Omar Sharif - Omar Sherif Jr Gay: Star Hesitantly Comes Out

The actor also announced that he was half-Jewish and said his previous reluctance to come out was down to his fears of being unwelcomed in Egypt. Omar added, "I write this article in fear. Fear for my country, fear for my family, and fear for myself. My parents will be shocked to read it, surely preferring I stay in the shadows and keep silent, at least for the time being. But I can't". Expressing his disappointment at the recent Egyptian parliamentary elections, Omar said the revolution briefly gave him hope of a "more tolerant and equal society" but that those hopes had now been dashed. He added, "I write . for fear that Egypt's Arab Spring may be moving us backward, not forward". Sharif, an actor like his grandfather, left the country in January 2011 just before the revolution began - he now resides in the United States.