Mohammad Umer (19 April 1960 – 2 October 2021),[1] known professionally as Umer Shareef, was a Pakistani actor, comedian, director, producer, and television personality.[5][6]
Umer Shareef TI | |
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عمر شریف | |
Born | Mohammad Umer (1960-04-19)19 April 1960[1] |
Died | 2 October 2021(2021-10-02) (aged 61)[1] Nuremberg, Germany |
Resting place | Abdullah Shah Ghazi Mazar, Clifton, Karachi[2] |
Occupation |
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Years active | 1974–2021 |
Title | King of Comedy[3][4] |
Spouses |
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Awards | Tamgha-e-Imtiaz |
Comedy career | |
Medium |
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Genres |
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Mohammad Umer was born on 19 April 1955,[1] into an Urdu speaking family in Liaquatabad, Karachi.[7]
In 1974, Umer started his career from Karachi as a stage performer at the age of 19. He joined theatre, using the stage name Umer Zarif but later renamed that to Umer Sharif.[7] Some of his extremely popular comedy stage plays were 1989's Bakra Qistoon Pe and Buddha Ghar Pe Ha.[7]
Sharif became a very popular star during this period.[7] Much of the success came from the fact that he started to record his stage shows and his videotapes were rented out in a similar manner to movies.[7] Yes Sir Eid and No Sir Eid were among the first stage plays to come out on video.[7]
In October 2009, Sharif started hosting his own late-night talk show, The Shareef Show, on Geo TV. He interviewed many actors, entertainers, musicians, and politicians on the show.[7] He also appeared as a guest judge on the Indian stand-up comedy show The Great Indian Laughter Challenge, alongside Navjot Singh Siddhu, and Shekhar Suman.[7]
Sharif received National awards for Best Director and Best Actor in 1992 for Mr. 420. He received ten Nigar Awards. Sharif was the only actor to receive four Nigar Awards in a single year. He received three Graduate Awards. Sharif was also a recipient of Tamgha-e-Imtiaz.[8][9]
In 2006, the Umer Sharif Welfare Trust was formed with the stated goal of creating a "state of the art health center that provides services free of cost."[10]
For the 50-year anniversary of Pakistan's independence, Sharif performed a play called Umer Sharif Haazir Ho. In the play, a representative from many occupations were called into court and asked what they had done for Pakistan in the past 50 years. The Lawyer's Association stated a case against Sharif as a result.[11]
On 10 September 2021, Pakistani television host and news anchor Waseem Badami posted a video of Shareef on Instagram where he requested the then Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan facilitate cancer treatment for him overseas.[12][13][14] Soon after the video came out, Indian singer Daler Mehndi also appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan for immediate treatment for Sharif.[15][16] On 11 September 2021, the government formed a medical board to decide whether or not to send him abroad for treatment.[17] He was granted a United States visa for medical treatment on 16 September 2021[18] and the Sindh government also approved 40 million rupees for his treatment.[19][20] Despite all these projects, on 2 October 2021, he died in a hospital in Nuremberg, Germany,[21][22] at the age of 66.[1]
Referred to as the "King of Comedy", Sharif is considered to be one of the greatest comedians of South Asia.[23] Popular Indian comedians like Johnny Lever hailed him as "The God Of Asian Comedy".[24]
Leading Pakistani in show business and political leaders offered their condolences including Mehwish Hayat, Hareem Farooq and Imran Khan (Prime Minister of Pakistan).[25][26][27][28]
This section needs additional citations for verification. (October 2021) |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1986 | Hisab | [29] | |
1987 | Kundan | ||
1992 | Mr. 420 | [29] | |
1993 | Mr. Charlie | [30] | |
1994 | Khandan | [31] | |
1994 | Laat Sahb | [32] | |
1994 | Ghunda Raj | [33] | |
1994 | Zameen Aasman | [34] | |
1994 | But Shikkan | [35] | |
1995 | Mastana Mahi | [36] | |
1999 | Chand Babu | [37] |
Year | Show | Role | Channel | Notes |
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2009 | The Shareef Show | Host | Geo TV |
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Nigar Award for Best Actor (for Urdu films) | |
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Nigar Award for Best Director (for Urdu films) | |
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Nigar Award for Best Comedian | |
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Special Awards from Nigar Awards | |||||||||||||
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Special Awards |
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For 30 Years of Excellence |
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Millennium Award |
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Ilyas Rashidi Gold Medal |
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Honorary gold medal awarded |
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Legend awards |
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Lifetime Achievement Award |
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