Kayvan Novak (born 23 November 1978) is a British actor and comedian.Kadivar, Dariu
Syriana breaks Iranian stereotypes
, ''Persian Mirror''. Retrieved 3 August 2007. He co-created and starred in the comedy series ''

Fonejacker Fonejacker is a British sketch comedy show that aired on E4, featuring prank phone calls made by various characters, all voiced by British-Iranian actor Kayvan Novak. The show first debuted in May 2006, with its popularity leading to a full se ...

'' (2006–2008) and ''

Facejacker ''Facejacker'' is a Channel 4 comedy series which started on 16 April 2010. It follows the similar show ''Fonejacker''. Kayvan Novak adopts various disguises (with the aid of prosthetics), including several characters heard in ''Fonejacker''. T ...

'' (2010–2012), winning the

BAFTA Television Award The BAFTA TV Awards, or British Academy Television Awards, are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. They have been awarded annually since 1955. Background The first-ever Awards, given in ...

for Best Comedy (Programme or Series) in 2008. He also portrayed Waj in the comedy film ''

Four Lions ''Four Lions'' is a 2010 British political satire black comedy film directed by Chris Morris (in his feature film debut) from a screenplay written by Morris, Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong. It stars Riz Ahmed, Kayvan Novak, Nigel Lindsay, ...

'' (2010), the vampire Nandor the Relentless in the mockumentary series ''

What We Do in the Shadows ''What We Do in the Shadows'' is a 2014 New Zealand mockumentary comedy horror film written and directed by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi and the first installment in the ''What We Do in the Shadows'' franchise. The film also stars Cleme ...

'' (2019–2024), and Fabian Kingsworth in the twelfth,

thirteenth In music or music theory, a thirteenth is the note thirteen scale degrees from the root of a chord and also the interval between the root and the thirteenth. The thirteenth is most commonly major or minor . A thirteenth chord is th ...

and fourteenth seasons of ''

Archer Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In modern ...

'' (2021–2023).

Early life

Novak was born in London to Iranian parents. He was privately educated at

Highgate School Highgate School, formally Sir Roger Cholmeley's School at Highgate, is a co-educational, fee-charging, private day school, founded in 1565 in Highgate, London, England. It educates over 1,400 pupils in three sections – Highgate Pre-Preparato ...

and the Fine Arts College in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

, before attending the

Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art The Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, formerly the Webber Douglas School of Singing and Dramatic Art, was a drama school, and originally a singing school, in London. It was one of the leading drama schools in Britain, and offered comprehen ...

Career

Novak initially appeared on various British shows, including ''

Family Affairs ''Family Affairs'' is a British soap opera that aired on Channel 5. It debuted on 30 March 1997, the day of the launch of said channel and was the first programme broadcast on the channel. It was screened as five thirty-minute episodes per w ...

'', ''

Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a Spin-off (media), spin-off from the established BBC medical drama '' ...

'', and '' Spooks''. In 2005, he and

Ed Tracy Ed Tracy is a British television writer and television director who collaborated with the comedian Kayvan Novak to create all of the ''Fonejacker'' and ''Facejacker'' television shows. Initially working together on Tracy's short film ''Obscene' ...

created ''

'', a

prank call A prank call (also known as a crank call, a hoax call, or a goof call) is a telephone call intended by the caller as a practical joke played on the person answering. It is often a type of nuisance call and can be illegal under certain circumsta ...

show as part of

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

's ''Comedy Lab'' strand.Comedy Lab

. Retrieved 3 August 2007. After the pilot, he was given a Christmas special and a six-part series, which began airing on 5 July 2007 on E4; and 7 September 2007 on Channel 4. In November 2009, he appeared on the Channel 4 show '' The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret'', playing a bomb-disposal officer. In April 2010, Novak began appearing in a spin-off of ''Fonejacker'' called ''

'', in which he adopted various disguises, including several characters heard in ''Fonejacker''. Novak announced on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

in May 2012 that the character Terry Tibbs, a mainstay of both shows, would be getting a spin-off chat show; this aired in August 2012.International Business Times
Retrieved 2 July 2011. Novak played Simon in the Channel 4 sitcom pilot '' Bad Sugar''. Novak filmed a scene for '' This Is England '86'' which was cut from the final broadcast, but appears in the DVD extras. He was also one of the main characters in the television show ''

Sirens Siren or sirens may refer to: Common meanings * Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies * Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology that lured sailors to their deaths. Places * Si ...

'', which began on 27 June 2011 on

in the UK. Novak also featured in two episodes of ''

Phone Shop ''PhoneShop'' is a British sitcom that was first broadcast on Channel 4 as a television pilot on 13 November 2009, as part of the channel's '' Comedy Showcase'' season of comedy pilots. It was then followed by a six-episode series that was comm ...

'', the first in Series 1, titled "The First Temptation of Chris", and the second in Series 2, titled "Revenge of the Razz". He played area manager Razz Prince. In addition to acting, Novak has made appearances as himself on shows ''

Soccer AM ''Soccer AM'' was a British football-based comedy talk show, produced by Sky Sports. It aired from 20 August 1994 to 27 May 2023 on Sky Showcase, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Football. From 2010, the programme was put on a short b ...

'', ''

8 out of 10 Cats ''8 Out of 10 Cats'' (stylised as ''8 out of 10 CATS'') is a British comedy panel show that aired from 3 June 2005 to 17 January 2021. It was first broadcast on Channel 4 from 2005 to 2015, then More4 from 2016 to 2017, and finally E4 from ...

