 | War in the Land of Egypt | Known as El Mowaten Masri or An Egyptian Citizen | |
| 1992 | Beyond Justice | Emir Beni-Zair | |
| Mayrig | Hagop | ||
| 588 rue paradis | Hagop | Mother | |
| 1993 | Dehk we le'b we gad we hob[64] | Laughter, Games, Seriousness and Love | |
| 1997 | Heaven Before I Die | Khalil Gibran | |
| 1998 | Mysteries of Egypt | Grandfather | Documentary |
| 1999 | The 13th Warrior | Melchisideck | |
| 2001 | The Parole Officer | Victor | |
| 2003 | Monsieur Ibrahim | Monsieur Ibrahim | César Award for Best Actor |
| 2004 | Hidalgo | Sheikh Riyadh | |
| 2006 | One Night with the King | Prince Memucan | |
| 2008 | Hassan & Marcus | Hassan/Morcus | Hassan wa Morcus |
| 10,000 BC | Narrator | Voice only | |
| 2009 | The Traveller | Older Hassan | Commonly known as Al Mosafer |
| J'ai oublié de te dire[68] | Jaume | I forgot to Tell You | |
| 2013 | Rock the Casbah | Moulay Hassan | |
| 2015 | 1001 Inventions and the World of Ibn Al-Haytham | Grandfather/Narrator | Voice; final film role[4] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | The Mysterious Island | Captain Nemo | TV miniseries; also known as L'Ile Mysterieuse |
| 1984 | The Far Pavilions | Koda Dad | TV miniseries, based on The Far Pavilions |
| 1986 | Peter the Great | Prince Feodor Romodanovsky | TV miniseries |
| Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna | Czar Nicholas II | TV miniseries | |
| 1991 | Memories of Midnight | Constantin Demiris | TV movie |
| 1992 | Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris | Marquis Hippolite | TV Movie |
| 1995 | Catherine the Great | Razumovsky | TV movie |
| 1996 | Gulliver's Travels | The Sorcerer | TV movie |
| 2001 | Shaka Zulu: The Citadel | The King | TV movie |
| 2005 | Imperium: Saint Peter | Saint Peter | TV movie |
| 2006 | The Ten Commandments | Jethro | TV miniseries |
| 2007 | Hanan W Haneen | Raouf | Egyptian TV series,also known as Tenderness and Nostalgia |
| 2008 | The Last Templar | Konstantine | TV series |
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Omar Sharif, original name Michael Demitri Shalhoub, Michael also spelledMichel, Shalhoub also spelled Chalhoub (born April 10, 1932, Alexandria, Egypt—died July 10, 2015, Cairo), Egyptian actor of international acclaim, known for his dashing good looks and for iconic roles in such films as Lawrence of Arabia(1962) and Doctor Zhivago (1965).
Shalhoub was born in Alexandria, the only son of a prosperous lumber merchant. When he was four years old, he moved with his family to Cairo, where he attended English schools. With early aspirations of being an actor, Shalhoub participated in theatre productions in secondary school. At the urging of his father, he worked for the family’s lumber business after graduating. In 1953 his acting dreams were realized when he was cast opposite Egyptian star Faten Hamama in Siraa fil-wadi (1954; “Struggle in the Valley”). He began his acting career using a pseudonym, which went through several variations and eventually was rendered consistently in English as Omar Sharif. Sharif went on to star in several more films with Hamama, whom he married in 1955 (the couple divorced in 1974).
Sharif quickly rose to stardom in his native Egypt, appearing in more than 20 films before garnering international acclaim as Sherif Ali in David Lean’s epicLawrence of Arabia. His portrayal of the loyal Arab chief earned him an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor. Following this breakthrough role, Sharif was much in demand to play a variety of characters, including a Spanish priest in Behold a Pale Horse (1964) and the Mongolian conqueror inGenghis Khan (1965). Among Sharif’s most famous roles is the title character in Doctor Zhivago, Lean’s adaptation of Boris Pasternak’s novel of the same name. Starring opposite Julie Christie, Sharif portrayed a poet-doctor in the middle of a love triangle. He later was cast as a German military man inThe Night of the Generals (1967), Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria in Mayerling (1968), and revolutionaryChe Guevara in Che! (1969). Sharif was also well known for his portrayal of Nick Arnstein, husband toBarbra Streisand’s Fanny Brice in Funny Girl (1968); he reprised the role of Arnstein in the film’s sequel,Funny Lady (1975).
