Actor Omar Sharif has Alzheimer’s disease, his agent confirms

Actor Omar Sharif, who won acclaim in such films as “Lawrence of Arabia” and “Doctor Zhivago,” is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, his agent said Monday.

Sharif, 83, was resting at his home in Egypt, his London-based agent Steve Kenis said. Other details were unavailable.

News of the illness was first reported by Sharif’s son, Tarek El-Sharif, in the Spanish newspaper El Mundo on Saturday.

The Egyptian-born Sharif began acting in the 1950s but rose to international fame with his first English-speaking role starring opposite Peter O’Toole in 1962’s “Lawrence of Arabia,” for which he earned an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor.

In 1965, he played the title role in “Doctor Zhivago,” based on the Boris Pasternak novel. He also starred in “Funny Girl” opposite Barbra Streisand in 1968.

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