“My life is eternal wandering” – Budapest mood picture of Omar Sharif
Rita Szentgyörgyi’s memorable article from the Nők Lapja archive.
A card or roulette table, eerie dimness, the lights of the casinos in the center of a real gentleman, surrounded by a crowd of ladies from Las Vegas to Monte-Carlo. Most of us have this stereotypical image of the Egyptian-born world star, Doctor Zhivágó, Genghis Khan, Funny Girl, Mayerling’s Omar Sharif. His deep-set eyes, reputation as an adventurer, and captivating smile have found their way to the hearts of the most beautiful of all ages. The man of the night, the fun-loving actor, shows himself in the broken light of the day quite differently than on the movie screen, or in snapshots of social life – at least during the filming of the Hungarian-Canadian film Mrs. Arris Goes to Paris in Budapest. On the last day of filming, the film trailer in front of Pollack Mihály tér served as the scene of our conversation: When I entered the low-sized trailer where the actor was resting between two sets, I saw a man with a shy rather than a confident look, in a semi-lying position. In the company of medicine bottles and a glass of water.
“If you think I’ll come back later or the next day—” I said almost apologetically to Sharif.
“It doesn’t bother me, just sit down.” As you can see, I’m not well. I had a heart attack a few days ago and have been sick ever since. So far, he has never had any heart problems, and I confess that I am afraid, especially at night. Maybe I overworked myself, I’ve been working almost non-stop for three years. Maybe that was a warning sign to stop this mad rush.
“If I have money, I’ll wait for interesting offers, if I need money, I’ll accept any offer,” he said recently, as if the years had worn away his enthusiasm. That’s right?
“I take this for granted somewhere.” I’m an actor, this is my profession, this is what I live for! I was only good at filming, I always wanted to be an actor, nothing else, even though my parents were against it. But don’t think I’m just doing it for the money!
“You studied acting in London, didn’t you?”
“Where do you get that from?”
– According to the film encyclopedia, the Academy of Dramatic Arts visited London.
– I was never an apprentice, I learned the profession not at school, but in life. I shot my first film when I was twenty. In Egypt, which was a great success. After that, I married my film partner, Fatem Hamama, a film star in the Arabic-speaking world.
– How did you start your international career as one of the most popular hero lovers of Arab films?
– Lawrence of Arabia was my first foreign film, I still don’t know how English and French films found me. Maybe my photo reached them, or because I participated in the Cannes Film Festival with the first Egyptian film.
– Later on, Hollywood also accepted it. He lived in London, USA and has been living in Paris for quite some time. Where is your country really?
– I went to America in the mid-60s, but I lived there for only two years. I didn’t like the Hollywood way of life, Europe was closer to me. I have been part of Western European culture for thirty years now, I speak and read French and English. I live in Paris, but my heart always gravitates towards the East. I still consider Egypt my country. In my emotions, in the depths of my soul, I remained an Arab.
“What does this Arab origin manifest itself in?”
“In my character, in my nature.” Like Arabs in general, I am melodramatic, warm-hearted… But it is difficult to define this in words. I never dissect, I don’t want to and I can’t get to know myself. It is always easier to judge others than ourselves. I listen to my instincts in my actions. You see, this is also an Arab trait: to live for today, not to dwell on the past. My opinion also changes every minute, so it’s useless to refer to what I said at some point, because the next moment I might think completely differently. That doesn’t mean I’m lying, I’m just changing my mind.
– He mentioned that he lives in the present, which includes the fact that he is known to be generous and generous. Legends circulate about the royal tips that he distributes and scatters the money. Did he also inherit this from his eastern ancestors?
“There is no value in being generous because money has no value.” And since I don’t like money, I spend it. And luckily, I always had something to spend. I was born in a rich family, I like to donate. Of course, sometimes the money I’ve squandered over the years comes in handy.
– He also has a reputation as a great player, they say he likes to play at high stakes. Omar Sharif is said to be one of the most loyal regulars of the world’s most famous casinos.
“That’s only partly true.” It has happened that I lost all my throttle in one night, but I got it back the next time. I play out of boredom, when I need something to cheer me up. Rather for the sake of spending time and having fun, rather than out of a passion for gaming. But when I’m in love, I don’t even set foot in a casino. However, when I feel alone, I can’t stop playing.
– According to them, he is basically a lonely person. Although he looks like a man who attracts women like a magnet and easily conquers them.
– Love is different and easy conquest is different. My first great love was with my wife, with whom I lived for thirteen years. Later, the passage of time separated me from him. Since then I have never been able to love a woman enough to live with her. I have been alone for twenty-five years.
– You have shot with the world’s most attractive movie stars – from Sophia Loren to Ingrid Bergman, from Barbra Streisand to Catherine Deneuve. I think that many of your female partners touched and influenced you.
“Sure.” I have never met two women alike. they all attracted me differently. Many, many things affect me in other areas of life as well. I am unable to analyze my emotions. Perhaps because my way of thinking does not correspond to conscious summation. I can’t give rounded answers to the questions asked, since I also experience life as an eternal change.
“Maybe you never, at any age, used to sum up your career?” Nor his private life, his past?
“Indeed, all this is far from me.”
“And how important is friendship?”
– I don’t have long friendships, my profession has distanced me from my old friends, I don’t have time to create newspapers yet. I am always on the road, my life takes place between hotel rooms and shooting locations.
– How attracted are you by the hustle and bustle of Paris, the social life?
“No matter how much, I whistle at him!” I create social life around me wherever I am. Whether it’s Paris, London or Budapest…
“And his family, his mother, his son?”
“My family lives scattered all over the world.” My mother in Madrid, my son in America, my father died two years ago.
– I understand that your granddaughter, Marina, who currently lives with you in Paris, is preparing for an acting career.
“I think he has a talent for it.” In contrast to my son, whom I managed to advise against this course in time. It is true that it is often difficult to determine who has the greatest talent.
“Is Marina very close to your heart?”
“Yes.” Now he lives in Egypt, only spending a few months with me until he finally takes an acting course. My granddaughter is not related by blood, she is my stepdaughter’s daughter, but I try to support her. You know, a girl needs more support and encouragement than a boy…
When, given Omar Sharif’s tenderness and his personal secretary’s advance warning, I turn off the tape recorder, I myself am surprised that he continues to pester me.
“Stay a little longer, your presence reassures me.” I’m just asking you not to ask anymore, let’s talk.
During the conversation, we touch on so many topics: Paris, the silence of the Bois de Boulogne, he lives nearby, the restless spirit of the Arabs, his passion for classical music, especially opera. It recalls the Aida performance in Luxor. Then he tells about his six-month “adventure” filming the television series Péter I, and about his “civilian” travels in Salzburg during the Festive Games. I don’t look at my watch, only an internal clock tells me that it’s time to leave. I walk out into the hot summer afternoon with regret. I wish that the traveling soul Sharif finds his old self as soon as possible, and his open smile did not hide fear.
Rita Szentgyörgyi
Women’s Journal 1992/25. (Source: Nők Lapja archive)
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