Question 1

True or false: Omar Sharif was a world-class bridge player who competed in international tournaments.

Accepted Answer

True. Beyond acting, Sharif was a highly ranked contract bridge player who even wrote a syndicated column on the game.

Question 2

True or false: Sharif converted to Christianity after marrying his wife, an Egyptian socialite.

Accepted Answer

False. Sharif was born Catholic and remained so; he did not convert. His wife was also Christian, but this is a common myth about interfaith marriages.

Question 3

True or false: He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in Doctor Zhivago.

Accepted Answer

False. Sharif was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Lawrence of Arabia, not Doctor Zhivago. That film earned him a Golden Globe, not an Oscar nod.

Question 4

True or false: Omar Sharif was a mathematician before he became an actor.

Accepted Answer

False. He studied mathematics at Cairo University but left to pursue acting. He never worked as a mathematician.

Question 5

True or false: Sharif's first language was French, not Arabic.

Accepted Answer

True. Born in Egypt to a Lebanese family, he was raised speaking French at home and learned Arabic later in school.

Question 6

True or false: He turned down the role of James Bond because he thought the scripts were too violent.

Accepted Answer

True. Sharif was offered the role of 007 in the late 1960s but declined, reportedly finding the character's casual violence distasteful.

Question 7

True or false: Sharif learned to ride a camel in just two weeks for his role in Lawrence of Arabia.

Accepted Answer

True. He had never ridden a camel before but mastered it rapidly, impressing director David Lean with his natural grace.

Question 8

True or false: He was banned from Egypt for decades due to his friendship with Israeli leaders.

Accepted Answer

False. Though he faced criticism for his pro-Israel comments, he was never officially banned. He lived abroad but visited Egypt freely.

Omar Sharif Trivia Questions