Sharif had lost about �22,000 at the casino that night

The Egyptian-born actor, 71, told the court he could not remember the incident, according to officials, but the incident had been captured on the casino's security cameras.

Sharif was given a one-month suspended prison sentence and fined 1,500 euros (�1,100), French court officials said.

He had been gambling at the Enghien-les-Bains casino in the suburbs of Paris on 5 July, and had lost approximately 30,000 euros (�22,000) over the night.

He then got into an argument with the croupier, and a policeman was called.

Sharif then insulted and headbutted the policeman. The officer had to take two days off work after the incident.

The court also told Sharif to pay the policeman 300 euros (�220).

The actor played Sherif Ali ibn el Kharish in the 1962 David Lean classic Lawrence of Arabia, starring Peter O'Toole, and played the lead in Lean's 1965 adaptation of Boris Pasternak's Dr Zhivago.

He more recently appeared in the Antonio Banderas epic The 13th Warrior.