Omar El-Sherif

If we mere mortals were under the impression that famous actors had it easy – we were extremely mistaken:

During his visit to Qatar University, the worldwide legend Omar El-Sherif had much to say about his passion for acting. He knew that he could never see himself going down any other path, or straying away from acting. Although he was a smart student at school, and was well-regarded by his educators to fit into any highly acknowledged profession, he knew it would make him happier to pursue a career that was more fitting to his character. He was a man that wanted to act – and become a brilliant actor – which, in actuality, he in fact became.
But as we all know, no great limits are reached without sacrifice. Even though he has enjoyed universal success and worldwide attention, he recognized that no success comes without giving something up in order to achieve it.
When Omar El-Sherif was asked by the students present in the Ibn-Khuldoon hall about whether he encouraged his son or grandchildren to follow in his footsteps towards stardom, he replied with, “of course not”; in a very matter of fact way. It’s clear that although he will always know the feel and flavor of international fame and success, it will always fade in comparison to the cherishment of his family; which he knew he had to sacrifice time away from in order to succeed.


Moreover, he noted that his marriage to actress Faten Hamama suffered due to their time apart. The actor touched upon the note that their busy life schedules and determination to be esteemed actors drove the two figures to a state of constant separation; and that is no life for a family, and the great actors’ lifestyle took its toll on his personal life. It was clear from what Omar El-Sherif shared with the QU students that if he had one morsel of grief regarding his past, it would regard his former wife.
Being the knowledgeable man that he is, Omar El-Sherif knew from experience that only certain people with certain life goals were made for being actors – and he did not have any words of encouragement for his son or grandchildren to follow in his footsteps, no matter how brilliant those footsteps may seem to be.


By Mona Mashhour