Omid Djalili
Known for: 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.
Filmography
Series
Midsomer Murders
Othello Khan
1997
Series
The Graham Norton Show
Self
2007
Series
Top Gear
Self
2002
Series
Have I Got News for You
Self - Host
1990
Series
Have I Got News for You
Self
1990
Film
Gladiator
Slave Trader
2000
Series
The One Show
Self - Guest
2006
Series
The One Show
Self
2006
Series
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Self - Guest
1993
Series
Question Time
Himself - Panellist
1979
Series
Dispatches
1987
Film
The Mummy
Gad Hassan
1999
Series
GMTV
Self
1993
Series
His Dark Materials
Dr. Martin Lanselius
2019
Film
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Askay / Pusasn
2007
Series
Would I Lie to You?
Self
2007
Series
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Self - Team Captain
1996
Film
The Bad Guys 2
Mr. Soliman (voice)
2025
Series
Relic Hunter
Sayid Ahmed Habris
1999
Series
Have I Got a Bit More News for You
Self - Presenter
Film
Over the Hedge
Tiger (voice)
2006
Series
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law
Perfectionist (voice)
2000
Series
The Ruth Rendell Mysteries
Mr Kaiafas
1987
Series
Celebrity Mastermind
2003
Series
Room 101
Self
1994
Series
Black Books
Trebor
2000
Film
The World Is Not Enough
Foreman
1999
Film
Shaun the Sheep Movie
Trumper (voice)
2015
Film
Notting Hill
Coffee Shop Cashier (uncredited)
1999
Series
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Self
2001
Film
Deep Cover
Sagar
2025
Film
In Your Dreams
Sandman (voice)
2025
Series
Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled
Self
2014
Series
Kate Garraway's Life Stories
2009
Film
Spy Game
Doumet
2001
Film
Sex and the City 2
Mr. Safir, Hotel Manager
2010
Film
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
Greek Official
2018
Series
Michael McIntyre's The Wheel
Self - Expert
2020
Series
Live at the Apollo
2004
Film
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
Cavalier
2018
Film
Love Again
Mohsen
2023
Series
Blankety Blank
Self - Panellist
2021
Series
Jason and the Argonauts
Castor
2000
Film
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Kaji
2004
Series
Dickensian
Mr Venus
2015
Series
Whoopi
Nasim Khatenjami
2003
Series
One Night Stand
1989
Series
Alexei Sayle's Merry-Go-Round
1998
Film
The Love Guru
Guru Satchabigknoba
2008
Film
Mean Machine
Raj
2001
Film
Journey to Bethlehem
Melchior
2023
Series
Beat the Chasers
Self
2020
Film
Casanova
Lupo
2005
The Michael Ball Show
Self
2010
Series
The Change
Steve
2023
Series
Insert Name Here
Self - Panelist
2016
Series
Lock, Stock...
Ali Gadaffi
2000
Series
Paul O'Grady's Saturday Night Line Up
Self - Guest
2021
Let's Dance for Sport Relief
Self - Contestant
2010
Film
Modigliani
Pablo Picasso
2004
The Siege
Film
Molly Moon and the Incredible Book of Hypnotism
Barry Rix
2015
Film
Alien Autopsy
Melik
2006
Series
The Great Sport Relief Bake Off
Self - Host
2012
All the Queen's Horses with Alan Titchmarsh
Self
2009
The Paul Reiser Show
Habib
2011
Series
Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive
2006
Film
Dying Laughing
Self
2017
Film
The Infidel
Mahmud Nasir
2010
Film
The Calcium Kid
Herbie Bush
2004
Small Potatoes
Hoss
1999
Film
Mr. Nice
Saleem Malik
2010
Series
Comedy World Cup
Team Captain
2012
Series
TV Heaven, Telly Hell
2006
Film
A Grand Night In: The Story of Aardman
Self - Voice of Trumper
2015
Film
Dinotopia 2: The Temptation
Zipeau (voice)
2002
Film
Dead Man Running
Fat Bald Man
2009
Series
Headcases
2008
Series
The Omid Djalili Show
2007
Film
My Family and Other Animals
Spiro
2005
Film
Mad Cows
George
1999
Series
Winning Combination
Self - Presenter
2020
Chandshanbeh Ba Sina
Guest
Series
Going Forward
Dave Wilde
2016
Film
Big Fat Gypsy Gangster
Jik Jickkles
2011
Film
Anita and Me
Uncle Amman
2002
Film
Grow Your Own
Ali
2007
Film
Dinotopia 4: New Horizons
Zipeau (voice)
2003
Series
Britney
Dr. Pellis
2021
Film
Tomorrow Morning
2022
Film
Christmas Comedy Club with Lost Voice Guy
Self
2021
The Secret Policeman's Ball: The Ball in the Hall
Self
2006
Film
World's Greatest Stand Up: Volume One
self
2006
Film
The Comedian's Guide to Survival
Himself
2016
Film
We Are Most Amused
Self
2008
About A Bell
Sami Shehadi
Film
Dinotopia 3: The Election
Zipeau (voice)
2002
Coming Soon
1999
Film
We Are Most Amused and Amazed
Self
2018
Film
Just Like Us
Self
2011
Film
Cold War Steve Meets the Outside World
Self
2020
Coming Soon
Amir Hassan
1999
Film
Retrospective
Nabil Sr
2014
Film
Les Dawson Lost Tapes
Self
2021
Film
Dinotopia 6: The Exit
Zipeau (voice)
2003
Film
Dinotopia 5: The Virus
Zipeau (voice)
2003
Film
New Town
Walter
2009
Comic Aid
2005
Cinema Iran
Self - Presenter
2005
Film
The Egyptian Job
Himself (Narrator)
2011
Film
Deadlines
Abdul Sayyaf
2005
Film
Omid Djalili: No Agenda
Omid Djalili
2007
Film
The Way Out
Guide
2020
Performance Live: The Way Out
Guide
One-Night Stand: Omid Djalili
Himself
2005
Film
Chopratown
Ali Ergun
2005
Film
Omid Djalili: Live in London
Omid Djalili
2009
Film
Omid Djalili: Tour of Duty
Self
2012
Series
Dinotopia
Zipeau
2002