In Monsieur Ibrahim (2003), Omar Sharif played Ibrahim, an elderly Muslim grocer in Paris who befriends Momo, a lonely Jewish boy who lives above his shop. Directed by François Dupeyron, from Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt’s story, the film is a gentle portrait of friendship across faith, age and loneliness.
Ibrahim is wise, funny and kind, and Sharif plays him with a warmth that earned him the César Award for Best Actor. The film follows Ibrahim as he teaches Momo about life, love and tolerance, and as the boy, in turn, gives the old man a family. It is a fitting late signature for Sharif, a performance of great tenderness from an actor who had spent a lifetime playing princes, lovers and heroes, and who here played, simply, a good man.