Omar Sharif was always a bit of a punchline rather than an actor but he remains (I'm pretty sure anyway) the only Arab to have become a genuine Hollywood star, and proved you can sustain a lucrative career appearing in only three hits and countless flops provided those three hits are among the biggest blockbusters of all time.
For the sheer hell of it here are my top five random Omar Sharif performances in massive flops:
1) Fall of The Roman Empire (1964) - actually has the same plot as Russell Crowe's Gladiator just structured differently and as a result no one went to see it. Played King of the Armenians.
2) Mackenna's Gold (1969) - the team that made Guns of Navarone reteam with Sharif thrown in and results in a confusing Western. Played a Mexican.
3) Che! (1969) - Sharif as Che Guevera has to be seen to be believed as does Jack Palance as Castro. It's actually kind of an interesting movie just very right wing. Played an Argentinian.
4) The Last Valley (1971) - Michael Caine out miscasts Sharif here in a film which answers the question "why doesn't Hollywood make any movies about the 30 Year War?" Plays a German.
5) Top Secret (1984) - one of the funniest comedies of all time, and the only reason I can think it wasn't a massive hit is it mixed genres. Plays someone from a random nation.
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