Already weakened by Alzheimer's disease, Omar Sharif died of a heart attack Wednesday in Cairo. He was an immensely talented actor, a great bridge player and above all, passionate about racing.
Born in 1932 in Alexandria, Egypt, Sharif started his career working in the precious wood business alongside his father. Later, he left for London to study acting. His name is forever linked to Lawrence of Arabia, where he played the role of desert prince Ali Ibn Kharish. He earned a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1963, and a nomination for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in the same year. He found a new international success with Doctor Zhivago. He had a great passion for racing.
His line in a commercial for Tierce Magazine, “Racing, you know, it's my greatest passion,” became a cult sensation. He lived that passion every day.
His friend, trainer David Smaga was very emotional about his passing.
“He was a great man, a worldwide star, but above all, he was my friend,” he explained. “He knew me as a child in Egypt and we always stayed in touch. He had horses with me, but our relationship was about more than that.”
Recently, the pink and black colors of this lover of Deauville flew aboard Don Bosco (Fr) (Barathea {Ire}), winner of the G3 Prix Gontaut-Biron and Lixirova (Fr) (Linamix {Fr}), winner of the G3 Prix Miesque. –courtesy Jour de Galop
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