Omid Djalili was born in the UK to Iranian parents and he has therefore a unique view of the 2 countries and their cultures. Besides being a performer and comedian he’s also an actor and you’ll spot him in many a film, in Gladiator, Notting Hill if you’re quick and James Bond among others. His multi-layered career has given him a fund of laugh-out-loud stories, many against himself. Plenty of performers write autobiographies, this is a bit different, Omid Djalili is manic, very funny and not one to give up – ever – even if it means taking part in Splash! The TV programme sending participants off the high diving board. ~ Sue Baker
Omid Djalili's fascinating story begins with an unconventional childhood spent at his family's London guesthouse for visiting Iranians. At school he is kept busy with the beginnings of a passionate love affair with football but he hopes one day to live a more intellectually fulfilled life. For one wonderful summer in California it seems that maybe he will find his spiritual home at UCLA. Sadly his exam results don't quite hit the mark (it's difficult to study astrophysics at one of the world's top universities without O-level maths) and so, ever hopeful, Omid returns home to spend the next three years sitting his A-levels again, and again, and again. Eventually, in a moment of madness, he concludes that the best way to achieve the desired A-level results is to 'improve' his certificates. Travelling to the university of Ulster he finds true connection and relaxing solitude against the backdrop of Northern Ireland at the height of the troubles and is nearly killed by Paramillitaries. Here he decides that a life in show business is the only secure option he has left, and what follows is a hilarious and captivating insight into the life of a young performer who embraces his cultural identity, works harder than anyone else, and doesn't give up until he has hung out with Brad Pitt in Morocco, i njured himself severely while showing off in front of Kate Winslet, and shared an 'intimate moment' with Oliver Reed in Gladiator. Full of the warmth and intelligence that makes Omid such a successful comedian and sought-after actor, this memoir takes us on a joyously vivid journey through an unusually British life.
With a career spanning over three decades, British-born Iranian comic and actor Omid Djalili's legendary performances on stage and screen have won him plaudits the world over. Credits include the NBC sitcom 'Whoopi' with Whoopi Goldberg, 'Fagin' in West-End smash-hit 'Oliver!', 'Dr Rance' in Joe Orton's What The Butler Saw at The Vaudeville Theatre 2012 and Red in The Shawshank Redemption. His role as 'Mahmud Nasir' in the international hit 'The Infidel' won him a best actor award at the Turin film festival. Omid also starred in the blockbusting 'Sex and the City 2', 'The Mummy', 'Gladiator' and 'Mr.Nice' among many others. Further successes include two series of 'The Omid Djalili Show' for BBC One, the first to dive off a 10m board on ITV's hit show Splash! and the release of highly acclaimed DVDs No Agenda, Live in London and Tour Of Duty. Not to mention sell out live tours in 2005, 2008 and 2012.
