A legend that was!
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Muhammad Umer, known professionally as Umar Sharif, was a Pakistani actor, comedian, director, producer and television personality.
He, however, was regarded as one of the greatest comedians in the sub-continent.
Born on April 19 1955 in Karachi, Umar started his career in 1974 from Karachi as a stage performer at the age of 19 and later joined theatre, using the stage name Umer Zarif but later renamed that to Umar Sharif.
Some of his extremely popular comedy stage plays were 1989's Bakra Qiston Pe and Buddha Ghar Pe Hai.
Popular Indian comedians like Johnny Lever and Raju Srivastav hailed him as "The God of Asian Comedy.”
Indian comedian Johnny Lever prayed for the early recovery of Umar Sharif but he left for his final abode.
Umar Sharif has millions of fans across the border and in the world as he was known for his versatility in comedy performances.
Comedy King performed at Zee Cine Awards in 2004 and 2006 in the presence of Bollywood superstars like Amitabh Bachchan.
Umar Sharif, in October 2009, started hosting his own late-night talk show, The Shareef Show, on a private TV channel in which he interviewed an array of actors, entertainers, musicians and politicians.
Also Read: Comedy legend Umar Sharif passes away in German hospital
The comedy king 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.
He received national awards for Best Director and Best Actor in 1992 for ‘Mr 420’. He has received 10 Nigar Awards.
Pertinent to note that Sharif was the only actor to receive four Nigar Awards in a single year.
He received three Graduate Awards. Sharif is also a recipient of Tamgha-e-Imtiaz.
Referred to as the "King of Comedy", Sharif is considered one of the greatest comedians of Indian subcontinent.
