Omar Sharif sentenced to anger management in hitting of valet

The actor must also serve two years' probation.

Actor Omar Sharif

By Peter Y. Hong
Times Staff Writer

February 14, 2007

Actor Omar Sharif was ordered Tuesday to attend anger management classes and serve two years' probation after pleading no contest to hitting a Beverly Hills parking valet.

The plea to a single misdemeanor battery charge was entered by Sharif's attorney, Harland W. Braun, because Sharif was in Egypt.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Richard Stone also ordered Sharif to pay a $100 fine.

Sharif, best known for his roles in the 1960s films "Dr. Zhivago" and "Lawrence of Arabia," struck valet Juan Anderson outside Mastro's Steakhouse on Cañon Drive on June 12, 2005.

Anderson said Sharif, 74, became upset when his Porsche sport utility vehicle was not waiting for him. His lawsuit alleged that Sharif struck him in the face.

Braun said Anderson became upset when Sharif offered to tip him with European currency.

Sharif lives in Egypt and France, Braun said, and visits Los Angeles less often than once a year. Braun had requested that Sharif testify by satellite, but the prosecutor opposed the request, which was rejected by the judge.

Braun said Sharif "would rather have tried the case, but it was impractical to fly in round-trip to testify." The 15 mandatory counseling sessions Sharif will undergo would take less time than the trip to Los Angeles, Braun said.

A district attorney spokeswoman, Jane Robison, said Sharif's sentence was "an appropriate resolution to this case."