Bios
Omid Djalili
Omid Djalili stars in Paul Reiser's new NBC comedy "The Paul Reiser Show" as Habib, a sweet-natured friend of Paul, who runs a business selling "slightly-damaged" goods.
Djalili has become one of the funniest, freshest and most original comedians in Britain. Born to Iranian parents and raised in Kensington, London, he started his career in 1990 in the former Czechoslovakia doing experimental theatre before embarking on a stand-up comedy career in London.
His first comedy show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1995 was "I'm a Short Fat Kebab Shop Owner's Son," and he followed it up in 1996 with "The Arab and the Jew." His work garnered him a Time Out Comedy Award as Best Stand-Up in 2001, and a Perrier nomination for "Behind Enemy Lines" in 2002. His international appeal is vast, and he has performed his acts throughout the world, including Australia, Austria, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland, Norway, Germany, Canada, Switzerland and Slovakia.
Djalili's appearances at the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival attracted huge critical acclaim, and in 2002, he signed a talent holding deal with NBC, which led to him co-starring opposite Whoopi Goldberg in the 2003 sitcom "Whoopi." Additional credits include a performance in the half-hour special "Jackie Dee Live at the Apollo" for BBC1, and starring in an HBO special in New York in 2005, making him the first British comic since Eddie Izzard to do so.
Djalili has had featured roles in an array of big screen projects including "The Mummy," "Gladiator," "Spy Game," "Mean Machine," "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow," "Alien Autopsy," "Grow Your Own," "Notting Hill, "Pirates of the Caribbean III" and "Sex and the City 2." His work on "Casanova," which also featured Heath Ledger, earned Djalili an International Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. His latest film project was a starring role in "The Infidel."
He has completed several series of his own on BBC1, including "The Omid Djalili Show," and wowed West End audiences in 2009 by taking on the role of Fagin in the musical "Oliver."
Djalili currently resides in London with his wife, actress Annabel Knight, who also guest stars on "The Paul Reiser Show," and their three kids.