1. Omid Djalili is an English comedian, actor, and writer.
23 Facts About Omid Djalili
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Omid Djalili's parents emigrated from Tehran to London in 1958.
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Omid Djalili's mother was a dressmaker who at one point assisted Iranian singer Googoosh.
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Omid Djalili's father was a liaison officer at the Iranian embassy in which he would provide medical assistance.
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Omid Djalili was a photographer whose pictures ended up in the newspaper Kayhan.
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Omid Djalili 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.
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Omid Djalili cited Jack Lemmon, Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken and Julia Roberts as influences.
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Omid Djalili has performed in numerous countries, including Australia, Ireland, Sweden, Belgium, Canada, and the United States, where he had his own HBO Special.
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Omid Djalili took part in a show for Comic Relief after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami and in 2005 he appeared on the British TV show Top Gear as a celebrity driver.
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The Omid Djalili Show started on BBC1 on 17 November 2007.
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Omid Djalili performed on We Are Most Amused on ITV1 to mark Prince Charles's 60th birthday in 2008 and on We Are Most Amused and Amazed to mark his 70th birthday in 2018.
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Omid Djalili did not appear in the tour due to threats against Omid Djalili relating to the Gaza war.
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Omid Djalili 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".
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Omid Djalili appeared as Nasim in 22 episodes of the US 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.
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Omid Djalili took over from Rowan Atkinson, who had been contracted until 18 July 2009.
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In 2009, Omid Djalili became the voice of Yusuf Amir in the popular gaming series Grand Theft Auto.
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Omid Djalili took up the role in the Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony spin-off game.
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In 2017, Omid Djalili appeared in an acclaimed performance of Fiddler on the Roof at the Chichester Festival Theatre.
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In 2023, Omid Djalili reprised his role as the voice of Yusuf Amir in the fifth installment of the popular gaming series Grand Theft Auto.
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Omid Djalili reprised the role as part of the Grand Theft Auto Online DLC, The Chop Shop.
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Omid Djalili has 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.
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In 1992, Omid Djalili married actress Annabel Knight, with whom he has three children.
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Omid Djalili was present for the Iran Solidarity Rally that took place in Trafalgar Square in January 2023 in support of protests in the wake of Jina Amini's custody and death.