“Lawrence of Arabia” star Omar Sharif battling Alzheimer’s disease

PanARMENIAN.Net - The actor Omar Sharif has Alzheimer’s disease, his agent Steve Kenis confirmed to the Associated Press, The Guardian reports.

No additional details were provided about the 83-year-old or his care. His son, Tarek Sharif, revealed the diagnosis in an interview with Spanish newspaper El Mundo on 23 May.

The Egyptian-born Sharif rose to international stardom with his role in the 1962 epic Lawrence of Arabia – his first English-language film. He earned an Oscar nomination for his turn as Sherif Ali in David Lean’s iconic film, opposite Peter O’Toole in the title role.

Sharif followed the breakthrough performance with the title role in Lean’s Doctor Zhivago, co-starring Julie Christie. He then played Fanny Brice’s husband, Nicky Arnstein, in Funny Girl alongside Barbara Streisand.

His last completed feature film credits were in 2013.