'', '' Celebrity Big Brother's Little Brother'', and ''

Never Mind the Buzzcocks ''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' is a British comedy panel game show with a pop music theme. It has aired on Sky Max since September 2021, having originally aired between November 1996 and January 2015 on BBC Two. The original series was first host ...

''. Novak appeared as an intelligence officer in the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

-winning film ''

Syriana ''Syriana'' is a 2005 American political thriller film written and directed by Stephen Gaghan, loosely based on Robert Baer's 2003 memoir '' See No Evil''. The film stars an ensemble cast consisting of George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jeffrey Wr ...

''. In 2008, he appeared in micro-budget

B-movie A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second ...

''The Blue Tower''.last accessed 1 December 2012.
/ref> He also appeared in the 2010 comedy ''

'', in which he played the dim-witted Waj, a role for which he won the award for Best Comedy Performance in a British Film at the 2010

British Comedy Awards The National Comedy Awards (known as the British Comedy Awards from 1990 to 2014) is an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom, celebrating notable comedians and entertainment performances of the previous year. The British Comedy Awards (1 ...

, beating fellow actor Nigel Lindsay, who was nominated for his role in the same film. Novak appeared as Alok in the first series of

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

comedy ''

Fags, Mags and Bags ''Fags, Mags and Bags'' is a Scottish radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Its first series was nominated for a Sony Radio Award. The writers, Sanjeev Kohli and Donald McLeary, received a Writers Guild Award in November 2008 for Radio C ...

''. He has provided voice work for three video games: '' Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit'', ''

Perfect Dark Zero ''Perfect Dark Zero'' is a first-person shooter developed by Rare and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It was released as a launch title for the Xbox 360 video game console in 2005. The game is part of the ''Perfect Dark'' series and a pr ...

'' and '' Kameo''. He also voiced various characters in the ITV spoof sketch show '' Headcases'', and in the 2012 Channel 4 animated series '' Full English''. He lent his vocals to British band

Beady Eye Beady Eye were an English rock band formed in London in 2009 by former Oasis members Liam Gallagher (vocals), Gem Archer (guitar) and Andy Bell (guitar), and former Oasis touring musician Chris Sharrock (drums). The band was created when Oasi ...

's 2013 song " Flick of the Finger". In 2013, he appeared as

Effy Stonem Elizabeth "Effy" Stonem is a fictional character in the British television series ''Skins (TV series), Skins'', portrayed by actress Kaya Scodelario. Effy is a central figure in the series, appearing in all four of the original seasons as well as ...

's boss in the '' Skins'' episode "

Skins Fire "Skins Fire" is a feature-length episode of E4 (TV channel), E4 television series ''Skins (British TV series), Skins''. It aired in two parts in 2013 as part of a specially-commissioned seventh season marking the end of the programme. The first ...

". He voiced a

Cyberman The Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. The Cybermen are a species of space-faring cyborgs who often forcefully and painfully convert human beings ...

head called Handles in the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' 2013 Christmas special " The Time of the Doctor". He had a starring role in the last episode of the first series of ''

Uncle An uncle is usually defined as a male relative who is a sibling of a parent or married to a sibling of a parent, as well as the parent of the cousins. Uncles who are related by birth are second-degree relatives. The female counterpart of an un ...

'' as Mo, the boss of a fictional record label. In 2014, he played Paul in the second episode (" A Quiet Night In") of ''

Inside No. 9 ''Inside No. 9'' is a British black comedy Anthology series, anthology television programme written and created by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith. It aired on BBC Two from 5 February 2014 to 12 June 2024, running for 9 series and 55 episo ...

''. Also in 2014, he appeared in Episode 1, Series 3 of '' Rev.'' as the Imam, Yussef Hasan. Since 2015, he has voiced the character of Brains in the revived ITV series '' Thunderbirds Are Go''. In 2015, he featured in the sitcom ''Asylum'' as "Rafael". In May 2015, he appeared in a new comedy series called ''

SunTrap ''SunTrap'' is a British television sitcom produced by Happy Tramp Productions for the BBC. The series was created and written by Neil Webster and Charlie Skelton. The storyline follows Woody ( Kayvan Novak), an undercover journalist who is a m ...

'' on BBC1. In May 2017, Novak appeared in

's ''Britain Today, Tonight''. In 2019, Novak was cast as the vampire Nandor The Relentless in the

mockumentary A mockumentary (a portmanteau of ''mock'' and ''documentary'') is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events, but presented as a Documentary film, documentary. Mockumentaries are often used to analyze or comment on current event ...

comedy horror Comedy horror (also called horror comedy) is a literary, television and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as having three types: "black comedy, parody and spoof." Comedy horror can a ...

television series ''

What We Do In The Shadows ''What We Do in the Shadows'' is a 2014 New Zealand mockumentary comedy horror film written and directed by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi and the first installment in the ''What We Do in the Shadows'' franchise. The film also stars Cleme ...

''. The show is based on the 2014 film of the same name. Novak speaks fluent

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

, as seen on the second episode of Season 2 (“Ghosts”) of ''What We Do in the Shadows''. In 2021, he released eight episodes of "All New Fonejacker Podcast" on Audible and starred as Roger in Disney's ''Cruella''.

Personal life

Novak is a fan of

Liverpool FC Liverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Founded in 1892, the club joined the Football League the following year and has ...

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Novak, Kayvan Living people 21st-century English male actors Comedians from the London Borough of Barnet Comedians from the London Borough of Brent Comedians from the London Borough of Camden English male comedians English male film actors English male television actors English male video game actors English male voice actors English people of Iranian descent Male actors from London People educated at Highgate School People from Cricklewood Prank calling Actors from the London Borough of Barnet Actors from the London Borough of Camden Actors from the London Borough of Brent 1978 births