Omar Sy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Omar Sy
Sy at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival
Born	(1978-01-20) 20 January 1978 (age 47) Trappes, France
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2000–present
Spouse(s)	Hélène Sy ​ (m. 2007)​
Children	5

Omar Sy (born 20 January 1978) is a famous French actor. He is well-known in France for his funny skits with Fred Testot on the TV show Service après-vente des émissions (2005–2012).

Omar Sy became famous around the world for his role in the 2011 movie Intouchables. For this film, he won the César Award for Best Actor, becoming the first Black actor to receive this honor. You might also know him from big Hollywood movies like X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) and Jurassic World (2015). More recently, he has starred in the popular Netflix series Lupin (2021–present).

Early life and family

Omar Sy was born on January 20, 1978, in Trappes, France. He is the fourth of eight children in his family. His parents came to France from West Africa. His mother, Diaratou, was from Mauritania and worked as a house cleaner. His father, Demba, was from Senegal and worked in a car parts factory.

Omar Sy's family is of Fulani origin. He grew up in low-income housing areas in Trappes. His family often visited Senegal during the summer, and they spoke the Pulaar language at home.

Acting career highlights

Omar Sy winning the César Award for Best Actor in 2012 at the 37th César Awards for The Intouchables

Omar Sy started his acting journey in 1996 after finishing high school. He worked at a radio station called Radio Nova, where he met his comedy partner, Fred Testot. They later appeared together on TV shows.

One of their most famous projects was Service après-vente des émissions. This was a short, funny TV series that aired from 2005 to 2012.

In 2006, Omar Sy appeared on the TV game show Fort Boyard. He also lent his voice to characters in French versions of video games and animated movies, like a sheep in Disney's Brother Bear.

Breakthrough with Intouchables

In 2011, Omar Sy starred in the movie The Intouchables. He played a young man from the streets who becomes a helper for a rich man who cannot move his body (played by François Cluzet). The movie was a huge success in France, selling over 19 million tickets. It became the best-selling French film ever in its home country.

Because of his amazing performance, Omar Sy won several awards. He received the Best Actor Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival with his co-star. Most notably, he won the prestigious César Award for Best Actor in 2012. This was a historic moment, as he was the first Black actor to win this award.

In 2012, a poll by Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper voted Omar Sy the favorite personality in France.

Hollywood and Lupin success

Omar Sy began appearing in big Hollywood films. In 2014, he was in X-Men: Days of Future Past as the character Bishop. He also joined the Jurassic Park series, starring in Jurassic World (2015) and Jurassic World Dominion (2022) as Barry. In 2017, he voiced Hot Rod in Transformers: The Last Knight.

In 2021, Omar Sy starred in the Netflix series Lupin. This show is a modern version of the classic French stories about Arsène Lupin, a master thief. Lupin became one of the most-watched non-English shows on Netflix around the world. Following this success, Omar Sy signed a special deal with Netflix to make more movies. In 2021, he was even included in Time magazine's "Time 100" list, which features the most influential people in the world.

He also signed a deal with HBO Max to create TV series for different markets, especially French-speaking ones.

Personal life

Omar Sy married Hélène on July 5, 2007. They had been together for ten years before getting married and have five children. Hélène runs a non-profit organization called CéKeDuBonheur, which helps children in French hospitals. She also has a company that sells organic food supplements.

The family used to live in France but moved to Los Angeles in 2012. To improve his English, Omar Sy met with a language tutor every day and even watched the TV show Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

Omar Sy is a Muslim. He also supports the French football team Olympique de Marseille.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Awards and nominations

See also

In Spanish: Omar Sy para niños