Legendary Hollywood actor Omar Sharif, 83, was laid to rest today after a funeral service at the Mushir Tantawi mosque in Cairo. The international leading man was a global heart throb to millions of women for more than half a century.
The actor died Friday of a heart attack in Cairo after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. His remains were to be interred at the El Sayeda Nafisa cemetery in southern Cairo, according to Sameh El Soreity, a board member of the Egyptian Actors Syndicate.
Sharif, fluent in six languages, was the winner of two Golden Globe awards, and was an Oscar nominee for his role as Sherif Ali in the 1962 epic “Lawrence of Arabia.” He is best known for that film and for his role in “Doctor Zhivago,” although he spent decades in TV and films, starring in numerous others.
Sharif died just six months after the death in Cairo of his ex-wife, Faten Hamama, an iconic Egyptian movie actress known to the nation as the “Lady of the Arabic Screen.” The couple divorced in 1974 when Sharif began his career in Hollywood after an initial success in Egypt. They are survived by their son, Tareq.