Legendary actor Omar Sharif dies aged 83
The actor Omar Sharif has died in Cairo aged 83, after suffering a heart attack in hospital, his agent has confirmed.
The Egyptian-born veteran of the silver screen, who starred in hit films such as Doctor Zhivago and Funny Girl, was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
Sharif was also nominated for an Oscar for his role in David Lean's 1962 film "Lawrence of Arabia" with Peter O'Toole.
In later years, the actor - who was a regular visitor to the casinos - became known as one of the world's best bridge players.
But his love of gambling took its toll on his career and, speaking in 2004, Sharif said he stopped making films when his own grandchildren started making fun of the low-rent movies he was appearing in.
He said: "I stopped making movies because for the last 25 years I've been making a lot of rubbish because I was in debt all the time".
Sharif gave up bridge in 2006, saying he no longer wanted to be "a slave to any passion any more except for my work".
"I had too many passions, bridge, horses, gambling. I want to live a different kind of life, be with my family more because I didn't give them enough time", he said at the time.
Earlier this year, his son Tarek confirmed that he was suffering from Alzheimer's, in an interview with Spanish newspaper El Mundo: "He knows who he is but not necessarily the reason people greet him.
"When someone seems him in the street and approaches him, he often thinks it's someone he used to know whose name and face he's forgotten when most of the time it's just a fan. He still knows he's a famous actor, he said:
Following his death Steve Kenis, who was Sharif's agent from 1972, described him as "one of the last of the generation".
He said: "Omar Sharif took his art and his craft very seriously. He took life very seriously, too, particularly the fun side.
"He was an enjoyable person to be around - great company, and incredibly smart. I am going to miss him tremendously.
"O'Toole is dead, [Richard] Harris is dead. Omar Sharif was one of the last of the generation."