Umer Sharif

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For Egyptian actor of same name see Omar Sharif.

Umer Sharif (Urdu: عمر شریف, also spelled Omar Sharif) (born 1955 in Liaquatabad, Karachi) is a Pakistani comedian, stage, film and TV actor, director and producer. His original name is Mohammed Omar, however he changed that to Omar Zarif when he joined the theatre and later changed that again to Umer Sharif.

He rose to fame due to his work on stage and his stage shows are considered among the most popular in Pakistan. He started his showbiz career from Karachi as stage performer at the age of 14. Sharif became one of the most well known stage performers in Pakistan after his extremely popular 1985 comedy stage play Bakra Qistoon Pay. Much of the success comes from the fact that he started to record his stageshows and the videocassettes were rented out in a similar fashion to movies.

Bakra Qistoon Pay is considered to be the show that made stage plays what they are today in Pakistan. Before the advent of Bakra Qistoon Pay majority stage shows in Pakistan used to be classy with rather poetic dialogues. After Bakra Qistoon Pay stage shows became a vibrant, majorly comical (and often gritty) part of the Pakistani culture. It has also sparked many sequels. He has also produced films like Mr. 420, Mr. Charlie, Miss Fitna, etc.

The popularity of Bakra Qistoon Pay also crossed the border into India as well and Umer Sharif became a famous name in India as well. Many of his famous dialogues were copied in Bollywood movies. Sharif is in process of completing his first Indian movie, Tum Mere Ho, as a director.^[1] ^[2] ^[3]