Omar Sharif Jr.

Omar Sharif Jr. (Born November 28, 1983 in Montreal , Canada ) is a Canadian actor, LGBT activist and model of Egyptian descent. He is the grandson of Omar Sharif .

Live and act

Omar Sharif Jr. is a son of Tarek Sharif and a Jewish mother. His maternal grandmother survived Auschwitz and the Warsaw Ghetto . Omar studied Political Science at the London School of Economics and Political Science and graduated at the age of 23.

At times he worked in London as a model for Calvin Klein and Coca-Cola for campaigns in Egypt . He also attended the Lee Strasberg School of Drama.

At the 83rd Annual Academy Awards 2011 he was allowed to hand over an Oscar and joked in front of the camera with Kirk Douglas . In 2016 he was a guest at the Oslo Freedom Forum. And he also spoke to the United Nations.

In 2013, Sharif was one of the first Arab celebrities to officially come out as gay and a Jew in the magazine " The Advocate " and received numerous death threats and persecution, so that he has not been able to enter Egypt since then and has had to go into exile. His Egyptian passport was withdrawn. He found his exile first in Canada and later in the USA .

In 2013 he became a spokesperson for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation . He also got to know the future US President Donald Trump .

In addition to Arabic, he is also fluent in English, French, Spanish, Hebrew and Yiddish .

His only appearance so far on German television was in 2017 in the program " Ich trage eine große Name " with Wieland Backes , where he was invited as the grandson of Omar Sharif and reported on his life and work.

He is the best-known Arab LGBT activist, albeit outside the cultural area. He fights through interviews for an opening of societies to minorities in general. In 2016 he led the Prague Gay Parade .

In general, despite his work as an actor, activist and model, he is considered very shy and media-shy. His relationship with his grandfather is described as very close and good.

He lived in Egypt between 2009 and 2011, then moved to Los Angeles .

He played mainly in productions with his grandfather or in Arab films.

Filmography

Movies

2008: Hassan wa Morcus
2009: Al Mosafer
2016: 11th hour
2016: The secret scripture

Series

Wagh al Qamar, 2000.
Virginie, 2005-2006.
Conversation, 2016.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Sharif, Omar Jr.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Canadian actor, LGBT activist and model of Egyptian descent
DATE OF BIRTH	November 28, 1983
PLACE OF BIRTH	Montreal , Canada