Sharif continued to appear both on-screen and on television into the 21st century, though he appeared in few notable roles after the mid-1970s. Instead, he devoted much of his time to the card game bridge, releasing books, videos, and video games on the subject. Beginning in the 1970s, Sharif published a syndicated column about bridge. He also wrote an autobiography, L’Éternel Masculin (1976; The Eternal Male), with Marie-Thérèse Guinchard.
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Omar Sharif, original name Michael Demitri Shalhoub, Michael also spelled Michel, Shalhoub also spelled Chalhoub (b. April 10, 1932, Alexandria, Egypt - d. July 10, 2015, Cairo, Egypt), was an Egyptian actor of international acclaim, known for his dashing good looks and for iconic roles in such films as Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Doctor Zhivago (1965).
Shalhoub was born in Alexandria, the only son of a prosperous lumber merchant. When he was four years old, he moved with his family to Cairo, where he attended English schools. With early aspirations of being an actor, Shalhoub participated in theater productions in secondary school. At the urging of his father, he worked for the family’s lumber business after graduating. In 1953 his acting dreams were realized when he was cast opposite Egyptian star Faten Hamama in Siraa fil-wadi (1954; “Struggle in the Valley”). He began his acting career using a pseudonym, which went through several variations and eventually was rendered consistently in English as Omar Sharif. Sharif went on to star in several more films with Hamama, whom he married in 1955 (the couple divorced in 1974).
Shalhoub was born in Alexandria, the only son of a prosperous lumber merchant. When he was four years old, he moved with his family to Cairo, where he attended English schools. With early aspirations of being an actor, Shalhoub participated in theater productions in secondary school. At the urging of his father, he worked for the family’s lumber business after graduating. In 1953 his acting dreams were realized when he was cast opposite Egyptian star Faten Hamama in Siraa fil-wadi (1954; “Struggle in the Valley”). He began his acting career using a pseudonym, which went through several variations and eventually was rendered consistently in English as Omar Sharif. Sharif went on to star in several more films with Hamama, whom he married in 1955 (the couple divorced in 1974).
Sharif quickly rose to stardom in his native Egypt, appearing in more than 20 films before garnering international acclaim as Sherif Ali in David Lean's epic Lawrence of Arabia. His portrayal of the loyal Arab chief earned him an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor. Following this breakthrough role, Sharif was much in demand to play a variety of characters, including a Spanish priest in Behold a Pale Horse (1964) and the Mongolian conqueror in Genghis Khan (1965). Among Sharif’s most famous roles is the title character in Doctor Zhivago, Lean’s adaptation of Boris Pasternak's novel of the same name. Starring opposite Julie Christie, Sharif portrayed a poet-doctor in the middle of a love triangle. He later was cast as a German military man in The Night of the Generals (1967), Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria in Mayerling (1968), and the revolutionary Che Guevara in Che! (1969). Sharif was also well known for his portrayal of Nick Arnstein, husband to Barbra Streisand's Fanny Brice in Funny Girl (1968); he reprised the role of Arnstein in the film’s sequel, Funny Lady (1975).
Sharif continued to appear both on-screen and on television into the 21st century, though he appeared in few notable roles after the mid-1970s. Instead, he devoted much of his time to the card game bridge, releasing books, videos, and video games on the subject. Beginning in the 1970s, Sharif published a syndicated column about bridge. He also wrote an autobiography, L’Éternel Masculin (1976; The Eternal Male), with Marie-Thérèse Guinchard.
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