Omar Sharif broke down a lot of doors for foreign actors in the West. That and his extreme physical beauty might be the lead for writing about Sharif.
But his run of good to great films is even more worth discussing of course. In LAWRENCE OF ARABIA he successfully goes to toe with a godlike Peter O'Toole in full bore as the title character. At the end, when he begins to figure out that Lawrence has feet of clay and is liable to be sidelined due to political pressure, the disappointment on his face....An amazing performance.
The heart attack scene at the end of DR ZHIVAGO is another example of Sharif's understanding and sensitivity as an actor.
As far as underrated performances, go CHE is not a good film (Jack Palance as Fidel Castro LOL) but Sharif looks and gets Guevera.
My parents were vacationing in Egypt in the early 1980's and actually saw Sharif in a Cairo hotel bar surrounded by beautiful women. He was a lover of the female form as well I imagine.
Icon is a word for someone like Omar Sharif.
RIP
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