Tributes have been paid to Omar Sharif, the Egyptian-born actor who took Hollywood by storm, after he died on Friday aged 83.

His agent confirmed that the star of "Funny Girl" and "Genghis Khan" had a heart attack in hospital in Cairo where he had been undergoing treatment for the past month.

Sharif was already a huge name in Middle Eastern cinema when he was offered his first major Hollywood role in "Lawrence of Arabia" in 1962. The blockbuster went on to win seven Oscars and Sharif received an Academy Award nomination. He picked up Golden Globes for that performance and for his work in another hit "Doctor Zhivago."

In 1968, he was lambasted in the Middle East for starring alongside Jewish star Barbra Streisand in "Funny Girl" and his private life was often fodder for tabloids. In 2003, he received a suspended prison sentence for striking a police officer at a casino in Paris.

Fluent in six languages, Sharif starred in many films and television productions all over the world in a career that spanned six decades. His most recent film credit was for a role in the 2013 film "Rock the Casbah."

Fellow Hollywood star Antonio Banderes, who starred with Sharif in "The 13th Warrior" took to Twitter to describe his former co-star as "one of the best" adding that he "would be missed."

Actor Matthew Modine thanked Sharif for his "indelible mark on cinema."

Director Roland Emmerich said he was saddened at the news but "blessed that I was able to work with such a legend," after Sharif narrated "10,000 BC"

In May, Sharif's son confirmed his father was suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

Preparations were being made in for his funeral on Sunday in Cairo.

mm/kms (Reuters, dpa)