Egyptian actor Omar Sharif gestures in this Sept. 10, 2009, file photo, taken during the photo call at the 66th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy. Legendary Lawrence of Arabia actor Sharif is battling Alzheimers disease, his agent confirmed on Monday, May 25, 2015. His son, Tarek Sharif, revealed the diagnosis in an interview with Spanish newspaper El Mundo on May 23. AP
LOS ANGELES, United States — Legendary “Lawrence of Arabia” actor Omar Sharif is battling Alzheimer’s disease, his agent Steve Kenis confirmed to The Associated Press on Monday.
No additional details were provided about the 83-year-old or his care. His son, Tarek Sharif, revealed the diagnosis in an interview with Spanish newspaper El Mundo on May 23.
The Egyptian-born Sharif rose to international stardom with his role in the 1962 epic “Lawrence of Arabia”— Sharif’s first English-language film. He earned an Oscar nomination for his turn as Sherif Ali in David Lean’s iconic film opposite Peter O’Toole.
Sharif followed the breakthrough performance with the title role in Lean’s “Doctor Zhivago,” co-starring Julie Christie. He then played Fanny Brice’s husband, Nicky Arnstein, in “Funny Girl” alongside Barbra Streisand.
His last completed feature film credits were in 2013.