Omid Djalili
Acting
Omid Djalili is a British stand-up comedian, actor, television producer and writer. Djalili was born on 30 September 1965 in St Mary Abbots Hospital in Kensington, London, to Iranian Baháʼí parents Ahmad and Parvaneh Djalili. His parents emigrated from Tehran to London in 1958. He has a brother and sister. His mother was a dressmaker who at one point assisted Iranian singer Googoosh. His father was a liaison officer at the Iranian embassy in which he would provide medical assistance. He was also a photographer whose pictures ended up in the newspaper Kayhan. He attended Holland Park School where he failed A-level exams a record six times and faked his results to gain entry to Ulster University in Coleraine, Northern Ireland, studying English and theatre studies having been turned down by 16 drama schools. Djalili cited Jack Lemmon, Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken and Julia Roberts as influences. The first significant success of his stand-up comedy career was at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1995 with "Short, Fat Kebab Shop Owner's Son", followed by "The Arab and the Jew" with Jewish comedian Ivor Dembina in 1996. Djalili has appeared in a number of films, most notably Gladiator, The Mummy, Mean Machine, The World Is Not Enough, Alien Autopsy, Spy Game, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Grow Your Own, Notting Hill, Mr Nice, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Sex and the City 2 and provides his voice in Over the Hedge. He has observed that he usually appears as a generic Middle Eastern background character in many of these films, often commenting that he appears in the James Bond film as the "Second Azerbaijani oil pipe attendant". He appeared as Nasim in 22 episodes of the U.S. sitcom Whoopi, starring Whoopi Goldberg, and picked up an international film award for Best Supporting Actor in Casanova, starring alongside Heath Ledger and Jeremy Irons. Djalili has won awards for his comedy. These include the EMMA Award, Time Out Award, and LWT Comedy Award for Best Stand-up Comedian, Spirit of the Fringe Award as well as the One World Media Award for his Channel 4 documentary, Bloody Foreigners. He has also been nominated for awards, such as 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 his Bloody Foreigners.
Known for
Acting116
movieIn Your Dreams
2025
Sandman (voice)
movieThe Bad Guys 2
2025
Mr. Soliman (voice)
movieDeep Cover
2025
Sagar
movieJourney to Bethlehem
2023
Melchior
tvThe Change
2023
Steve
movieLove Again
2023
Mohsen
tvBritney
2021
Dr. Pellis
tvBlankety Blank
2021
Self - Panellist
tvPaul O'Grady's Saturday Night Line Up
2021
Self - Guest
tvMichael McIntyre's The Wheel
2020
Self - Expert
tvWinning Combination
2020
Self - Presenter
movieThe Way Out
2020
Guide
tvHis Dark Materials
2019
Dr. Martin Lanselius
movieMamma Mia! Here We Go Again
2018
Greek Official
tvGoing Forward
2016
Dave Wilde
tvInsert Name Here
2016
Self - Panelist
movieA Grand Night In: The Story of Aardman
2015
Self - Voice of Trumper
tvDickensian
2015
Mr Venus
movieShaun the Sheep Movie
2015
Trumper (voice)
movieRetrospective
2014
Nabil Sr
tvComedy World Cup
2012
Team Captain
tvThe Great Sport Relief Bake Off
2012
Self - Host
movieBig Fat Gypsy Gangster
2011
Jik Jickkles
movieThe Egyptian Job
2011
Himself (Narrator)
movieMr. Nice
2010
Saleem Malik
movieSex and the City 2
2010
Mr. Safir, Hotel Manager
Let's Dance for Sport Relief
2010
Self - Contestant
movieThe Infidel
2010
Mahmud Nasir
movieOmid Djalili: Live in London
2009
Omid Djalili
movieNew Town
2009
Walter
movieDead Man Running
2009
Fat Bald Man
movieThe Love Guru
2008
Guru Satchabigknoba
movieOmid Djalili: No Agenda
2007
Omid Djalili
moviePirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
2007
Askay / Pusasn
tvThe One Show
2006
Self - Guest / Self
movieOver the Hedge
2006
Tiger (voice)
movieChopratown
2005
Ali Ergun
movieDeadlines
2005
Abdul Sayyaf
Cinema Iran
2005
Self - Presenter
movieModigliani
2004
Pablo Picasso
movieThe Calcium Kid
2004
Herbie Bush
tvWhoopi
2003
Nasim Khatenjami
movieDinotopia 6: The Exit
2003
Zipeau (voice)
movieDinotopia 5: The Virus
2003
Zipeau (voice)
movieDinotopia 4: New Horizons
2003
Zipeau (voice)
movieDinotopia 3: The Election
2002
Zipeau (voice)
movieDinotopia 2: The Temptation
2002
Zipeau (voice)
tvDinotopia
2002
Zipeau
movieAnita and Me
2002
Uncle Amman
tvTop Gear
2002
Self
movieSpy Game
2001
Doumet
tvHarvey Birdman, Attorney at Law
2000
Perfectionist (voice)
tvBlack Books
2000
Trebor
tvLock, Stock...
2000
Ali Gadaffi
movieGladiator
2000
Slave Trader
movieMad Cows
1999
George
tvRelic Hunter
1999
Sayid Ahmed Habris
Coming Soon
1999
Amir Hassan
movieNotting Hill
1999
Coffee Shop Cashier (uncredited)
movieThe Mummy
1999
Gad Hassan
tvMidsomer Murders
1997
Othello Khan
tvNever Mind the Buzzcocks
1996
Self - Team Captain
tvRoom 101
1994
Self
tvLate Night with Conan O'Brien
1993
Self - Guest
tvGMTV
1993
Self
tvHave I Got News for You
1990
Self - Host / Self
tvThe Ruth Rendell Mysteries
1987
Mr Kaiafas
tvQuestion Time
1979
Himself - Panellist
About A Bell
Sami Shehadi
tvHave I Got a Bit More News for You
Self - Presenter
Production4
movieWe Are Many
2014
Executive Producer
movieOmid Djalili: Tour of Duty
2012
Executive Producer
movieThe Infidel
2010
Executive Producer
movieOmid Djalili: Live in London
2009
Executive Producer
Writing2
Creator1
tvThe Omid Djalili Show
2007
Creator