How one on-screen kiss rekindled feelings and fame destroyed happiness: Omar Sharif and Faten Hamama

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Omar Sharif woke up famous right after the release of David Lean's film Lawrence of Arabia. This film brought world fame to the Egyptian actor and opened the way to the world of big cinema. True, the richer and more popular Omar Sharif became, the more unhappy he seemed to be. He had everything: the respect of colleagues and directors, the attention of the most beautiful women, money and adoration of the audience. But his marriage to the Egyptian actress Faten Hamama, for the sake of marrying whom Sharif converted to Islam, was destroyed.

Love affair at work

His parents gave him the name Michel Demitri Shalhub, and by the time he started acting in films, the actor's father, a Lebanese emigrant who was involved in the supply of cedar wood to Cairo, had lost all his fortune.

Michel Schalhoub graduated from the prestigious British College of Victoria in Alexandria and spoke English, French and Italian. Then he entered the Cairo University. Some sources claim that he received a degree in physics and mathematics, but information can be found that he had to leave his studies in his third year, during the Egyptian revolution. It was then that the authorities introduced high taxes, and the father's business ceased to exist.

A friend of the family, director Jozef ahin invited Michel to try his hand at cinema. One of the first works of the future Oscar nominee was the role of Ahmad, a graduate of the Agricultural Institute in the film Fight in the Valley. For some unclear reason, the leading actress Faten Hamama categorically refused to act alongside the famous Egyptian actor Shukri Sarkhan. The actress was already well known in the country, and the director considered her opinion to be very important. He suggested trying Michel Sharif. His candidacy did not raise any objections from Faten, and the group began filming.

According to the plot of the picture, the childhood friendship of the heroes Michel and Faten develops into love. In the film, they kissed for the first time and, it seems, it was at that moment that a spark ran between the young people, which soon kindled a real bonfire of love. But Faten was already married to director Ezel Din Zulfikara and raised her daughter Nadia.

Michel Shalhub decided to talk to her beloved husband. He did not object to the divorce, he only set one condition: Faten will continue to appear in his films. The former spouses parted as friends and maintained a good relationship for life.

The relatives of the actresses, having learned about the upcoming marriage of Faten, demanded that her future husband convert to Islam. He was born and raised in a Catholic family, but for the sake of his beloved he was ready for anything. During the adoption of Islam, the young actor received a new name - Omar Sharif, which he himself thought was more suitable for a career in cinema.

Shattered happiness

Omar Sharif and Faten Hamama were very happy. They starred in films together, raised their son and hoped to live together all their lives. True, Egyptian cinema could not boast of high budgets, so the family of famous actors lived quite modestly. And then Omar was incredibly lucky: British director David Lin drew attention to him.

He was going to shoot a picture about Thomas Lawrence and could not decide on a candidate for the role of Sheriff Ali Ibn El Harish. Omar Sharif was among those who were selected by the studio agents for filming in the background and in extras. Seeing Sharif, who was chosen by the assistants for the role of Thomas Lawrence's guide, the director immediately realized that an actor for the role of the sheriff had been found.

The shooting took place in rather harsh desert conditions, but Omar Sharif was not more oppressed by this. He never parted with his wife and son for so long. The filming of "Lawrence of Arabia" lasted two years and all this time he was far from home and loved ones.

The film immediately after its release became a real hit, the audience was enthusiastic about it and praised by critics. The actors instantly became famous. Truly world words fell upon the ordinary Egyptian actor. The film was nominated for ten Oscars, and Lawrence of Arabia won seven nominations. True, Omar Sharif did not get the coveted statuette, but he received the Golden Globe, and with it a lot of proposals from famous directors.

The actor began filming in Europe and America, but his wife remained at home all this time, filmed with Egyptian directors and was not going to move to another country. The attention of the audience and the press was riveted to her husband every day, she also remained a bright star of Egyptian cinema.

Omar Sharif constantly starred, rarely saw his family, and then the media began to attribute to him novels with actresses who worked with him. Time after time, his photographs with famous beauties began to appear in newspapers and magazines.

Of course, this did not at all contribute to the strengthening of the family, and in 1966 the couple put an end to the relationship, and officially dissolved the marriage only in 1974. According to the actor, they parted quite calmly and the reason for the divorce was the inability to live together. Faten starred a lot in Egypt, while Omar was building a career in Europe and America.

Faten Hamama later remarried to an Egyptian doctor and lived in Cairo until the end of her days. Omar Sharif never married again, although he had vivid romances and unforgettable meetings in his life. But it was impossible to replace the one that he loved in his youth. However, much later he will say that fame was never able to relieve him of loneliness and make him happy.

They died just six months apart: Faten Hamama left on January 17, 2015, and Omar Sharif died on July 10. At the end of his life, the famous actor was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and the cause of his death was a heart attack.

One of those who sympathized with Omar Sharif was a great actress, singer, composer, director, producer and just a beautiful woman Barbra Streisand. While everyone was gossiping about her small eyes and big nose, she won the hearts of the most beautiful men in Hollywood, but she was lucky to meet her other half only after 55 years.