In Funny Girl (1968), Omar Sharif played Nick Arnstein, the charming gambler who becomes the husband of Fanny Brice, played by Barbra Streisand in her film debut. Directed by William Wyler, the musical follows Brice from vaudeville stardom to a marriage tested by Arnstein’s gambling and pride.
Arnstein is elegant, romantic and flawed, and Sharif plays him with a warmth that makes Fanny’s devotion believable, even as his fortunes fall. Streisand won the Academy Award for Best Actress for the film, and Sharif’s performance, opposite one of the great debuts in musical cinema, remains a favourite among his fans, a reminder that he could hold his own in song, romance and heartbreak alike.