Omar Sharif honoured by Google Doodle

Today would have been the star's 86th birthday

The Google doodle today pays tribute to Omar Sharif - with April 10 the late Egyptian actor's birthday.
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Egyptian actor Omar Sharif died in 2015 at the age of 83, but his place in global cinematic history is set in stone.

Today, on what would have been his 86th birthday, the Dr Zhivago actor is the star of the 'Google Doodle' - the illustrated gif, created by artist Sophie Diao, shows a shadow moving across Sharif's face:

The first frame of the Google Doodle gif
The first frame of the Google Doodle gif

Sharif was born Michel Demirtri Shalhoub in Alexandria on April 10, 1932. His parents were of Syrian and Lebanese descent.

He burst onto the region's cinema screens in Siraa Fil-Wadi (The Blazing Sun), in which he starred alongside his future wife Faten Hamama (the pair married in the 1950s, and divorced in 1974).

Faten Hamma also died in 2015, five months before Sharif passed away.

Raised a Roman Catholic and from a wealthy family, the actor converted to Islam and changed his name in order to marry his leading lady, who was Muslim and from a conservative and less wealthy background.

Omar Sharif as he appeared in the 1965 film Doctor Zhivago, in which he played a Russian character. MGM / AP Photo
Omar Sharif as he appeared in the 1965 film Doctor Zhivago, in which he played a Russian character. MGM / AP Photo

Today's Omar Sharif Google doodle is being shown in these countries around the world - showing the global reach the actor had:

This map from Google shows where the Omar Sharif doodle is being shown.
This map from Google shows where the Omar Sharif doodle is being shown.

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