MZ??

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="002285a1erlcgo.gif"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>glialessandrini</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="glialessandrini"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="glialessandrini"><U>glialessandrini</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id133.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="underwater city discovered"><U>underwater city discovered</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id132.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="télé lumière"><U>télé lumière</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id131.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="elton johns"><U>elton john's</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id126.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="magida"><U>magida</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id119.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="400 years old"><U>400 years old</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id124.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="psychic"><U>psychic</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id102.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="relax !"><U>relax !</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id99.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mir 20march"><U>mir 20march</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id96.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="antelias record"><U>antelias record</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id95.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="miss internet"><U>miss internet</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id88.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="tabbouleh"><U>tabbouleh</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id91.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="the Maronites"><U>the Maronites</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="the sixth day"><U>the sixth day</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="deapsea"><U>deap-sea</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id7.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="cinema"><U>cinema</U></A>   |   <B>MZ??</B>   |   <A HREF="id45.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ski in leb"><U>ski in leb</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id12.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Beirut"><U>Beirut</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="fairuz"><U>fairuz</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Eiffel tower"><U>Eiffel tower</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id85.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="the man"><U>the man</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="001d2c00dkelyh.gif"> <div> <IMG SRC="01dcc8a0.jpg" border=0 width="204" height="138" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>MZ??</I></div> <div> <B>The man who would be Omar Sharif</B></div> <div> <B>Bearing a striking resemblance to one of the most celebrated faces of the silver screen, the lead in a new Egyptian film is no stranger to star treatment.</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#006699" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><B>Bringing to mind films such as Dr Zhivago, Lawrence of Arabia and Jiha, it comes as a shock that this man is not the infamously suave Omar Sharif at all, but an Arabic literature teacher from Akkar called Elias Deeb.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>"I met Omar Sharif around two years ago," says 55 year-old Deeb. "He was so shocked when he laid eyes on me. I adore this man, and feel a true connection with him. I feel that when his stomach hurts, mine hurts as well." </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>He has been told that there is another man, a Spaniard, who also looks like Omar Sharif, but Deeb does not appear too concerned. "They, including the great actor himself, said that my resemblance to him was outstanding," he says, confidently.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Deeb, who has been teaching Arabic for 30 years, now plays the role of an Egyptian interior minister in a film due out in March, called Come in Peace. The role was initially offered to Omar Sharif and Ahmad Ramzi, but they both declined. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>"When I was offered the role, I was flattered and thought that it was about time I gave myself a chance," says Deeb. "The camera crew thought that I was a natural born actor."</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>He was spotted by Yousef Mansour, a prominent Egyptian actor and director. "He looked at me and said, 'I need nothing from you, no CV, no acting experience, you look so much like Omar Sharif'," recalls Deeb. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Deeb initially hesitated about entering the film industry. "A lot of people approached me to act in movies but I refused, saying I'm an Arabic literature teacher, and not an actor," he says. He finally decided to accept Mansour's invitation, however, and headed over to Cairo to meet all the stars.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>"I was treated like a king… the cars, the hotel, the parties… its such a prestigious way of life, which anyone can get used to. That was when I decided that I should give myself a chance in acting. There was no reason not to anymore," he said.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>"In the past two years, my life has changed a great deal," he says. "I had to travel every weekend to Egypt to film my role, as I did not want to rouse any suspicions among my students and friends," he recalls. "But they all found out eventually, and everyone - especially my students who saw me everyday in a suit, carrying my briefcase into class - thought it was adventurous of me to take such a step," he says.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Deeb has often been mistaken for the Zahle-born actor and since the age of 12 has been called Omar Sharif. The consequences of such a scenario weren't always positive though. </B></div> <div> <B>"The attention I was getting was much more than I could handle. I was getting free food all the time from people who thought I was the great actor," says Deeb. "My son, who's a clergyman, shouted at me once for taking advantage of the situation; he made me wear glasses and a hat every time I walked out of the house."</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>He has also noticed a strange reaction from his pupils. "Students treat me differently from other teachers," says Deeb. "I notice the way new students stare at me when they first come into class. They watch me, without making any comments." </B></div> <div> <B>"My only problem is that I'm coward," admits Deeb candidly. "I'm afraid of what lies ahead. But I do believe that if you have perfected one thing in your life, you will be good in the next thing you decide to do, even if they're completely different."</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>His next venture is playing the lead role in Omar Sharif's life story. "But it's too early to talk about this now. It was a choice between me and the Spanish guy, but they chose me." </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The original cinematic sex symbol is renowned for his popularity among women across the world. So, how does his look alike fare? Deeb, who has written many stories and poems about women, insists he has never taken advantage of the fact that women fancy him because of his resemblance to the debonair actor. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>"I am not naughty," he laughs. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Written by </B><B>Nadine Fares</B></div> </td> </tr></table></body>