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Omar Sharif Jr.

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For other people named Omar Sharif, see Omar Sharif (disambiguation).
Omar Sharif Jr.
File:MV5BOTM1ODc3ODkxNl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTk3NTkyODE@. V1.jpg
Born (1983-11-28) 28 November 1983 (age 40)
Montreal, Canada
NationalityEgyptian
EducationMaster's
Alma materQueen's University & London School of Economics
Occupation(s)Actor, Model and Gay Activist
Years active2000–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.

Early life

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.[1][2]

Career

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.[1] 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]

His most recent film 11th Hour, directed by Jim Sheridan, and co-starring Salma Hayek was selected by the TriBeCa Film Festival in 2017[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

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.”[6][7][8] 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.[2]

From 2013 to 2015, he was the National Spokesperson for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).[1]

In May 2015, he was hired to handle community affairs by New York developer Ian Reisner.[9]

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. 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.”[10]

Sharif gave a speech at the 2016 Oslo Freedom Forum discussing his coming out story during Arab Spring and admitting to suicidal thoughts.[8][11]

As of 2012 he was living in Cairo,[6] however shortly thereafter, uneasy about the “new Egypt,” he left the country.[6] He now resides in Los Angeles.[12] 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.[12]

Honors and awards

He 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.[13]

Other

Omar is fluent in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Hebrew, and Yiddish.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "IMDB Page". IMDB. 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  2. ^ a b Chambers, Levi; Reynolds, Daniel. "Omar Sharif Jr. Talks Donald Trump, 'Naughty Fun' of Dante's Cove". Advocate. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ Rothe, Nina. "Uniting Humanity". Huffpost. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
  5. ^ a b "Out100: Omar Sharif Jr". Out Magazine. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  6. ^ a b c "Coming Out Story: We're Not in Cairo Anymore". ADVOCATE. 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  7. ^ Fisher, Gabe. "Omar Sharif Jr: I'm gay and Jewish". Times of Israel. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  8. ^ a b Steinbach, Jesse. "Omar Sharif Jr. on Coming Out: 'I Had Suicidal Thoughts…Then Something Wonderful Happened'". Out. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  9. ^ Johnson, Richard. "Gay hotelier hires Omar Sharif Jr. to save him". Page Six. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  10. ^ McCormick, Joseph. "Omar Sharif Jr: My grandfather didn't care that I'm gay". Pink News. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  11. ^ "Coming out in the middle of a Revolution 2016". Oslo Freedom Forum. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  12. ^ a b Farrell, Paul. "Omar Sharif Junior: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  13. ^ "Attitude's Inspiration Award winner: Omar Sharif Jr".
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