--- description: Sharif was already a star in his native country when his breakout role in Lawrence of Arabia catapulted him to Hollywood fame title: Why Google Is Celebrating Egyptian Actor Omar Sharif image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9740b11ad7c52161/69892d36e76ad20c45631a3d/omar-sharifs-86th-birthday-google-doodle.gif?branch=production&width=1440&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Today Would Have Been Omar Sharif's 86th Birthday. Here's What to Know About the Acclaimed Egyptian Actor by [Laignee Barron](/author/laignee-barron/) ## Laignee Barron Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 10, 2018 6:27 AM CUT  Google honored actor Omar Sharif's 86th birthday with a doodle. Google honored actor Omar Sharif's 86th birthday with a doodle.Google Doodle by [Laignee Barron](/author/laignee-barron/) ## Laignee Barron Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 10, 2018 6:27 AM CUT He was Egypt’s most prominent actor, and one of the fist performers from the Arab world to rule the silver screen. On Tuesday, Google honored what would have been Omar Sharif’s 86th birthday with a [Doodle](https://www.google.com/doodles/omar-sharifs-86th-birthday "undefined"). Sharif was [already a star](http://time.com/3952867/omar-sharif-1963/?iid=sr-link5 "undefined") in his native country, having appeared in more than a dozen movies, when his breakout role in _Lawrence of Arabia_ [catapulted him to Hollywood fame](http://time.com/3952867/omar-sharif-1963/ "undefined"). In one of cinema’s most dramatic entrances, he emerged like a mirage from the horizon, galloping into the frame on a camel to meet Peter O’Toole. Sharif’s raffish looks and onscreen charisma quickly earned him leading roles, including the titular part in _Doctor Zhivago_, which earned him an Oscar nomination. Born Michel Demitri Chalhoub in Alexandria in 1932, Sharif was the son of well-off Lebanese-Syrian Christians. He studied mathematics and physics at Cairo University and learned to speak five languages fluently. After graduation, he briefly worked at his father’s lumber company before pursuing a film career. In one of his first roles, Sharif starred alongside Egyptian actress Faten Hamama, who he [married](https://www.reuters.com/article/egypt-omarsharif/update-1-actor-omar-sharif-star-of-doctor-zhivago-dies-egyptian-state-tv-idUSL8N0ZQ2ZN20150710 "undefined") later the following year after converting to Islam. After _Lawrence_ in 1962, “Sharif expanded his orbit from Egyptian matinee idol to international heartthrob,” Google says. ### Take A Look Back At Some of Omar Sharif's Most Memorable Roles  Omar Sharif stars as Sherif Ali in Lawrence of Arabia, 1962. Columbia Pictures/Getty Images  Omar Sharif plays the titular role of Gengis Khan in Gengis Khan, 1965. Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images  Omar Sharif stars as Doctor Yuri Zhivago in Doctor Zhivago, 1965. Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images  Omar Sharif as Prince Rodrigo Fernandez on the set of the movie More Than a Miracle, 1967. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images  Omar Sharif and Barbra Streisand star in the romantic comedy Funny Girl, 1968. Mondadori/Getty Images  Omar Sharif stars as Crown Prince Rudolf in Mayerling, 1968. Mondadori/Getty Images  Omar Sharif stars as Che Guevara in Che!, 1969. Mondadori/Getty Images  Omar Sharif and Julie Andrews starred together in the romantic drama The Tamarind Seed, 1974. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images  James Coburn, left, and Omar Sharif starred together in The Baltimore Bullet, 1980. Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images  Omar Sharif, right, plays Melchisidek in The 13th Warrior, 1999. Buena Vista He racked up roles as the exotic leading man, such as the King of Armenia in _The Fall of the Roman Empire_ (1964), the Mongolian conquerer in _Genghis Khan_ (1965), a German officer in _The Night of the Generals_ (1967) and a big-time gambler in _Funny Girl_ (1968). Over the course of his career, Sharif won three Golden Globes. Off-screen, he was also known as a world-class [chess player](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jul/10/omar-sharif "undefined") and a contract bridge player. After his divorce in 1974, he never remarried. Reflecting on his life’s work in a [2007 interview,](https://www.reuters.com/article/egypt-omarsharif/update-1-actor-omar-sharif-star-of-doctor-zhivago-dies-egyptian-state-tv-idUSL8N0ZQ2ZN20150710 "undefined") Sharif said, “It gave me glory, but it gave me loneliness also.” He [died of a heart attack](http://time.com/3952796/omar-sharif-dead/ "undefined") in 2015 at his home in Cairo, Egypt at the age of 83. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5234256/omar-sharif-google-doodle/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5234256/omar-sharif-google-doodle/"},"headline":"Today Would Have Been Omar Sharif's 86th Birthday. 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