Top Secret! (1984)

The Scene: Souvenirs, Novelties, Party Tricks

Why We Love This Scene: Sadly, the iconic Egyptian actor, Omar Sharif died today at the age of 83. He was a terrific actor and has won such acclaim in his memorable roles in Lawrence of Arabia and Dr. Zhivago. I didn’t see those films until I was in my late teens. I didn;t know who Omar Sharif was until then. However, my first introduction to him was when I laughed my ass off to the Zucker brothers’ & Jim Abraham’s Top Secret! Looking back now it’s even funnier seeing such a classically trained and critically lauded actor like Sharif play for yucks in this silly and absurd spy spoof. I applaud any serious actor when they let down their hair and get wacky. Sorry to see you go Mr. Sharif. 

But we’ve mentioned Top Secret before and for good reason—it’s one of the top ten funniest movies in the galaxy and I don’t care what the hipsters on Planet 467 say about Gorfpluxboz, it’s just one recurring joke played to death! But for the tribute of Omar Sharif here are two excellent scenes that showcase his deadpan humor in light of the absurd subject matter.