Born into a wealthy Lebanese-Egyptian family, Omar Sharif was a math and physics major at Cairo's Victory College. He worked briefly in his father's lumber business before pursuing an acting career. Entering movies in 1953 as Omar El-Sharif, the young actor's popularity zoomed when he married popular Egyptian star Faten Hamama (the marriage ended in 1974). Well established in his native country, Sharif made his English-language film debut (with one of the longest and most impressive "delayed entrances" ever filmed) as Sherif Ali Ibn El Karish in David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia (1962). Sharif's next film for Lean, Doctor Zhivago (1965), launched the "superstar" phase of the actor's career. When he was cast as Nicky Arnstein opposite Barbra Streisand's Fanny Brice in Funny Girl (1968), Sharif's films were banned in his native Egypt because he made love to a Jewish woman onscreen. As Sharif's starring career began its slow downward slide in the mid-'70s, he began devoting more and more time to his one great passion in life: bridge. Today Sharif is best known in card-playing circles as that famous bridge expert who happens to show up in movies from time to time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide.

Actor - filmography                                                         
(2000s) (1990s) (1980s) (1970s) (1960s) (1950s)

1. Hidalgo (2003)
2. Momo (2003)
3. Return of the Thief of Baghdad (2002)
4. "Shaka Zulu: The Citadel" (2001) (mini) TV Series
5. Parole Officer, The (2001) .... Victor
6. 13th Warrior, The (1999) .... Melchisidek
   ... aka Thirteenth Warrior, The (1999)
7. Mysteries of Egypt (1998) .... Grandfather
   ... aka Egypt (1998) (USA: short title)
8. Heaven Before I Die (1997) .... Khalil Gibran
9. Lebanon... Imprisoned Splendour (1996) .... Himself
10. Umm Kulthum (1996) (voice) .... Narrator
    ... aka Umm Kulthum: A Voice Like Egypt (1996)
11. Gulliver's Travels (1996) (TV) .... The Sorcerer
12. Katharina die Große (1995) (TV) .... Razumovsky
    ... aka Catherine the Great (1995) (TV)
13. Lie Down with Lions (1994) (TV) .... Safar Khan
    ... aka Red Eagle (1994) (TV)
14. "Mayrig" (1993) (mini) TV Series .... Hagop
15. Bridge Deluxe with Omar Sharif (1993) (VG)
16. Dehk, we leab we gad we hob (1993)
17. Beyond Justice (1992) .... Emir
    ... aka Desert Law (1992) (UK: video title)
18. Tengoku no Taizai (1992) .... Tsai Mang Hua
    ... aka Heavenly Sin (1992)
19. Mrs. 'arris Goes to Paris (1992) (TV) .... Marquis Hippolite
20. 588 rue paradis (1992) .... Hagop
21. Aragoz, al- (1991) .... Mohamed Gad El Kareem
    ... aka Puppeteer, The (1991) (USA)
22. Mayrig (1991) .... Hagop
    ... aka Mother (1991)
23. Moaten al Myssri, al- (1991)
    ... aka War in the Land of Egypt (1991)
24. "Memories of Midnight" (1991) (mini) TV Series .... Constantin Demiris
    ... aka "Sidney Sheldon's Memories of Midnight" (1991) (mini) (USA: complete title)
25. American Film Institute Salute to David Lean, The (1990) (TV) .... Himself
26. Rainbow Thief, The (1990) .... Dima
27. Viaggio d'amore (1990) .... Rico
    ... aka Journey of Love (1990)
28. Mountains of the Moon (1990) (uncredited)
29. Roi de Patagonie, Le (1990) (TV) .... Le consul d'Aninot
    ... aka Moi, Antoine de Tounens, roi de Patagonie (1990) (TV) (France)
30. "Principe del deserto, Il" (1989) (mini) TV Series
    ... aka "Maktub la legge del deserto" (1989) (mini) (Italy: rerun title)
31. Quattro piccole donne (1989) (TV)
32. Keys to Freedom (1988)
    ... aka Death Dealers (1988)
33. Possédés, Les (1988) .... Stepan
    ... aka Possessed, The (1988)
34. Pyramides bleues, Les (1988) .... Alex
    ... aka Novice, The (1988)
    ... aka Paradise Calling (1988) (Europe: English title: dubbed version)
35. Grand Larceny (1987) .... Rashid Saud
36. Martingale, La (1987)
37. Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna (1986) (TV) .... Czar Nicholas II
38. Harem (1986) (TV) .... Sultan Hassan
39. "Peter the Great" (1986) (mini) TV Series .... Prince Feodor Romodanovsky
40. Top Secret! (1984) .... Agent Cedric
41. "Far Pavilions, The" (1984) (mini) TV Series .... Koda Dad
    ... aka "Blade of Steel" (1984) (mini)
