Omid Djalili

Biography

Award-winning comedian and actor Omid Djalili has gained international acclaim for his stand-up as well as comedic and dramatic acting roles on stage, film and TV.

British-Iranian Omid has twice won the Edinburgh Spirit of the Fringe and Time Out’s Best Stand-Up awards, and has been nominated for the Perrier. His energetic, full-on cabaret routine mixes observations, caricatures and stories which mock stereotypes and play on preconceptions. Described by the Guardian as “one of the most subversive, let alone funniest, comedians around" he often sneaks thought-provoking ideas into gag-filled routines.

As an actor Omid has appeared on the big screen in everything from The Mummy and Casanova to Mean Machine and Pirates of the Caribbean - At World’s End. He’s made appearances in Gladiator, Sex and The City 2, Notting Hill and The World Is Not Enough. Other film credits include Shaun the Sheep Movie, Jason & The Argonauts and Spy Game. He starred in the David Baddiel-penned film The Infidel playing a Muslim who discovers his Jewish heritage, and was Fagin in Oliver! in the West End. He also provided the voice of Yusuf Amir in the Grand Theft Auto series of games and was a Executive Producer of the Iraq war protest documentary We Are Many.

On television Omid has appeared in comedies on both sides of the Atlantic, cropping up in Black Books and Lead Balloon, and co-starring with Whoopi Goldberg in her sitcom Whoopi. He starred in two series of his own sketch and stand-up show on BBC One, and was only the second British comic (after Eddie Izzard) to be given his own HBO special. His exhaustive TV credits also take in Live at the Apollo, Question Time, The One Show, This Week, and most of the panel shows.

Omid’s energetic, charismatic presence has won over audiences around the world performing across Europe, America, Australia and the Middle East. His mixture of characterisations, cultural observations and gags mark him out as one of the best, most natural live performers around.