
Egypt-born Sharif won two Golden Globe awards and an Oscar nomination for his role as Sherif Ali in the 1962 epic Lawrence of Arabia. Three years later, he received the Golden Globe for Doctor Zhivago.
I loved him in that role, as did many people around the globe. I saw the movie in Australia.
Shortly after that time, my husband played cards with him at a London hotel late one night.
Yes! You guess correctly that my present husband and I didn't know each other at the time, living on opposite sides of the planet.

Did you know that, as an actor, Omar went through a daily routine of hair-straightening and skin-waxing in order to disguise his Egyptian looks? So shocking that people all over the world feel the need to conform to a certain appearance. Even now, women with dark skin and curly black hair routinely straighten their hair. Back in the 70s, everyone wanted a frizzy Afro. Even those people with white skin adopted the hairstyle. Crazy. But, I guess we've always had fads.
As each old actor passes on to their great reward, those of us who are left behind remember parts of our youth.
I enjoyed the relaxed lifestyle, living in a cabin with my new baby, who was a happy child. Most days, I would take him to the Murray River's edge close by, where Romilly owned a boat shed. Sometimes, we'd dip in the water. Both of us had a good tan. Back then, I didn't know I should protect a baby's delicate skin—and mine. Wearing short shorts, I'd stroll to the main township with Kym in his beautiful cane pram, styled like the prams of old. The locals called us hippies but we weren't practising free love, we were married.