Omar Sharif has died aged 83.

The actor, who is most well known for playing Doctor Zhivago in the eponymous 1965 film, passed away from a heart attack at a hospital in Cairo, Egypt, this afternoon (10.07.15), his agent Steve Kenis has confirmed.

In a statement, he revealed: ''He suffered a heart attack this afternoon in a hospital in Cairo.''

Back in May, Steve revealed the Egyptian star had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and was at a medical facility being treated for the illness when he died.

During his career, Omar starred in over 20 Egyptian movies before making his English language debut as Sherif Ali in the 1962 movie 'Lawrence of Arabia'.

Omar won the Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe for his part in the movie, also earning an Oscar nomination for the role.

During his career spanning almost 60 years he also starred opposite Barbra Streisand in 'Funny Girl' and played Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara in the 1969 biopic 'Che!'.

The three-time Golden Globe winner's final film role was in the 2013 comedy drama 'Rock the Casbah'.

In the final decade of his career, Omar also featured in the television series' 'The Traveller' and 'The Ten Commandments'.