The veteran's son, Tarek, revealed his 83-year-old father was struggling with his memory in a recent interview with Spain's El Mundo newspaper, and now the actor's longtime agent Steven Kenis has confirmed the news, revealing his client is being cared for by his son.

Kenis says, "Omar is suffering from Alzheimer's. I don't know much else. He's living in Egypt these days and he is being looked after by his son Tarek and others."

Sharif, who also appeared in the film classics Lawrence of Arabia and Funny Girl, is currently working on film short 1001 Inventions and the World of Ibn Al-Haytham. His last credited movie was 2013's Rock the Casbah.

News of the actor's memory issues first hit headlines in 2013 when his director friend, Inas Bakr, revealed Sharif was planning to permanently retire from art, due to his age and inability to memorise dialogue.

At the time, she denied he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and insisted the condition was not the reason behind his decision to walk away from the spotlight.