Omid Djalili facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Omid Djalili
Djalili at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival
Native name	امید جلیلی
Born	(1965-09-30) 30 September 1965 (age 59) Kensington, London, England
Medium	Film stand-up television
Alma mater	Ulster University (BA)
Subject(s)	Religion race culture stereotypes human interaction
Spouse	Annabel Knight ​ (m. 1992)​
Children	3

Omid Djalili (Persian: امید جلیلی) is a British comedian, actor, and writer. He was born on September 30, 1965. Omid is well-known for his funny stand-up comedy shows and his many roles in movies and TV shows.

About Omid Djalili

Early Life and School

Omid Djalili was born in Kensington, London, England. His parents, Ahmad and Parvaneh Djalili, moved to London from Tehran, Iran, in 1958. They followed the Baháʼí Faith, which is a religion that teaches about peace and unity.

Omid went to Holland Park School. He faced some challenges with his exams but eventually got into Ulster University in Coleraine, Northern Ireland. There, he studied English and theatre. He was inspired by famous actors like Jack Lemmon and Meryl Streep.

Comedy Shows and Tours

Omid Djalili started his comedy career at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1995. This is a very famous arts festival. His first successful show was called "Short, Fat Kebab Shop Owner's Son." The next year, he performed "The Arab and the Jew" with another comedian, Ivor Dembina.

Omid has performed his comedy all over the world. He has done shows in places like Australia, Ireland, Canada, and the United States. He even had his own special show on HBO, a big TV channel.

In 2005, Omid appeared on the popular British TV show Top Gear. He also helped raise money for Comic Relief after a big earthquake and tsunami in 2004. In 2005, he sold over 16,500 tickets at the Edinburgh Festival, which was a record!

In 2006, Sky Television chose Omid to be the face of their Saturday night movie premieres. He also went on a big tour around the UK called 'No Agenda' in 2007. Later, he had his own TV show on BBC1 called The Omid Djalili Show, which featured funny sketches and stand-up comedy.

In 2023, Omid Djalili was scheduled to perform in a show called 'Omid Djalili and Friends'. However, he did not appear due to safety concerns.

Acting Roles in Movies and TV

Omid Djalili is also a talented actor. He has been in many well-known movies. Some of these include Gladiator, The Mummy, The World Is Not Enough (a James Bond film), and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. He also lent his voice to the animated movie Over the Hedge.

He often plays characters from the Middle East in films. He won an award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Lupo in the movie Casanova, where he acted alongside Heath Ledger.

On TV, Omid appeared in 22 episodes of the American show Whoopi, starring Whoopi Goldberg. He also became the voice of Yusuf Amir in the popular video game series Grand Theft Auto. He first played this role in Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony in 2009 and again in 2023 for Grand Theft Auto Online.

In 2009, Omid played the character of Fagin in the famous musical Oliver! in London's West End. He also starred in a praised performance of Fiddler on the Roof in 2017.

Other Projects

Omid Djalili has also been involved in other interesting projects. In 2008, he was a judge at the Noor Iranian Film Festival. In 2010, he performed with the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, narrating a musical piece.

In 2022, he filmed two pilot episodes for a chat show called Tonight With Omid for the BBC. One version was in Persian and the other in English. In 2023, he appeared on ITV's Kate Garraway's Life Stories.

Awards and Nominations

Omid Djalili has won several awards for his comedy. These include the EMMA Award, the Time Out Award, and the LWT Comedy Award for Best Stand-up Comedian. He also received the One World Media Award for his Channel 4 documentary, Bloody Foreigners.

He has also been nominated for many other awards, such as the Perrier Award for Best Comedian and the Royal Television Society Award for Best Stand-up.

Personal Life

Omid Djalili married actress Annabel Knight in 1992. They have three children together. He is a follower of the Baháʼí Faith. In January 2023, Omid supported protests in Trafalgar Square related to the death of Mahsa Amini.

Filmography

Movies

Television Shows

Video Games

Selected Theatre Performances

• Oliver!, as Fagin, Director Rupert Goold, Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, 2009
• Fiddler on the Roof, as Tevye, Director Daniel Evans, Chichester Festival Theatre, 2017

Images for kids

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  Omid Djalili at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival

See also

In Spanish: Omid Djalili para niños