Umer Sharif | |
|---|---|
| عمر شریف | |
 Umer Shareef in 2017 | |
| Born | Mohammad Umer (1955-04-19)19 April 1955 |
| Died | 2 October 2021(2021-10-02) (aged 66) |
| Resting place | Abdullah Shah Ghazi Mazar,Clifton, Karachi[1] |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1969–2021 |
| Title | King of Comedy[2][3] |
| Spouses |
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| Awards |  Tamgha-e-Imtiaz |
| Comedy career | |
| Medium |
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| Genres | |
| Subject(s) | |
Mohammad Umer (19 April 1955 – 2 October 2021), known professionally asUmer Shareef, was a Pakistani actor, host, comedian, director, producer, writer, singer and television personality.[4][5]
Umer began his career at the age of 14 withstand-up comedy and later worked in around 60 stage comedies as well as numerous television shows and films, where he not only acted but also directed and produced.[6]
Mohammad Umer was born on 19 April 1955,[7] into a middle-classMuhajir family inLiaquatabad,Karachi.[8] The youngest of his siblings, he lost his father when he was 4.[9]
In 1969, Umer started his career from Karachi as a stage performer at the age of 14.[10] He joined theatre, using the stage name Umer Zarif, modelled after his favourite comedianMunawar Zarif, but later renamed himself to Umer Sharif following Egyptian actorOmar Sharif that he admired due to the 1962-movieLawrence of Arabia.[8]
In 1976, he wrote the stage playBionic Servant, inspired by the American TV seriesSix Million Dollar Man, whereMoin Akhter was an actor, marking their first collaboration.[9]
Some of his extremely popular comedy stage plays were 1989'sBakra Qistoon Pe andBuddha Ghar Pe Ha.[8]
Sharif became a very popular star during this period.[8] Much of the success came from the fact that he started to record his stage shows and hisvideotapes were rented out in a similar manner to movies.[8]Yes Sir Eid andNo Sir Eid were among the first stage plays to come out on video.[8]
In 2002, Sharif wrote his first TV serial,Parda Na Uthao.[9]
In October 2009, he started hosting his own late-night talk show,The Shareef Show, onGeo Entertainment. He interviewed many actors, entertainers, musicians, and politicians on the show.[8] Another of his shows wasUmer Sharif vs Umer Sharif, where he donned over 400 get-ups.[9] He also appeared as a guest judge on the Indian stand-up comedy showThe Great Indian Laughter Challenge, alongsideNavjot Singh Siddhu, andShekhar Suman.[8]
Sharif's first movie wasHisaab (1986) but he's better known forMr 420 (1992), a movie where he not only acted but also directed, wrote and sung in, that led to a revival of Pakistan's cinema till 1998.
He would work in some 35 films, his last movie beingChand Babu (1999), that he directed, produced and acted in.
Sharif received National awards for Best Director and Best Actor in 1992 forMr. 420. He received tenNigar Awards. Sharif was the only actor to receive four Nigar Awards in a single year. He received three Graduate Awards. Sharif was also a recipient ofTamgha-e-Imtiaz.[11][12]
In 2007, Sharif announced he had joined MQM, saying he had done so because the party was open-minded and ‘best for Karachi’.[13] In 2011, backed by the MQM, he ran for the presidency of the Karachi Arts Council. But the PPP-backed candidate, Ahmed Shah, defeated him.[13]
In 2006, the Umer Sharif Welfare Trust was formed with the stated goal of creating a "state of the art health centre that provides services free of cost."[14]
For the 50-year anniversary ofPakistan's independence, Sharif performed a play calledUmer Sharif Haazir Ho. In the play, a representative from many occupations were called into court and asked what they had done for Pakistan in the past 50 years. The Lawyer's Association stated a case against Sharif as a result.[15]
On 10 September 2021, Pakistani television host and news anchorWaseem Badami posted a video of Shareef onInstagram where he requested the thenPrime Minister of Pakistan,Imran Khan to facilitate cancer treatment for him overseas.[16][17][18] Soon after the video came out, Indian singerDaler Mehndi also appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan for immediate treatment for Sharif.[19][20] On 11 September 2021, the government formed a medical board to decide whether or not to send him abroad for treatment.[21] He was granted a United States visa for medical treatment on 16 September 2021[22] and theSindh government also approved 40 million rupees for his treatment.[23][24] Despite all these projects, on 2 October 2021, he died in a hospital inNuremberg, Germany,[25][26] at the age of 66.[27]
Referred to as the "King of Comedy", Sharif is considered to be one of the greatest comedians ofSouth Asia.[28] Popular Indian comedians likeJohnny Lever hailed him as "The God of Asian comedy".[29]
Leading Pakistani in show business and political leaders offered their condolences includingMehwish Hayat,Hareem Farooq andImran Khan.[30][31][32][33]
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| Year | Title | Actor | Director | Producer | Writer | Singer | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Hisab | Yes | No | No | No | No | Urdu | [34] |
| 1987 | Kundan | Yes | No | No | No | No | ||
| 1992 | Mr. 420 | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | [34] | |
| 1993 | Mr. Charlie | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| 1994 | Khandan | Yes | No | No | No | No | Urdu/Punjabi | [35] |
| Laat Sahb | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | |||
| Ghunda Raj | Yes | No | No | No | No | Punjabi | ||
| Zameen Aasman | Yes | No | No | No | No | Urdu/Punjabi | [36] | |
| But Shikkan | Yes | No | No | No | No | |||
| 1995 | Mastana Mahi | Yes | No | No | No | No | Punjabi | |
| 1999 | Chand Babu | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Urdu |
| Year | Show | Role | Channel | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | The Shareef Show | Host | Geo Entertainment | |
| 2005–2008 | The Great Indian Laughter Challenge | Guest | STAR One | |
| 2005 | Omer Sharif vs Omer Sharif | Host/Actor | Geo Entertainment |
The actor, who started his career at 14 with stand-up comedy, has worked in around 60 stage comedies, and television shows. He also produced, directed and acted in two big movies.
He was born on April 19, 1955.
At the age of 14, in 1969, he began performing on stage.