Omar Sharif has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, the actor’s agent Steve Kenis confirmed to the Associated Press.

Omar Sharif, now 83, is best known for his roles in the 1960’s movies Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago.

The news come after Omar Sharif’s son Tarek gave an interview to Spain’s El Mundo newspaper at the weekend.

Tarek El-Sharif told the paper: “It’s difficult to determine what stage it is at. It’s obvious he’ll never improve and it will get worse.”

Egypt-born Omar Sharif won two Golden Globe awards and an Oscar nomination for his role as Sherif Ali in David Lean’s 1962 epic Lawrence of Arabia.

Omar Sharif won a further Golden Globe three years later for Doctor Zhivago.

“He still knows he’s a famous actor. The loss of memory affects above all specific things, details like when he was in a specific place or who he acted with in a specific film,” Tarek El-Sharif told El Mundo.

“He remembers, for example, that it was Doctor Zhivago but he’s forgotten when it was filmed.

“He can talk about the film but he forgets its name or he calls it something else instead like Lawrence of Arabia.”