    ... aka "Palast der Winde" (1984) (mini) (West Germany)
42. Green Ice (1981) .... Meno Argenti
43. Oh, Heavenly Dog! (1980) .... Bart
44. Pleasure Palace (1980) (TV) .... Louie Lefevre
45. Baltimore Bullet, The (1980) .... The Deacon
46. S*H*E (1980) (TV) .... Baron Cesare Magnasco
47. Bloodline (1979) .... Ivo Palazzi
    ... aka Blutspur (1979) (West Germany)
    ... aka Sidney Sheldon's Bloodline (1979)
48. Ashanti (1979) .... Prince Hassan
    ... aka Ashanti, Land of No Mercy (1979)
49. Mysteries of the Great Pyramid (1978) (TV) .... Host
50. Pink Panther Strikes Again, The (1976) (uncredited) .... Egyptian Assassin (cameo)
51. Ace Up My Sleeve (1975) .... Andre Ferren
    ... aka Crime and Passion (1975) (USA)
    ... aka Frankensteins Spukschloك (1976) (West Germany)
52. Funny Girl to Funny Lady (1975) (TV) (archive footage) .... Nick Arnstein
53. Funny Lady (1975) .... Nicky Arnstein
54. Juggernaut (1974) .... Captain Brunel
55. Tamarind Seed, The (1974) .... Feodor Sverdlov
56. Isla misteriosa y el capitán Nemo, La (1973) .... Captain Nemo
    ... aka Isla misteriosa, La (1973)
    ... aka Isola misteriosa e il Capitano Nemo, L' (1973)
    ... aka Jules Verne's Mysterious Island of Captain Nemo (1973)
    ... aka Jules Verne's Mysterious Island of Dr. Nemo (1973)
    ... aka Mysterious Island of Captain Nemo, The (1973)
    ... aka Mysterious Island, The (1973) (USA)
    ... aka خle mystérieuse, L' (1973)
57. Droit d'aimer, Le (1972) .... Pierre
    ... aka Brainwashed (1972)
    ... aka Diritto d'amare, Il (1972) (Italy)
    ... aka Right to Love, The (1972)
58. Casse, Le (1971) .... Abel Zacharia
    ... aka Burglars, The (1972) (USA)
    ... aka Scassinatori, Gli (1971) (Italy)
59. Horsemen, The (1971) .... Uraz
60. Festival Game, The (1970)
61. Last Valley, The (1970) .... Vogel
62. Appointment, The (1969) .... Federico Fendi
63. Che! (1969) .... Che Guevara
64. Mackenna's Gold (1969) .... Colorado
65. Sophia: A Self-Portrait (1968) (TV) .... Himself
66. Vienna: The Years Remembered (1968) (uncredited) .... Himself
67. Mayerling (1968) .... Archduke Rudolph
68. Funny Girl (1968) .... Nick Arnstein
69. C'era una volta (1967) .... Prince
    ... aka Belle et le cavalier, La (1967) (France)
    ... aka Cinderella: Italian Style (1967)
    ... aka More Than a Miracle (1967) (USA)
70. Night of the Generals, The (1966) .... Major Grau, Intellegence
    ... aka Nuit des généraux, La (1966) (France)
71. Poppies Are Also Flowers (1966) .... Dr. Rad
    ... aka Danger Grows Wild (1966) (UK)
    ... aka Opium Connection, The (1966)
    ... aka Poppy Is Also a Flower, The (1966) (USA)
72. Marco the Magnificent (1965) .... Emir Alaou
    ... aka Fabuleuse aventure de Marco Polo, La (1965) (France)
    ... aka Marco the Magnificent (1965) (UK) (USA)
    ... aka Marko Polo (1965) (Yugoslavia: Serbian title)
    ... aka Meravigliose avventure di Marco Polo, Le (1965) (Italy)
    ... aka Scacchiere di Dio, Lo (1965) (Italy)
73. Moscow In Madrid (1965) (uncredited) .... Himself
74. Pasternak (1965) (uncredited) .... Himself
75. Zhivago: Behind the Camera with David Lean (1965) (uncredited) .... Himself
76. Doctor Zhivago (1965) .... Yuri Zhivago
77. Genghis Khan (1965) .... Genghis Khan
    ... aka Dschingis Khan (1965) (West Germany)
    ... aka Dzingis-Kan (1965)
78. Yellow Rolls-Royce, The (1964) .... Davich (Yugoslavia)
79. Behold a Pale Horse (1964) .... Francisco
    ... aka Et vint le jour de la vengeance (1964) (France)
80. Fall of the Roman Empire, The (1964) .... Sohamus
81. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) .... Sherif Ali Ibn El Kharish
82. Bidaya wa nihaya (1960)
    ... aka Beginning and the End, The (1960)
    ... aka Dead Among the Living (1960)
83. Maweed maa maghoul (1959) (as Omar El-Cherif)
84. Goha (1959) .... Goha
85. Siraa Fil-Mina (1956)
    ... aka Dark Waters (1956)
86. Châtelaine du Liban, La (1956) .... Mokrir
    ... aka Castellana del Libano, La (1956) (Italy)
    ... aka Desert Detour (1956) (USA: TV title)
    ... aka Lebanese Mission, The (1956) (USA)
87. Shaytan al-Sahra (1954)
    ... aka Desert Devil (1954)
88. Siraa Fil-Wadi (1953)
    ... aka Blazing Sky, The (1953)
    ... aka Blazing Sun, The (1953)