He often took his grandson along to racetracks, allowing him to bet small amounts in order to feel the excitement of having his horse win. Sharif loved horse races, casinos, and the nightlife. According to Sharif Junior, his grandfather brushed off the affair claiming it was only lust, but the young Sharif says he knows his grandfather loved Streisand by the way he always spoke of her, especially in his later years.Īccording to Sharif Junior, Funny Girl is his grandfather’s favorite movie because one could see the real Omar Sharif in his portrayal of Arnstein. Streisand was Jewish and openly pro-Israel, causing outrage in Egypt. Based on Brice and Arnstein’s real life marriage, the movie was banned in some Arab nations due to Sharif and Streisand’s off-screen romance during filming. In 1968 Sharif played Nicky Arnstein opposite Barbra Streisand’s Fanny Brice in Columbia Pictures’ Funny Girl. When asked if his grandmother knew of these tales, young Sharif replied that he never discussed it with her but said his grandfather’s promiscuity was probably a factor in their divorce in 1974.
Sharif Junior grew up hearing stories of champagne filled bathtubs and rowdy visits to bars in Beirut. During the film’s shooting in the desert of Jordan, the actors were pampered by Lean who, although both actors were married, flew in beautiful young women to share in their off-screen antics. His dark good looks brought him to the attention of director David Lean, who cast him opposite O’Toole in Sharif’s first American film. The marriage produced one son, Tarek Sharif, Omar Junior’s father. In 1955 he married Egyptian actress Faten Hamama after converting to Islam and changed his name to Omar al-Sharif. He earned a mathematics degree from Cairo University and worked in his family’s lumber business until he began acting in Egypt in 1954, first appearing in Siraa Fil-Wadi. His parents, Joseph Shalhoub and Claire Saada Shalhoub raised him as a Roman Catholic in the city of Cairo.
The elder Sharif was born in Alexandria, Egypt in 1932 as Michel Demetri Shalhoub. From years of listening to the two actors reminisce about their experiences, Sharif Junior learned a little more about his grandfather’s sex life than he really wanted to know. In an interview with Sharif’s grandson, Omar Sharif Junior, young Sharif shared stories about the antics of the two during filming.
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