Omid Djalili
Date of Birth: September 30, 1965
Gender: Male
Place of Birth: Chelsea, London, England, UK
Biography:
Omid Djalili was born on September 30, 1965, in St Mary Abbots Hospital, Kensington, London. His parents, Ahmad and Parvaneh Djalili, were Iranian Baháʼí immigrants who had made the journey from Tehran to London in 1958. The family grew up with a deep love for cinema, as Omid's father was once a photographer whose photographs appeared in newspapers, and his mother worked alongside iconic Iranian singer Googoosh as a dressmaker.
Omid attended Holland Park School but faced challenges in academics. Despite failing A-level exams six times, he managed to fake his results to get into Ulster University in Coleraine, Northern Ireland, where he studied English and theatre studies. Even then, Omid was rejected by 16 drama schools before finally embarking on his career in comedy and acting.
His comedy career took flight with his first significant success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1995 with "Short, Fat Kebab Shop Owner's Son." He continued to gain recognition with "The Arab and the Jew," a collaboration with Jewish comedian Ivor Dembina in 1996.
Omid has appeared in numerous films, including Gladiator, The Mummy, Mean Machine, The World Is Not Enough, Alien Autopsy, Spy Game, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Grow Your Own, Notting Hill, Mr Nice, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Sex and the City 2, and Over the Hedge, where he lent his voice. He often found himself typecast as a generic Middle Eastern character but once humorously remarked that his role in the James Bond film was the "Second Azerbaijani oil pipe attendant."
In 2004, Omid starred as Nasim in the U.S. sitcom Whoopi, alongside comedy legend Whoopi Goldberg. He also received an international film award for Best Supporting Actor in Casanova, sharing the screen with Heath Ledger and Jeremy Irons.
Throughout his career, Omid has won several awards for his comedy performances. Some of these accolades include the EMMA Award, Time Out Award, LWT Comedy Award for Best Stand-up Comedian, Spirit of the Fringe Award, and One World Media Award for his Channel 4 documentary, Bloody Foreigners. He was also nominated for prestigious awards like the Perrier Award for Best Comedian, the Gemini Award for Best Comedy Performance of 2003, the South Bank Award for Best Comedy of 2003, the Royal Television Society Award for Best Stand-up, and the European TV Award for his Bloody Foreigners.
As we trace Omid Djalili's journey from a young boy in London to an internationally acclaimed stand-up comedian and actor, it's clear that his Iranian heritage and love for cinema played a significant role in shaping his career. His unique perspective has brought laughter and depth to both the stage and screen, solidifying his place as one of the most dynamic performers in entertainment today.
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