Omar Sharif slaps fan at Doha film festival

Ageing Hollywood legend Omar Sharif lost his temper and slapped an Egyptian journalist who tried to push her way through many fans to be photographed with him during an international film festival in Qatar this week.

A short footage on U-Tube showed the 79-year-old Egyptian actor, who has starred in many Hollywood films, was gradually getting annoyed by many journalists and fans shoving their way to have shots with him.

A female journalist, who turned out to be Egyptian from her accent, appeared to be keeping up pressure before she came close to him and asked him again.

At that moment, Sharif lost his temper and angrily slapped her in the face, causing her hair to sway sideways. It was not clear if Sharif’s hand made contact with the woman’s face as she had her back to the camera.

He then placed his hands around his head and angrily said to her: “I have told you I would get to you afterwards… just put something in your brain.”

The unidentified girl appeared momentarily stunned before she started to smile again and had a photograph with Sharif.

A journalist attending the Doha Tribeca Film Festival said the girl took the slap “magnanimously” and did not react to Sharif’s behaviour.

“She could have complained about it as he slapped her in front of many people… it was very embarrassing for the poor girl but she kept smiling and when she had a shot with him, she even thanked him,” the journalist said.

Sharif’s most famous Hollywood films are ‘Lawrence of Arabia’, ‘Doctor Zhivago ‘and ‘Funny Girl’.

He has been nominated for an Academy Award and has won three Golden Globe Awards.

In 2003 the actor received a one-month suspended prison sentence for hitting a police man in a Parisian casino.

Four years later he was found guilty of "assaulting a Beverly Hills parking lot attendant and breaking his nose".