Doctor Zhivago star Omar Sharif has died after suffering a heart attack in hospital in Cairo, aged 83, Sky News reports.

The Egyptian-born actor rose to international stardom with his role in the 1962 epic Lawrence Of Arabia - his first English-language film.

He earned an Oscar nomination for his turn as Sherif Ali in David Lean's iconic film opposite Peter O'Toole.

Sharif followed the breakthrough performance with the title role in Lean's Doctor Zhivago, co-starring Julie Christie. He then played Fanny Brice's husband, Nicky Arnstein, in Funny Girl alongside Barbra Streisand.

In May, it emerged he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

His last completed feature film credits were in 2013.