Omar Sharif, the star of 'Lawrence of Arabia,' is reported to be battling Alzheimer's disease. The news of the actor's illness was first revealed by his son, Tarek Sharif, in the Spanish daily El Mundo on May 23. It was later on confirmed by his agent, Steve Kenis, according to ABC News Australia.
While no additional information has been released since the announcement, Tarek disclosed that his 83-year-old father is currently under the care of family members. Kenis echoed Tarek's announcement and further said that the actor has not been able "to take any work for many months." Omar is now in Egypt, while he battles the debilitating disease.
"It's difficult to determine what stage it's at," Tarek told El Mundo, as translated by BBC News. "It's obvious he'll never improve and it will get worse."
Omar's son went on to say, "He still knows he's a famous actor. The loss of memory affects above all specific things, details like when he was in a specific place or who he acted with in a specific film."
Tarek further added, "He remembers, for example, that it was Doctor Zhivago but he's forgotten when it was filmed. He can talk about the film but he forgets its name or he calls it something else instead like Lawrence of Arabia."
Omar was born in Alexandria, Egypt. According to Los Angeles Times, the actor rose to fame in the international scene when he won the Best Supporting Actor Award in the Oscars and Golden Globes for his character, Sherif Ali, in the 1962 film, "Lawrence of Arabia" with Peter O'Toole. In 1966, he won another Golden Globe Award under the Best Motion Picture Actor - Drama category for portraying the titular character in the film "Doctor Zhivago." In 1968, Omar starred alongside Barbara Streisand in the iconic film, "Funny Girl."
While many might claim that suffering from Alzheimer's disease is a common occurrence, especially in Omar's age, Alzheimer's Association clarifies that the illness "is not a normal part of aging." It further states that "although the greatest known risk factor is increasing age, and the majority of people with Alzheimer's are 65 and older," it should be remembered that "Alzheimer's is not just a disease of old age."
The organization discloses that "up to 5 percent of people with the disease have early onset Alzheimer's (also known as younger-onset), which often appears when someone is in their 40s or 50s."
