A dashing, soulful, Egyptian-born romantic lead, Sharif is best-known for his roles as the romantic "Dr. Zhivago" (1965) and as Nicky Arnstein, Fanny Brice's con-man husband in "Funny Girl" (1968). After several years of working for his father's successful lumber company, Sharif made his film debut in the Egyptian-made "Sina Fil Wadi/The Blazing Sun" (1954), co-starring future wife Faten Hamama. Almost overnight, he became an Egyptian matinee idol, starring in a total of 22 films from 1954-1961, often co-starring with his wife. These comedies, romances and adventures were not seen outside the Middle East, but the darkly handsome, mustachioed and multilingual actor eventually caught the eye of the rest of the world.
It took director David Lean, who cast Sharif as the lead's best friend in the epic "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962), to catapult the actor to international success. His role as an Arab chieftain earned him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination and an American film contract. After finishing up some Egyptian commitments, he played various ethnic types: a Spaniard in "Behold a Pale Horse" (1964), an Armenian in "The Fall of the Roman Empire" (1964) and a Yugoslavian in "The Yellow Rolls-Royce" (1964). After playing "Genghis Khan" (1965) in a multinational production, he got his real star-making part, as the soulful, love-crossed "Doctor Zhivago" in David Lean's popular epic of the Russian Revolution, based on the Pasternak novel.
His next major hit was "Funny Girl", in which he was appealing if miscast as Nicky Arnstein, Fanny Brice's second husband. He finished out the 60s in style, for the most part, with the high-budgeted "Mayering" (1968) as the suicidal Crown Prince Rudolf, Sidney Lumet's romantic mystery "The Appointment" (1969), the title role in the disastrous "Che!" (also 1969) and the hit Western "McKenna's Gold" (1969).
But Sharif's vogue seemed to pass with the 70s, or perhaps there were only so many foreign leading man roles available. Still, he made eleven films in the decade in almost as many countries. His American releases included John Frankenheimer's "The Horsemen" (1971) and the thriller "Bloodline" (1979). In Britain, Sharif appeared in two Blake Edwards' films, "The Tamarind Seed" (1974), opposite Julie Andrews, and "The Pink Panther Strikes Again" (1976), as well as the adventure "Ashanti" (1979). His latter-day film work has taken him to France ("Les Possedes," 1987), Italy ("Viaggio d'Amore," 1990), Egypt ("Al Moaten al Myssri," 1991) and Japan ("Tengoku No Taizai," 1992). Back in the US, Sharif had a supporting role in the raucous comedy "Top Secret!" (1984).
Television has been kinder to Sharif in later years. He made his TV-movie debut in the earnest, all-star "The Poppy Is Also a Flower" (ABC, 1968), about international drug trading, and has remained active in that medium. Some longforms have provided him with excellent roles, better showcases than he had gotten on the big screen. He was a professional gambler in "The Pleasure Palace" (CBS, 1980), Ben Cross' Indian mentor in "The Far Pavilions" (HBO, 1984), a Turkish sultan in "Harem" (ABC, 1986), a Russian Prince in "Peter the Great" (NBC, 1986), a romantic Frenchman in the comedy "Mrs. 'arris Goes to Paris" (CBS, 1992) and a sorcerer in the superb adaptation of Swift's "Gulliver's Travels" (NBC, 1996).
Sharif is also a professional bridge player who has authored books and a newspaper column on the subject, as well as representing Egypt in the 1964 Olympic bridge competition.