'Lawrence of Arabia' star Omar Sharif has Alzheimer's

(MENAFN- Arab News) EGYPT: Egyptian actor Omar Sharif is suffering from Alzheimer's disease and is struggling to remember his most famous films his son has revealed.
The 83-year-old Egyptian-born actor shot to fame in 1962 when he starred in 'Lawrence of Arabia.'
His only child Tarek El-Sharif 58 revealed that his father has been struggling with the disease for the past three years.
Tarek said that Omar often confuses the names of his most famous films and forgets where they were filmed.
He made his frank confession during an interview with respected Spanish newspaper El Mundo and the revelation follows earlier rumors that the Oscar-nominated actor had quit because he could not remember his lines.
A spokeswoman for Omar reportedly rubbished claims two years ago he was struggling with Alzheimer's and dementia as 'mere lies.'
She told a magazine the only thing the actor was suffering from was extreme fatigue and a broken heart over the problems of his native Egypt where he now spends most of his time.
The 'Doctor Zhivago' star confessed in an interview two years ago that he tended to forget a lot of things.
But he presented it as a positive thing because it meant he didn't dwell on the past or future and thought purely of the present.
Tarek who also appeared in 'Doctor Zhivago' as Yuri at the age of eight told El Mundo: 'My father has Alzheimer's. It's difficult to determine what stage it's at. It's obvious he'll never improve and it will get worse. There are times of the day when he's better and others in which he feels confused.'
'He knows who he is but not necessarily the reason people greet him' he continued. 'When someone seems him in the street and approaches him he often thinks it's someone he used to know whose name and face he's forgotten when most of the time it's just a fan. He still knows he's a famous actor.'