Omid Djalili

Biography

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

Midsomer Murders

The Graham Norton Show

Top Gear

Have I Got News for You

Have I Got News for You

Gladiator

Late Night with Conan O'Brien

The One Show

All Movies (64)

• In Your Dreams2025 · as Sandman (voice)
• The Bad Guys 22025 · as Mr. Soliman (voice)
• Deep Cover2025 · as Sagar
• Journey to Bethlehem2023 · as Melchior
• Love Again2023 · as Mohsen
• Tomorrow Morning2022
• Christmas Comedy Club with Lost Voice Guy2021 · as Self
• Les Dawson Lost Tapes2021 · as Self
• Cold War Steve Meets the Outside World2020 · as Self
• The Way Out2020 · as Guide
• We Are Most Amused and Amazed2018 · as Self
• The Nutcracker and the Four Realms2018 · as Cavalier
• Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again2018 · as Greek Official
• Dying Laughing2017 · as Self
• The Comedian's Guide to Survival2016 · as Himself
• A Grand Night In: The Story of Aardman2015 · as Self - Voice of Trumper
• Molly Moon and the Incredible Book of Hypnotism2015 · as Barry Rix
• Shaun the Sheep Movie2015 · as Trumper (voice)
• Retrospective2014 · as Nabil Sr
• Omid Djalili: Tour of Duty2012 · as Self
• Big Fat Gypsy Gangster2011 · as Jik Jickkles
• The Egyptian Job2011 · as Himself (Narrator)
• Just Like Us2011 · as Self
• Mr. Nice2010 · as Saleem Malik
• Sex and the City 22010 · as Mr. Safir, Hotel Manager
• The Infidel2010 · as Mahmud Nasir
• Omid Djalili: Live in London2009 · as Omid Djalili
• New Town2009 · as Walter
• Dead Man Running2009 · as Fat Bald Man
• We Are Most Amused2008 · as Self
• The Love Guru2008 · as Guru Satchabigknoba
• Omid Djalili: No Agenda2007 · as Omid Djalili
• Grow Your Own2007 · as Ali
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End2007 · as Askay / Pusasn
• The Secret Policeman's Ball: The Ball in the Hall2006 · as Self
• Over the Hedge2006 · as Tiger (voice)
• World's Greatest Stand Up: Volume One2006 · as self
• Alien Autopsy2006 · as Melik
• My Family and Other Animals2005 · as Spiro
• Casanova2005 · as Lupo
• Chopratown2005 · as Ali Ergun
• One-Night Stand: Omid Djalili2005 · as Himself
• Deadlines2005 · as Abdul Sayyaf
• Cinema Iran2005 · as Self - Presenter
• Comic Aid2005
• Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow2004 · as Kaji
• Modigliani2004 · as Pablo Picasso
• The Calcium Kid2004 · as Herbie Bush
• Dinotopia 6: The Exit2003 · as Zipeau (voice)
• Dinotopia 5: The Virus2003 · as Zipeau (voice)
• Dinotopia 4: New Horizons2003 · as Zipeau (voice)
• Dinotopia 3: The Election2002 · as Zipeau (voice)
• Dinotopia 2: The Temptation2002 · as Zipeau (voice)
• Anita and Me2002 · as Uncle Amman
• Mean Machine2001 · as Raj
• Spy Game2001 · as Doumet
• Gladiator2000 · as Slave Trader
• The World Is Not Enough1999 · as Foreman
• Mad Cows1999 · as George
• Coming Soon1999 · as Amir Hassan
• Notting Hill1999 · as Coffee Shop Cashier (uncredited)
• The Mummy1999 · as Gad Hassan
• Performance Live: The Way Out— · as Guide
• About A Bell— · as Sami Shehadi

All TV Shows (54)

• The Siege2026
• The Change2023 · as Steve
• Britney2021 · as Dr. Pellis
• Blankety Blank2021 · as Self - Panellist
• Paul O'Grady's Saturday Night Line Up2021 · as Self - Guest
• Michael McIntyre's The Wheel2020 · as Self - Expert
• Winning Combination2020 · as Self - Presenter
• Beat the Chasers2020 · as Self
• His Dark Materials2019 · as Dr. Martin Lanselius
• Going Forward2016 · as Dave Wilde
• Insert Name Here2016 · as Self - Panelist
• Dickensian2015 · as Mr Venus
• Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled2014 · as Self
• Comedy World Cup2012 · as Team Captain
• The Great Sport Relief Bake Off2012 · as Self - Host
• The Paul Reiser Show2011 · as Habib
• The Michael Ball Show2010 · as Self
• Let's Dance for Sport Relief2010 · as Self - Contestant
• All the Queen's Horses with Alan Titchmarsh2009 · as Self
• Kate Garraway's Life Stories2009
• Headcases2008
• The Omid Djalili Show2007
• Would I Lie to You?2007 · as Self
• The Graham Norton Show2007 · as Self
• The One Show2006 · as Self - Guest
• The One Show2006 · as Self
• Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive2006
• TV Heaven, Telly Hell2006
• Live at the Apollo2004
• Celebrity Mastermind2003
• Whoopi2003 · as Nasim Khatenjami
• Dinotopia2002 · as Zipeau
• Top Gear2002 · as Self
• Friday Night with Jonathan Ross2001 · as Self
• Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law2000 · as Perfectionist (voice)
• Black Books2000 · as Trebor
• Lock, Stock...2000 · as Ali Gadaffi
• Jason and the Argonauts2000 · as Castor
• Relic Hunter1999 · as Sayid Ahmed Habris
• Coming Soon1999
• Alexei Sayle's Merry-Go-Round1998
• Midsomer Murders1997 · as Othello Khan
• Never Mind the Buzzcocks1996 · as Self - Team Captain
• Room 1011994 · as Self
• Late Night with Conan O'Brien1993 · as Self - Guest
• GMTV1993 · as Self
• Have I Got News for You1990 · as Self - Host
• Have I Got News for You1990 · as Self
• One Night Stand1989
• Dispatches1987
• The Ruth Rendell Mysteries1987 · as Mr Kaiafas
• Question Time1979 · as Himself - Panellist
• Have I Got a Bit More News for You— · as Self - Presenter
• Chandshanbeh Ba Sina— · as Guest