Omar Sharif Jr. (born 28 November 1983) is a Canadian actor, model, author and gay activist who lives in the United States.
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 Sharif in 2014 | |
| Born | Omar Sharif Jr. 28 November 1983 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
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| Years active | 2000–present |
| Relatives | Omar Sharif (grandfather) Faten Hamama (grandmother) |
Early life
editSharif is the son of a Jewish Canadian mother, Debbie, and an Egyptian father, Tarek Sharif. His paternal grandparents were Omar Sharif and Faten Hamama, both Egyptian actors; his maternal grandparents were Jewish Holocaust survivors. During his childhood, Sharif was shuttled back and forth among Montreal, Paris, and Cairo.[1] He has a B.A. from Queen's University, a Master's in Comparative Politics from the London School of Economics and a degree in Performing Arts from The Lee Strasberg Institute.[2]
Career
editSharif has worked as an actor, appearing in the 2000 Egyptian miniseries Wagh el qamar, the 2005-6 French-language 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."[3]
He appeared in the 2017 short film 11th Hour, which was selected for screening at the TriBeCa Film Festival.[4]
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."[5]
He was a presenter at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards in 2011, during which he performed a memorable comedic sketch with Kirk Douglas.
Activism
editIn 2012, Sharif came out as gay in The Advocate, a gay news magazine. 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."[1][6][7] 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.[1]
From 2013 to 2015, he was the National Spokesperson for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).[citation needed]
In an August 2015 interview, Sharif said that his recently deceased grandfather, Omar Sharif, had been aware of his homosexuality and had never had a problem with it, though his mother did; she told him "Don't tell your grandmother, this would kill her." He responded, "She survived Auschwitz and Buchenwald but this would kill her?"
He also said he hoped to change Egyptian attitudes toward gay people. "I'm a son, I'm a brother, I'm a coworker, I'm a friend," he said. "I'm not a fact, or a figure, or a statistic. I'm not a moral or an ethical debate."[8]
Sharif gave a speech at the 2016 Oslo Freedom Forum discussing his coming out story during the Arab Spring and admitting to suicidal thoughts.[7][9]
After the Sultan of Brunei passed a law to stone homosexual people in April 2019,[10] Sharif Jr. challenged him a few days later. If the Sultan would execute his own homosexual son, Sharif Jr. would execute himself as well.[11]
Personal life
editAs of 2012 he was living in Cairo,[1] however shortly thereafter, uneasy about the "new Egypt," he left the country.[1] He now resides in Los Angeles.
Filmography
editTelevision
edit| Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Beauty and the Baker | George - Hollywood Agent | Keshet Studios | (20 episodes) |
| 2018 | Mélange | Zayn Hadid | Pilot | (1 Episode) |
| 2017 | The Naked Truth | Himself - Narrator | Fusion TV | China Queer (1 Episode) |
| 2015 | Cocktails & Classics | Himself | Logo TV | Funny Girl (1 Episode) |
| 2011 | Pânico na TV | Himself | RedeTV! | (1 Episode) |
| 2011 | 83rd Academy Awards | Himself - Trophy Presenter | ABC | (Special) |
| 2005-06 | Virginie | Oliver Briscbois | Télévision de Radio-Canada | (30 Episodes) |
| 2000 | Wajh al-Qamar | Amun | Multiple Arabic TV-Channels | (16 episodes) |
Film
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | The Secret Scripture | Daniel O'Brien | [12] |
| 2016 | The Traveller | [13] |
Bibliography
edit- A Tale of Two Omars: A Memoir of Family, Revolution, and Coming Out During the Arab Spring (5 October 2021), ISBN 978-1-640-09498-7
Honors and awards
editHe was honored as one of the "Out 100" in 2012,"[5] The Advocate's "40 Under 40" in 2014 and 2015, and won Attitude Magazine's 'Inspiration Award' in 2016.[14]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Chambers, Levi; Reynolds, Daniel (17 May 2016). "Coming Out Story: We're Not in Cairo Anymore". The Advocate. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
- ^ Farrell, Paul (10 July 2015). "Omar Sharif Junior: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
- ^ Kilday, Greg (2015). "Omar Sharif Jr. on His Grandfather: Trips to the Oscars and Pies in the Face". the Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
- ^ Rothe, Nina (8 May 2017). "Uniting Humanity". Huffpost. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
- ^ a b "Out100: Omar Sharif Jr". Out Magazine. 2 November 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
- ^ Fisher, Gabe. "Omar Sharif Jr: I'm gay and Jewish". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
- ^ a b Steinbach, Jesse (16 June 2016). "Omar Sharif Jr. on Coming Out: 'I Had Suicidal Thoughts...Then Something Wonderful Happened'". Out. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
- ^ McCormick, Joseph (3 August 2015). "Omar Sharif Jr: My grandfather didn't care that I'm gay". Pink News. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
- ^ "Coming out in the middle of a Revolution 2016". Oslo Freedom Forum. 9 June 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
- ^ "Brunei implements stoning to death under anti-LGBT laws". BBC News. 3 April 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ Browning, Bil (9 April 2019). "Omar Sharif Jr. challenges Sultan of Brunei to execute his son if gays should be stoned to death". LGBTQ Nation. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ IMDb. "The Secret Scripture". IMDb. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
- ^ IMDb. "The Traveller". IMDb. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
- ^ "Attitude's Inspiration Award winner: Omar Sharif Jr". 10 October 2016. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
