Sharif has worked as an actor, appearing in the 2000 Egyptian miniseries Wagh el qamar, the 2005-6 Canadian series Virginie, the 2008 Egyptian film Hassan wa Morcus, and the 2016 Irish film The Secret Scripture. When he became an actor, his grandfather said to him: “I gave you my name, I gave you my looks. I'm not going to give you anything else. You have to do it entirely on your own.”
He was a presenter at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards in 2011, during which he performed a memorable comedic Sketch with Kirk Douglas.
He was honored as one of the “Out 100” in 2012,” The Advocate's "40 Under 40" in 2014 and 2015, and won Attitude Magazine's 'Inspiration Award' in 2016.
From 2013 to 2015, he was the National Spokesperson for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).
In an August 2015 interview, Sharif said that his recently deceased grandfather, Omar Sharif, had been aware of his homosexuality and had never had a Problem with it. He also said he hoped to change Egyptian attitudes toward gay people. “I’m a son, I’m a brother, I’m a coworker, I’m a friend,” he said. “I’m not a fact, or a figure, or a statistic. I’m not a moral or an ethical debate.”
Sharif gave a speech at the 2016 Oslo Freedom Forum discussing his coming out story during Arab Spring and admitting to suicidal thoughts.
His most recent film 11th Hour, directed by Jim Sheridan, and co-starring Salma Hayek was selected by the TriBeCa Film Festival in 2017
