Omar Sharif was born on April 10, 1932 in Alexandria, Egypt. He studied mathematics and physics before getting a part in an Egyptian film, starting his career. He was thrust upon the world stage in Lawrence of Arabia, which led to an Oscar nomination. Probably his best role, and certainly the best movie I have seen him in, was the 1965 classic film, Doctor Zhivago. Unfortunately, he has been largely typecast in Arab roles since.

In addition to his acting, Sharif is known as a world class Bridge player, authoring Omar Sharif's Life in Bridge. He used to have a column on Bridge in the local newspaper when I was a kid.

Most of this information can be found at IMDB