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Omid Djalili

Omid Djalili

Actor, also producer · Born September 30, 1965 (61) · Chelsea, London, England, UK

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.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 30, 1965 (61)
From
Chelsea, London, England, UK
Works as
Actor, also producer
Titles
43 on MovieCove · 81 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26

What are Omid Djalili's films like?

Across their 21 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 54th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Action4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 43rd percentile
: browse their Action movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 59th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Biography3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 56th percentile
: browse their Biography movies
Animation2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 78th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Animation movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
36%
Self
32%
Society
13%
Ideas
6%
Morality
6%
Survival
4%
Power
4%
Family bonds8 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose4 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 18 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 14 · Serious 3 · Dark 1

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 7 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 8 · Charged 7 · Intense 3

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 10 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 6

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 3

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 11 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 17 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

5 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 2 of 5 analyzed roles.

Ally
2 of 5
Shadow
1 of 5
Hero
1 of 5
Mentor
1 of 5

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
10
Absurd
6
Warm
8
Thrilling
5
Bittersweet
5
Other
24

How their films linger

Feel-good14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy6
  • Bittersweet10
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous4

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Omid Djalili's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 36 of their 43 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (14).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Omid Djalili's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

81 credits, 43 with a MovieCove page; 37 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • In Your Dreams(2025)

    as Sandman (voice)

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • The Bad Guys 2(2025)

    as Mr. Soliman (voice)

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Deep Cover(2025)

    as Sagar

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Journey to Bethlehem(2023)

    as Melchior

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Change(2023)

    Show 9 episodes · as Steve

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • Love Again(2023)

    as Mohsen

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Tomorrow Morning(2022)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Britney (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Show 1 episode · as Dr. Pellis

  • The Way Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    as Guide

  • His Dark Materials(2019)

    Show 2 episodes · as Dr. Martin Lanselius

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all shows

  • The Nutcracker and the Four Realms(2018)

    as Cavalier

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again(2018)

    as Greek Official

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Going Forward (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Show 3 episodes · as Dave Wilde

  • Dickensian(2015)

    Show 20 episodes · as Mr Venus

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows

  • Molly Moon and the Incredible Book of Hypnotism(2015)

    as Barry Rix

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Shaun the Sheep Movie(2015)

    as Trumper (voice)

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Retrospective (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Nabil Sr

  • We Are Many (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Executive Producer

  • Omid Djalili: Tour of Duty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Executive Producer · Writer · as Self

  • Comedy World Cup (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Show 2 episodes · as Team Captain

  • Big Fat Gypsy Gangster(2011)

    as Jik Jickkles

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • The Paul Reiser Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Show 4 episodes · as Habib

  • Mr. Nice(2010)

    as Saleem Malik

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Sex and the City 2(2010)

    as Mr. Safir, Hotel Manager

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • The Infidel(2010)

    Executive Producer · as Mahmud Nasir

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Omid Djalili: Live in London (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Executive Producer · Writer · as Omid Djalili

  • New Town (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Walter

  • Kate Garraway's Life Stories (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Dead Man Running(2009)

    as Fat Bald Man

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • The Love Guru(2008)

    as Guru Satchabigknoba

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • Headcases (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Show 8 episodes · Actor

  • Omid Djalili: No Agenda (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Omid Djalili

  • The Omid Djalili Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Show 12 episodes · Creator · Actor

  • Grow Your Own(2007)

    as Ali

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End(2007)

    as Askay / Pusasn

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Over the Hedge(2006)

    as Tiger (voice)

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Alien Autopsy(2006)

    as Melik

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • TV Heaven, Telly Hell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Show 12 episodes · Actor

  • My Family and Other Animals(2005)

    as Spiro

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Casanova(2005)

    as Lupo

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Chopratown (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Ali Ergun

