Omar Sy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Omar Sy
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Sy at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival
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| Born | 20 January 1978 Trappes, France
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| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Hélène Sy
(m. 2007) |
| Children | 5 |
Omar Sy (born January 20, 1978) is a famous French actor. In France, he first became known for his comedy sketches with his friend Fred Testot. Their show was called Service après-vente des émissions.
Sy became a global star after his role in the 2011 movie Intouchables. For this film, he won the César Award for Best Actor, which is like the French version of an Oscar. He was the first Black actor to win this award.
You might also know him from big Hollywood movies like X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) and Jurassic World (2015). He also starred in the popular Netflix series Lupin (2021–present) and returned for Jurassic World Dominion (2022).
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Early Life and Family
Omar Sy was born in Trappes, a town near Paris, France. He was the fourth of eight children. His parents moved to France from West Africa. His mother, Diaratou, was a house cleaner from Mauritania, and his father, Demba, was a factory worker from Senegal.
Sy grew up in a diverse neighborhood. His family spoke the Pulaar language at home and visited Senegal often. Growing up, he became good friends with actor Jamel Debbouze and soccer star Nicolas Anelka.
Acting Career
Sy started his career in 1996 at a radio station called Radio Nova. There, he met his future comedy partner, Fred Testot. They worked together on several TV shows, including a very popular comedy sketch show that ran from 2005 to 2012.
Breakthrough with The Intouchables
In 2011, Sy starred in the movie The Intouchables. He played a young man from the suburbs who is hired to care for a wealthy man who cannot move his body (quadriplegic). The movie was a huge hit in France and around the world.
The film sold over 19 million tickets in France, making it one of the country's most successful movies ever. Sy's performance won him many awards, including the César Award for Best Actor. This major award made him a household name in France.
Hollywood and Global Success
After the success of The Intouchables, Sy began working in American movies. In 2014, he played the mutant Bishop in X-Men: Days of Future Past. The next year, he played Barry, a dinosaur handler, in the blockbuster film Jurassic World. He returned to this role in Jurassic World Dominion in 2022.
He has also appeared in other big films like Inferno (2016) and Transformers: The Last Knight (2017).
The Master of Disguise in Lupin
In 2021, Sy took on the lead role of Assane Diop in the Netflix series Lupin. The show is inspired by the classic French stories of Arsène Lupin, a gentleman thief and master of disguise.
Lupin became a massive international hit. It was one of the most-watched non-English shows on Netflix. Sy's performance was praised, and in 2021, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Personal Life
On July 5, 2007, Omar Sy married his longtime partner, Hélène. They have five children together. The family lived in a town near Paris before moving to Los Angeles in 2012. When he moved to the U.S., Sy worked hard to improve his English so he could act in American films.
Sy is a Muslim. He is also a big fan of the French soccer team Olympique de Marseille.
In October 2023, he signed an open letter with other artists calling for peace during the conflict in Gaza.
Business and Other Work
Besides acting, Sy is also involved in business. In June 2025, he became a co-owner of the French basketball team Paris Basketball.
See also
In Spanish: Omar Sy para niños
