In his youth, Sharif studied at Victoria College, Alexandria, where he showed a talent for languages. His mother, Claire Saada, was a noted society hostess, in whose house Egypt's King Farouk was a regular visitor prior to his deposition in 1952. His family moved to Cairo when he was four. His father, Yusef Chalhoub, a precious-woods merchant, moved to the port city of Alexandria with his mother in the early 20th century from Zahle. He adopted the surname Sharif, meaning ' noble' or 'nobleman' in Arabic, after converting to Islam in the 1950s.

Sharif was born Michel Yusef Dimitri Chalhoub ( Arabic: ميشيل يوسف ديمتري شلهوب ) in Alexandria, Kingdom of Egypt (now Arab Republic of Egypt), to a Melkite Greek Catholic family of Lebanese descent, making him and his family members of the Antiochian Greek Christian minority (also known as Rūm). He was one of only 25 grantees of UNESCO's Sergei Eisenstein Medal, in recognition of his significant contributions to world film and cultural diversity. He was the recipient of high civil honors from multiple countries, including the Egyptian Order of Merit and the French Legion of Honour. He was a lifelong horse racing enthusiast, and at one time ranked among the world's top contract bridge players. He bridled at travel restrictions imposed by the government of Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser, leading to self-exile in Europe.

Sharif spoke five languages: Arabic, English, French, Italian and Spanish. He made his final film appearance in 2015, the year of his death. His acting career continued well into old age, with a well-received turn as a Muslim Turkish immigrant in the French film Monsieur Ibrahim (2003). He continued to play romantic leads, in films like Funny Girl (1968) and The Tamarind Seed (1974), and historical figures like the eponymous characters in Genghis Khan (1965) and Che! (1969). Sharif played opposite Peter O'Toole as Sherif Ali in the David Lean epic Lawrence of Arabia (1962), which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and portrayed the title role in Lean's Doctor Zhivago (1965), earning him the Golden Globe for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama. His career encompassed over 100 films spanning 50 years, and brought him many accolades including three Golden Globe Awards and a César Award for Best Actor. He began his career in his native country in the 1950s, but is best known for his appearances in American, British, French, and Italian productions. Omar Sharif ( Arabic: عمر الشريف Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: born Michel Yusef Dimitri Chalhoub, 10 April 1932 – 10 July 2015) was an Egyptian actor, generally regarded as one of his country's greatest male film stars.

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