As the grandson of Holocaust survivors and Hollywood actors, Omar Sharif Jr. believes his new role as the Chief Advancement Officer at the Holocaust Museum LA is a way to uphold his family legacy and pay tribute to his heritage. His paternal grandfather was the acclaimed late Egyptian actor Omar Sharif, known for his iconic roles in movies such as “Doctor Zhivago” and “Lawrence of Arabia.” Sharif’s maternal grandparents are Holocaust survivors from Poland.
The Canadian author, activist and actor currently co-stars in the Israeli television series “The Baker and the Beauty.” Prior to his new post at the oldest survivor-founded museum in the United States, Sharif was a leading fundraiser for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, seeing the museum through a $388 million capital campaign. The LGBTQ advocate also served as a national spokesperson at GLAAD and volunteers as an ambassador for the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and The Human Rights Foundation.
