Erick Avari
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Erick Avari (born Nariman Nariman Erach Avari; 13 April 1952) is an
Indian-American Indian Americans or Indo-Americans are citizens of the United States with ancestry from India. The United States Census Bureau uses the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Native Americans, who have also historically been referred t ...
actor whose roles in science-fiction and action productions include ''
Stargate ''Stargate'' (often stylized in all caps) is a military science fiction media franchise based on the film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin. The franchise is based on the idea of an alien Einstein–Rosen ...
'' (1994), '' Independence Day'' (1996), and ''
The Mummy A mummy is an unusually well preserved corpse. Mummy or The Mummy may also refer to: Places * Mummy Range, a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado in the United States * Mummy Cave, a rock shelter and archeological site in P ...
'' (1999).


Early life

Erick Avari was born on 13 April 1952 in
Darjeeling Darjeeling (, , ) is a town and municipality in the northernmost region of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the easternmost province of Nep ...
,
West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...
, India, into a Parsi Zoroastrian family. His father, Erach Dinshaw Avari, ran two movie theatres, the Capital and the Rink. His early education was at the North Point School, which he attended as a day-scholar. He later studied at the College of Charleston. Avari is a member of the Avari-Madan family of Darjeeling and
Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commer ...
. His great-great-grandfather was
Jamshedji Framji Madan Jamshedji Framji Madan (27 April 1857, Bombay – 28 June 1923), professionally known as J. F. Madan, was an Indian theatre and film magnate who was one of the pioneers of film production in India, an early exhibitor, distributor and producer of ...
, one of the pioneers of Indian cinema.


Career

Avari has appeared in the films '' The Beast'' (1988), '' Encino Man'' (1992), ''
Stargate ''Stargate'' (often stylized in all caps) is a military science fiction media franchise based on the film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin. The franchise is based on the idea of an alien Einstein–Rosen ...
'' (1994), '' Independence Day'' (1996), ''
The Mummy A mummy is an unusually well preserved corpse. Mummy or The Mummy may also refer to: Places * Mummy Range, a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado in the United States * Mummy Cave, a rock shelter and archeological site in P ...
'' (1999), ''
Planet of the Apes ''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...
'' (2001), ''
Home Alone 4 ''Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House'' is a 2002 American made-for-television Christmas family comedy film directed by Rod Daniel, which first aired on ABC on November 3, 2002, as the first episode of the forty-seventh season of ''The Wonderfu ...
'' (2002), ''
Mr. Deeds ''Mr. Deeds'' is a 2002 American comedy film directed by Steven Brill, written by Tim Herlihy, and starring Adam Sandler and Winona Ryder with Peter Gallagher, Jared Harris, Allen Covert, Erick Avari, and John Turturro in supporting roles. I ...
'' (2002), ''
Daredevil Daredevil may refer to: * A stunt performer Arts and media Comics * Daredevil (Lev Gleason Publications), a fictional 1940s superhero popularized by writer-artist Charles Biro * Daredevil (Marvel Comics character), a Marvel comic book superhero ...
'' (2003), and '' Flight of the Living Dead: Outbreak on a Plane'' (2007). He is one of only two actors, along with Alexis Cruz, to appear in both the original ''Stargate'' movie and the spin-off series '' Stargate SG-1'' (three episodes). Before arriving in Los Angeles in 1991, his extensive work onstage garnered him praise from theater critics across America, most notably as Vasquez, in '' 'Tis Pity She's a Whore'' with Val Kilmer at the
Joseph Papp Joseph Papp (born Joseph Papirofsky; June 22, 1921 – October 31, 1991) was an American theatrical producer and director. He established The Public Theater in what had been the Astor Library Building in Lower Manhattan. There Papp created a ...
Public Theater The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American L ...
, and as Sir Richard at The Guthrie Theater's memorable production of '' The Screens''. He has made guest appearances on '' Castle'', '' The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'', '' Heroes'', '' Hope & Faith'', '' Law & Order'', '' Burn Notice'', '' Lie to Me'', '' Party Down'', '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', '' seaQuest DSV'', ''
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (abbreviated as ''DS9'') is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller. The fourth series in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise, it originally aired in syndication from ...
'', '' Star Trek: Enterprise'', '' The West Wing'', '' The X-Files'', ''
Dharma & Greg ''Dharma & Greg'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1997, until April 30, 2002, for 119 episodes over five seasons. The show starred Jenna Elfman and Thomas Gibson as Dharma and Greg Montgomery, a ...
'', '' Babylon 5'', ''
Alias Alias may refer to: * Pseudonym * Pen name * Nickname Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Alias'' (2013 film), a 2013 Canadian documentary film * ''Alias'' (TV series), an American action thriller series 2001–2006 * ''Alias the J ...
'', '' The O.C.'', '' The Sarah Silverman Program'', '' Leverage'', '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'', '' Covert Affairs'', and '' Human Target''. He appeared in cameo roles in '' JAG''; ''Living People''; '' NYPD Blue''; '' Cheers''; '' Murder, She Wrote''; '' Roseanne''; '' Judging Amy''; '' NCIS''; and '' Everwood''. In the video game '' Zork Grand Inquisitor'', he played Grand Inquisitor Mir Yannick, a ruthless dictator who serves as the game's main villain. He also appeared in '' The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines''. Beginning in the autumn of 2006, a photograph of Avari and a recording of his voice have been used in the role of Chandra Suresh in ''Heroes''. He did not appear onscreen until the episode " Seven Minutes to Midnight", as his character is part of the backstory and had died before the events of the pilot. When his character does appear, it is only in flashbacks until the episode " Six Months Ago", when the story centers on six months before the events of the pilot episode. In this episode, Suresh moves to New York and contacts people on "the list" he generated of those he believes to have special genetic aberrations. Over the course of his career, Avari has portrayed representatives of more than 24 ethnicities.ErickAvari.com
Official Website As of November 2006, he has appeared in 33 feature films and over 70 television episodes. Avari has appeared with
Brent Spiner Brent Jay Spiner (; born February 2, 1949) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as the android Data on the television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', as well as four subsequent films. In 2019, he reprised the role for ...
in three different productions: '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (1987), '' Independence Day'' (1996), and '' The Master of Disguise'' (2002). He performed opposite Richard Gere in a drama film based on a true story: '' Hachi: A Dog's Tale'', in which he played Jasjeet, an Indian hot dog vendor. Avari was scheduled to reprise in his role as Kasuf in the ''Stargate SG-1'' Season Six finale "Full Circle", but was unable to do so due to his commitment to '' Dragnet'' (2003). In January 2009, he played a mobile-phone salesman in '' Paul Blart: Mall Cop'', and in October 2009, he was cast as Omar on '' Days of Our Lives''. In 2014, Avari voiced Master Rahool in the science fiction video game '' Destiny''. In 2017, Avari was seen in both the U.S conspiracy thriller ''Project Eden: Vol. I'' and, in 2019, as Nicodemus in the television historical series '' The Chosen'' where it was based on the life of Jesus Christ.


Filmography


Film


Television


Video games


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Avari, Erick 1951 births Living people 20th-century American male actors 20th-century Indian male actors 21st-century American male actors 21st-century Indian male actors American male actors of Indian descent American male film actors American male musical theatre actors American male Shakespearean actors American male stage actors American male television actors American people of Parsi descent American Zoroastrians Indian emigrants to the United States Indian male film actors Indian male musical theatre actors Indian male stage actors Indian male television actors Indian Zoroastrians Male actors from West Bengal Parsi people People from Darjeeling