Omar Sharif Weighs In
Actor Omar Sharif, 78, most famous for his roles in Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, and Funny Girl, said this in response to the events in Egypt:
"The president should have resigned," Sharif told France Inter radio from his home in Cairo. "Given that the entire Egyptian people don't want him and he's been in power for 30 years that's enough. ...
"The president hasn't improved the standard of living of Egyptians. There are some people that are very rich -- maybe 1 percent -- and the rest are all poor trying to find food ...
"I don't want the Muslim brotherhood," Sharif said. "They were trapped and now are starting to come out. They have 20 percent of the population and it's frightening for me."
According to this article, Sharif, who was born in Alexandria, grew up Christian but later converted to Islam.
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Jul '10
Re: Omar Sharif Weighs In
"The president should have resigned," Sharif told France Inter radio from his home in Cairo. "Given that the entire Egyptian people don't want him and he's been in power for 30 years that's enough. ...
I could say the same thing about half of the United States Senate.
Edited on Jan 31, 2011 at 12:09pmSep '10
Re: Omar Sharif Weighs In
So in other words, Sharif don't like it.
Dec '10
Re: Omar Sharif Weighs In
Omar Sharif took a lot of heat back home in Egypt in the 1960s for agreeing to star in Funny Girl opposite a Jewess. So he's used to speaking his mind in the face of criticism.
That, and he is one of the world's best bridge players. (Not that his card playing has anything to do with Mubarak's fall.)
Dec '10
Re: Omar Sharif Weighs In
And yesterday the jets flew over the minarets....
May '10
Re: Omar Sharif Weighs In
I like his acting. Out of curiosity, are there any other Egyptian actors who are famous in the West?
Shohreh Aghdashloo is another good actor from that general region, but I can't recall many others off the top of my head.
Re: Omar Sharif Weighs In
Aaron Miller: I like his acting. Out of curiosity, are there any other Egyptian actors who are famous in the West?
Shohreh Aghdashloo is another good actor from that general region, but I can't recall many others off the top of my head. · Jan 31 at 1:33pm
I was curious about this, myself.
Jul '10
Re: Omar Sharif Weighs In
Aaron Miller: I like his acting. Out of curiosity, are there any other Egyptian actors who are famous in the West?
Shohreh Aghdashloo is another good actor from that general region, but I can't recall many others off the top of my head. · Jan 31 at 1:33pm
No. Arab actors are shut out from action movies, because all the terrorists in those are played by Teutonic types.
Remember how Tom Clancy's Sum of All Fears, about Muslim terrorists with a nuclear weapon, morphed into Neo-Nazis with a nuke when it hit the silver screen?
Edited on Jan 31, 2011 at 1:52pmDec '10
Re: Omar Sharif Weighs In
It's not easy being an Egyptian actor working outside Egypt. You never know when you might have a career-ending role opposite an Israeli actor.
Egyptian actor accused of "normalization with Israel"
In the Middle East, Even Movie Actors Must Play Politics
Jun '10
Re: Omar Sharif Weighs In
Actually there are many Arab and/or Muslim actors that are playing prominent parts in film today. One is Alexander Siddiq (full name: Siddig El Tahir El Fadil El Siddig Abderrahman Mohammed Ahmed Abdel Karim El Mahdi) a Sudanese-born actor and nephew of former Sudanese Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi.
Siddiq has appeared in Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven (one of my favorite films) as well as Clash of the Titans, Syriana, Reign of Fire, Vertical Limit, and numerous episodes of 24, etc.
Also, Ghassan Massoud (born September 20, 1958 in Damascus) is a Syrian actor who played Saladin in Kingdom of Heaven and also Captain Ammand in Pirates of the Caribbean, At World's End.
Of course, with Omar Sharif having done two of the most iconic roles in film history, Zhivago and Lawrence's friend Sherif Ali it may be difficult but not impossible for another Arab or Muslim actor to rise to such international prominence. David Lean gave Sharif perhaps the most memorable screen entrance - as a long protracted mirage emerging out of the desert. Hard to beat that.
Jun '10
Re: Omar Sharif Weighs In
Kenneth
Aaron Miller: I like his acting. Out of curiosity, are there any other Egyptian actors who are famous in the West?
Shohreh Aghdashloo is another good actor from that general region, but I can't recall many others off the top of my head. · Jan 31 at 1:33pm
No. Arab actors are shut out from action movies, because all the terrorists in those are played by Teutonic types.
Remember how Tom Clancy's Sum of All Fears, about Muslim terrorists with a nuclear weapon, morphed into Neo-Nazis with a nuke when it hit the silver screen? · Jan 31 at 1:49pm
Edited on Jan 31 at 01:52 pm
The tampering of Clancy's book to create a more PC-film version is precisely why I sought it out and bought it. The only other Clancy book I've read was Hunt For Red October. The Sum of All Fears now awaits to be cracked open.
Re: Omar Sharif Weighs In
Okay, it only took me about 6 hours to get this, but it's hilarious.
May '10
Re: Omar Sharif Weighs In
Brian Watt: Actually there are many Arab and/or Muslim actors that are playing prominent parts in film today. One is Alexander Siddiq (full name: Siddig El Tahir El Fadil El Siddig Abderrahman Mohammed Ahmed Abdel Karim El Mahdi) a Sudanese-born actor and nephew of former Sudanese Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi.
Siddiq has appeared in Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven (one of my favorite films) as well as Clash of the Titans, Syriana, Reign of Fire, Vertical Limit, and numerous episodes of 24, etc.
And Trekkies will remember him as the adorable Dr Julian Bashir from Deep Space Nine.