In Mackenna’s Gold (1969), Omar Sharif played John Colorado, a Mexican bandit who, with his gang, follows the American marshal Mackenna, played by Gregory Peck, in search of a legendary canyon of gold. Directed by J. Lee Thompson, the western also starred Telly Savalas, Julie Newmar and Lee J. Cobb.
Colorado is cunning, charming and dangerous, and Sharif plays him with a swagger that makes him a worthy rival to Peck’s hero. The film’s quest for gold, through desert landscapes and betrayals, gave Sharif another large-scale adventure role, in a western that remains a favourite of fans of the genre.