Omar Sy (, ; born 20 January 1978) is a French actor, best known in France for his sketches with

Fred Testot Frédéric Giacomo Testo (, ; born 20 February 1977), known as Fred Testot (), is a French actor, comedian and filmmaker. Since rising to prominence in the 2000s as he collaborated extensively with Omar Sy on the '' Service après-vente des émi ...

on the '' Service après-vente des émissions'' television show on Canal+ (2005–2012). He gained wider recognition for his role in the 2011 comedy-drama film '' Intouchables'', which earned him the

César Award for Best Actor This is the list of winners and nominees of the César Award for Best Actor (). History Superlatives Winners 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s Multiple wins and nominations The following individuals received two or more Best ...

, making him the first Black recipient. He later appeared in '' X-Men: Days of Future Past'' (2014), ''

Jurassic World ''Jurassic World'' is a 2015 American science fiction action film directed by Colin Trevorrow, who co-wrote the screenplay with Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, and Derek Connolly from a story by Jaffa and Silver. It is the first installment in the ...

'' (2015), '' Two Is a Family'' (2016), '' Chocolat'' (2016), '' Inferno'' (2016), '' Transformers: The Last Knight'' (2017), the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

-produced series ''

Lupin ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet, is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centres of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centres occur in No ...

'' (2021–present), ''

Jurassic World Dominion ''Jurassic World Dominion'' is a 2022 American Science fiction film, science fiction action film directed by Colin Trevorrow, who co-wrote the screenplay with Emily Carmichael (filmmaker), Emily Carmichael from a story by Derek Connolly and Tre ...

'' and '' The Takedown'' (2022).Biography
on Première.fr

Early life and family

The fourth of eight children, Omar Sy was born on 20 January 1978 in

Trappes Trappes () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines departments of France, department, Île-de-France Regions of France, region, Northern France. It is a banlieue located in the western outer suburbs of Paris, from the Kilometre zero, c ...

in the

Yvelines Yvelines () is a department in the western part of the Île-de-France region in Northern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,448,207.Île-de-France The Île-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...

region. Both his parents are immigrants from West Africa. His

Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...

n mother, Diaratou, worked as a house cleaner, and his

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

ese father, Demba, worked in an auto parts factory after moving from Bakel to France in 1962. Sy is of Fulani origin. He was raised in a habitation à loyer modéré in Trappes. The family visited Senegal every other summer and spoke

Pulaar Pulaar (in Latin script, Latin: , in Ajami script, Ajami: ), often referred to as Pulaar du Nord, is dialect of the Fula language spoken primarily as a first language by the Fula people, Fula and Toucouleur peoples in the Senegal River valley ar ...

at home. Omar Sy is actor Alassane Diong's oncle.

Career

Sy began his career after high school in 1996, working at Radio Nova, where he met his comedy partner

. Afterwards, he appeared in the TV show ''Le Cinéma de Jamel'' on Canal+ with

Jamel Debbouze Jamel Debbouze (; ; born 18 June 1975) is a Moroccan-French actor, comedian, screenwriter, film producer and director. Best known for his stand-up comedy sketches, he also worked with director Alain Chabat in several films and other notable Fren ...

. He then created a TV show called ''Le Visiophon''. Following these roles, he appeared in various TV and stage shows such as ''Je ne fais pas mon âge'' and ''Omar et Fred: le spectacle''. Most notably, Sy co-hosted ''Service après-vente des émissions,'' a French short comedy television series, with Testot from 2005 to 2012 on Canal+ until it was cancelled. He appeared in the television game show '' Fort Boyard'' in 2006. Sy then went to Los Angeles, where he lent his voice to Zip in the French version of the '' Tomb Raider Legend'' video game. He previously had also voiced a sheep in Disney's ''

Brother Bear ''Brother Bear'' is a 2003 American animated musical fantasy comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Aaron Blaise and Robert Walker and produced by Chuck Williams, f ...

''. In 2008, he appeared in "Bienvenue chez les Bylkas," a video clip by Sinik. In 2009, he voiced some of the characters of '' Logorama'' with his partner

. In 2011, Sy starred in ''

The Intouchables ''The Intouchables'' (, ), also known as ''Untouchable'' in the UK, Ireland, and Scandinavia, is a 2011 French buddy comedy-drama film written and directed by Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache. It stars François Cluzet and Omar Sy. The plo ...

