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
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| Primary Genre | Biographies & Autobiographies |
| Recommendations: |
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.
Hopeful - An Autobiography features in the following genres: Biographies & Autobiographies, Books of the Month, eBooks of the Month, Biography, Literature and Literary studies, Recommendations
Hopeful - An Autobiography is available in Paperback, Hardback
Hopeful - An Autobiography was written by Omid Djalili and published by Headline Book Publishing an imprint of Headline Publishing Group
Hopeful - An Autobiography has 320 pages
£11.69
