Actor Omar Sharif has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, his agent confirmed. The actor is best known for his performances in Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago.
His agent, Steve Kenis, told the Associated Press about the diagnosis on Monday. His son, Tarek Sharif, had told the Spanish newspaper El Mundo about the diagnosis over the weekend. No further details about his condition were revealed.
Sharif, 83, was born in Egypt and was introduced to American audiences by David Lean in Lawrence of Arabia. The 1962 epic, which won the Best Picture Oscar for that year, earned him his sole Oscar nomination. Lean cast him in the title role for his next epic, 1965’s Doctor Zhivago. He appeared in several other Hollywood epics throughout the ‘60s, including Funny Girl with Barbra Streisand.
Sharif continued to appear in films through 2013, with his last appearance coming in the 2013 French/Moroccan film Rock the Casbah.
image courtesy of Walter McBride/INFphoto.com