  • Deadlines (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Abdul Sayyaf

  • Comic Aid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Actor

  • Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow(2004)

    as Kaji

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Live at the Apollo(2004)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • Modigliani(2004)

    as Pablo Picasso

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • The Calcium Kid(2004)

    as Herbie Bush

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Celebrity Mastermind (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Whoopi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Show 22 episodes · as Nasim Khatenjami

  • Dinotopia 6: The Exit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Zipeau (voice)

  • Dinotopia 5: The Virus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Zipeau (voice)

  • Dinotopia 4: New Horizons (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Zipeau (voice)

  • Dinotopia 3: The Election (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Zipeau (voice)

  • Dinotopia 2: The Temptation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Zipeau (voice)

  • Dinotopia(2002)

    Show 13 episodes · as Zipeau

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all shows

  • Anita and Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Uncle Amman

  • Mean Machine(2001)

    as Raj

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Spy Game(2001)

    as Doumet

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law(2000)

    Show 1 episode · as Perfectionist (voice)

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • Black Books(2000)

    Show 1 episode · as Trebor

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • Lock, Stock... (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Show 1 episode · as Ali Gadaffi

  • Jason and the Argonauts(2000)

    Show 2 episodes · as Castor

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all shows

  • Gladiator(2000)

    as Slave Trader

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The World Is Not Enough(1999)

    as Foreman

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Small Potatoes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 13 episodes · as Hoss

  • Mad Cows (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as George

  • Relic Hunter(1999)

    Show 1 episode · as Sayid Ahmed Habris

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all shows

  • Coming Soon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as Amir Hassan

  • Coming Soon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 3 episodes · Actor

  • Notting Hill(1999)

    as Coffee Shop Cashier (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Mummy(1999)

    as Gad Hassan

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Alexei Sayle's Merry-Go-Round (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Midsomer Murders(1997)

    Show 1 episode · as Othello Khan

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • One Night Stand(1989)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows

  • Dispatches (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Ruth Rendell Mysteries(1987)

    Show 1 episode · as Mr Kaiafas

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all shows

  • About A Bell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Sami Shehadi

  • Chandshanbeh Ba Sina (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Show 1 episode · as Guest

  • Performance Live: The Way Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Guide

  • The Siege (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 81 titles, 77 of them dated from 1987 to 2025; peak year 2005.

Biggest box office

Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015)

$111M worldwide

Highest rated

Black Books (2000)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

In Your Dreams (2025)

Film career

19872025

Peak 2005 · back in prominent film roles after a quiet stretch. Top draw in 6 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting79 of 81: 76 only acting, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score69thWriting2 of 81: 0 only writing, 2 with another roleProducing4 of 81: 1 only producing, 3 with another roleOther crew1 of 81: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

81 titles, 4 with more than one role — acting and producing overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

1980s3 · acting1990s10 · acting2000s39 · 39 acting · 2 crew2010s16 · 14 acting · 3 crew2020s9 · acting

Billing

usually 8th · top billed in 4% of 28 roles
99040919

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Omid Djalili's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 59th percentile, the median of all 31; across their 18 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 53rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

53rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Approval · how many liked their films

56thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Reach · how many have seen their films

80thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Midcredits score across 43 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up14
  • 50th to 74th14
  • 25th to 49th9
  • Below 25th6

Shape of the crowd

21 of their 43 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved5
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser21
  • Mixed16

Most divisive · actor

Big Fat Gypsy Gangster (2011)

91st percentile spread · 58% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Gladiator (2000)

Midcredits 99th · 93% liked

Reviewers score the acting 64/100 in their films, across 16 reviewed titles; fans 76, detractors 43. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Omid Djalili's work okay for kids?

Across up to 8 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and alcohol & drugs run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore7 titles4–46 · median 33 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity8 titles5–44 · median 32 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity7 titles1–61 · median 18 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs7 titles4–73 · median 13 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense6 titles23–48 · median 29 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Omid Djalili work with?

People who share at least 2 of Omid Djalili's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Alex De Rakoff shares the most, 2.

Directors

Actors

Editors

Producers

Mixed roles