Omid Djalili is Britain's only Iranian stand-up comedian and actor. Omid had great success performing A Strange Bit of History, which won the Spirit of The Fringe award at the Edinburgh Festival in 1994, Omid has since become a fringe favourite with a string of sell-out shows. In 1995 it was with Short Fat Kebab Shop Owner's Son again in 1996 in Arab & The Jew and in 1997 with a full-length solo stand-up show Omid Djalili Is Ethnic. He has become one the funniest, freshest and most original comedians in Britain, this being reinforced by him winning the LWT Best Stand-Up Award in 1997. His international appeal is vast, having performed in the last three years in Australia, Austria, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, The Czech Republic and Slovakia. Omid has appeared in every episode of BBC2's Alexei Sayle's Merry-go-round Ch4 sketch show Barking and the Ch4's Coming Soon. Omid has also been seen on the big screen in Notting Hill and a major role with Brendan Frazer and John Hannah, in the Hollywood's remake of the 1932 Boris Karloff film The Mummy. In August 1999 Omid once again was awarded with the Spirit of the Fringe at the Edinburgh Festival. His show received rave reviews in the newspapers. 1999 also saw Omid in the latest James Bond Movie, The World Is Not Enough, and also appearing in every episode of the new Ch4 sitcom Small Potatoes alongside Perrier Award Winner Tommy Tiernan. Omid will also be seen in the new Steven Spielberg and Ridley Scott film Gladiator with Russell Crowe and Oliver Reed, which is due for release shortly. He has also been on location in Turkey for the film Jason And The Argonauts alongside Dennis Hopper, Nastassja Kinski and David Bowie.
In his free time, he enjoys soccer, backgammon and tennis. Raised as the son of an Iranian reporter and a dress maker, his comedic interests sparked at a young age. Later he attended The University of Ulster, Coleraine in Northern Ireland and earned a degree in English and theater studies.