He was the dashing Egyptian actor who set hearts racing in classics like ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ and ‘Doctor Zhivago’. But Omar Sharif had a secret passion that eventually overshadowed his film career: bridge.
The handsome star, who died in 2015 at the age of 83, was one of the world’s best known contract bridge players and founded the Omar Sharif Bridge Circus, a team of experts that toured the world and played against celebrities, royals and even the Shah of Iran.
Sharif’s love for the card game was so strong that he once said: “The real question is why I spend so much time making movies when I could be playing bridge.”
But what made him turn his back on Hollywood and devote himself to bridge? According to some sources, it was his role in ‘The 13th Warrior’, a 1999 flop that made his grandchildren laugh at him.
Sharif played an Arab ambassador in the Viking-themed adventure, which was based on a novel by Michael Crichton and starred Antonio Banderas. The film was a critical and commercial disaster, costing $160 million to make and earning only $61 million at the box office.
Sharif later said that he hated the film and felt ashamed of his performance. He told The Times in 2004: “It is a film so bad that it is not even worth exploring.”
He added: “I made 103 films in my life and this is the only one I am ashamed of. My grandchildren laughed when they saw me in it. I did it because I needed the money.”
Sharif, who was born in Alexandria, Egypt, to a Melkite Greek Catholic family of Lebanese descent, had a long and illustrious career that spanned more than 50 years. He began his acting career in his native country in the 1950s, where he met and married his first and only wife, Faten Hamama, a popular Egyptian actress.
He rose to international fame after playing Sherif Ali in David Lean’s epic ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ in 1962, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actor. He reunited with Lean for the title role in ‘Doctor Zhivago’ in 1965, earning him a Golden Globe for best actor.
He continued to play romantic leads and historical figures in films like ‘Funny Girl’ (1968), ‘Genghis Khan’ (1965) and ‘Che!’ (1969). He also appeared in several French and Italian productions, as well as some TV movies and series.
He was praised by his co-stars and directors for his charm and versatility. Barbra Streisand, who played his love interest in ‘Funny Girl’, said: “He was a citizen of the world.” David Lean said: “He was one of the few actors who could do everything: he could do comedy, he could do drama, he could do romantic leads.”
But Sharif’s passion for bridge never faded. He wrote books and newspaper columns on the game, hosted TV shows and computer software, and competed in international tournaments. He was also known for his lavish lifestyle and gambling habits, which often landed him in debt.
He once said: “Acting is my profession; bridge is my passion.”
Sharif had a close friendship with fellow bridge enthusiast James Bond author Ian Fleming, who once wrote him into one of his novels as a villain. Sharif also played bridge with legendary figures like Charlie Chaplin, Omar Khayyam and Fidel Castro.
He even had a special clause in his film contracts that allowed him to take time off to play bridge. He once missed a day of filming on ‘Funny Girl’ because he was playing bridge with Howard Hughes.
Sharif’s last film appearance was in ‘Rock the Casbah’ (2013), a Moroccan-French comedy-drama. He died of a heart attack in Cairo in 2015, after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for several years.
He is survived by his son Tarek and his grandson Omar Sharif Jr., who is also an actor.