Actor Omar Sharif Says Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Should Go

Even Doctor Zhivago wants Egypt's president to resign.

Egypt's most famous actor, Omar Sharif, told a French radio station today that President Hosni Mubarak "should have resigned." His comments come amid weeklong protests against Mubarak's generation-long autocratic rule.

"Given that the entire Egyptian people don't want him and he's been in power for 30 years, that's enough," Sharif, 78, said by telephone from his home in Cairo. He was speaking to France Inter radio, and the report was picked up by Reuters.

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Actor Omar Sharif, seen here in December 2009, said that Egypt's president "hasn't improved the standard of living of Egyptians."

Originally from the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, Sharif is most famous for his roles in Hollywood movies like "Doctor Zhivago" (1965), "Funny Girl" (1968) and "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962). The latter earned him an Academy Award nomination, and he won three Golden Globes. He is Egypt's most renowned actor internationally.

"The president hasn't improved the standard of living of Egyptians. There are some people that are very rich -- maybe 1 percent -- and the rest are all poor trying to find food," Sharif said.

But the actor said he was also worried that Egypt's largest opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, could take over if Mubarak leaves.

"I don't want the Muslim Brotherhood," said Sharif, who was born a member of Egypt's Christian minority but later converted to Islam. "They were trapped and now are starting to come out. They have 20 percent of the population, and it's frightening for me."