Omar Sharif, Jr.
| Omar Sharif Jr. | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 28 November 1983 |
| Nationality | Egyptian |
| Education | Master's |
| Alma mater | Queen's University & London School of Economics |
| Occupation | Actor, Model and Gay Activist |
| Years active | 2000–current |
Omar Sharif Jr. (born in Montreal, 28 November 1983) is an Egyptian-Canadian actor, model, and gay activist who currently lives in the United States.
Sharif is the son of a Muslim father, Tarek, and a Jewish mother, Debbie. His paternal grandparents were Omar Sharif and Faten Hamama, both well-known Egyptian actors; his maternal grandparents were Holocaust survivors. During his childhood Sharif was shuttled back and forth between Montreal, Paris, and Cairo.
Sharif has worked as an actor, appearing in the 2000 Egyptian miniseries Wagh el qamar, the 2005-6 Canadian series Virginie, the 2008 Egyptian film Hassan wa Morcus, and the 2016 Irish film The Secret Scripture. When he became an actor, his grandfather said to him: “I gave you my name, I gave you my looks. I'm not going to give you anything else. You have to do it entirely on your own.”
His most recent film 11th Hour, directed by Jim Sheridan, and co-starring Salma Hayek was selected by the TriBeCa Film Festival in 2017
He has also worked as a model: He was “the face of Coca-Cola for the Arabic world and appeared in a major Calvin Klein print campaign in Egypt.”
He was a presenter at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards in 2011, during which he performed a memorable comedic sketch with Kirk Douglas.
In 2012, Sharif came out as gay in The Advocate, a gay newsmagazine. Noting that the recent parliamentary elections in Egypt had “dealt secularists a particularly devastating blow,” he stated that the vision of “a freer, more equal Egypt — a vision that many young patriots gave their lives to see realized in Tahrir Square — has been hijacked.” He is said to be “the first public personality to ever come out as openly gay in the Arab World.” His announcement led to widespread criticism and threats of violence.
From 2013 to 2015, he was the National Spokesperson for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).
...
Wikipedia