Omid Djalili is an Iranian-British actor, comedian and writer from Chelsea, United Kingdom. He is born in 1965 and grows up in London in an Iranian Bahá’í family; he is a Bahá’í himself. He attends Holland Park School and then the University of Ulster in Coleraine, Northern Ireland, where he studies English and theatre studies.

Stand-up comedy

Djalili first gains major recognition at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1995 with Short, Fat Kebab Shop Owner’s Son, followed by The Arab and the Jew in 1996. In 2005 he breaks Edinburgh Festival box office records with more than 16,500 ticket sales. He has toured internationally, performing in countries including Australia, Ireland, Denmark, Canada, Germany and the United States. His comedy awards include the EMMA Award, Time Out Award, LWT Comedy Award for Best Stand-up Comedian, and the Spirit of the Fringe Award.

Television and live presenting

In the United States, Djalili appears in 22 episodes of the NBC sitcom Whoopi, starring with Whoopi Goldberg, and he is also known there for playing Nasim. He appears on the British television show Top Gear as a celebrity driver in 2005. He guest-presents Have I Got News for You in October 2007, and The Omid Djalili Show begins on BBC One in November 2007 as a mix of sketches and stand-up. A second series is recorded in late 2008 and begins broadcasting in April 2009. He also performs on We Are Most Amused on ITV to mark Prince Charles’s 60th birthday in 2008. His Channel 4 documentary Bloody Foreigners wins the One World Media Award.

Film and voice work

Djalili appears in a number of films, including Gladiator, The Mummy, Mean Machine, Alien Autopsy, Spy Game, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Grow Your Own, Notting Hill and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. He has said that he is often cast in generic Middle Eastern background roles. He also receives an international film award for Best Supporting Actor for Casanova, in which he appears alongside Heath Ledger.

Stage, gaming and other work

In 2009, Djalili takes over the role of Fagin in a West End production of Oliver! at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London, following Rowan Atkinson. He also voices Yusuf Amir in Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony and the wider Grand Theft Auto series. He appears in the David Baddiel scripted film The Infidel and in television and cinema adverts for MoneySupermarket in 2010.

Recognition

Alongside his wins, Djalili is nominated for 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 Bloody Foreigners. He is voted the 60th best stand-up comedian in Channel 4’s The 100 Greatest Stand-Ups in 2007.