'', playing a streetwise young man who becomes the personal care assistant to a wealthy

quadriplegic Tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia, is defined as the dysfunction or loss of Motor control, motor and/or Sense, sensory function in the Cervical vertebrae, cervical area of the spinal cord. A loss of motor function can present as either weak ...

(played by François Cluzet). The film enjoyed tremendous success, topping the French box office in 2011 and becoming the bestselling French film of all time in its native country, with more than 19 million tickets sold. As a result, Sy was voted third favourite French personality behind

Yannick Noah Yannick Noah (; born 18 May 1960) is a French former professional tennis player and singer, who was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005. Noah won the French Open in 1983 French Open – Men's singles, 1983, and is a forme ...

and

Zinedine Zidane Zinedine Yazid Zidane (; ; ''Zineddin Lyazid Zidan''; ; born 23 June 1972), popularly known as Zizou, is a French professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who played as an attacking midfi ...

. The role earned him the 2012 Globe de Cristal for Best Actor. He also received a nomination for a Satellite Award for Best Actor. He and co-star François Cluzet were jointly bestowed the Best Actor Award at the

Tokyo International Film Festival The is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biennially from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter. According to the FIAPF, it is one of Asia's competitive film festivals and the second largest film festival in Asia behind the ...

. Additionally, he won the

in 2012 for the same film. On 30 December 2012, Sy was voted the favourite personality in France, based on a poll by '' Le Journal du Dimanche'', ahead of fellow actor Gad Elmaleh. In 2014, Sy appeared in '' X-Men: Days of Future Past,'' playing the character

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

. He also starred in ''

Samba Samba () is a broad term for many of the rhythms that compose the better known Brazilian music genres that originated in the Afro-Brazilians, Afro Brazilian communities of Bahia in the late 19th century and early 20th century, It is a name or ...

'', directed by Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache. He co-starred in the fourth installment of the ''

Jurassic Park ''Jurassic Park'', later referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton, centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of De-extinction#Cloning, cloned dinosaurs. It bega ...

'' franchise, ''

'', released in June 2015. In 2015, alongside Bradley Cooper, he played a compromised chef in '' Burnt''. In 2017, he voiced the character Hot Rod in the film '' Transformers: The Last Knight'', the fifth installment in the ''Transformers'' series. In 2021, he starred in Netflix's hit series ''

'', a modern day retelling of

Arsène Lupin Arsène Lupin () is a fictional gentleman thief and master of disguise created in 1905 by French writer Maurice Leblanc. The character was first introduced in a series of short stories serialized in the magazine '' Je sais tout''. The first ...

novels. ''Lupin'' has become one of the most-watched non-English series on Netflix. More recently, Sy has signed a multi-year feature film deal with Netflix. In 2021, he was included on the ''Time'' 100, ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

''s annual list of the most influential people in the world. Most recently, Sy signed a first-look deal with

HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...

to develop a series for multiple markets, especially French-speaking ones.

Personal life

Growing up in Trappes, Sy became friends with fellow actor

and professional footballer

Nicolas Anelka Nicolas Sébastien Anelka (born 14 March 1979) is a French professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who played as a Forward (association football), forward. As a player, he regularly featur ...

. On 5 July 2007, Sy married Hélène, the mother of his five children, in Tremblay-sur-Mauldre. They had been together for ten years before they got married. Hélène runs CéKeDuBonheur, a nonprofit supporting children’s wards at French hospitals, and Siyah Organics, a Sénégalo-American organic-food-supplements company. The family resided in

Montfort-l'Amaury Montfort-l'Amaury () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region, Northern France. It is located north of Rambouillet. The name comes from Amaury I de Montfort, the first ''seigneur'' (lord) of Montfort. Geography ...

, a commune of

Île-de-France The Île-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...

, before moving to Los Angeles in 2012. After moving to Los Angeles, Sy met with a language tutor daily and watched ''

Keeping Up with the Kardashians ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' (often abbreviated ''KUWTK'') is an American reality television series which focused on the personal and professional lives of the Kardashian family, Kardashian–Jenner Stepfamily, blended family. It aired ...

'' to improve his English. Sy is a Muslim. Sy is a supporter of

Olympique de Marseille Olympique de Marseille (, ; , ), also known simply as Marseille, or by the abbreviation OM (, ), is a French professional Association football, football club based in Marseille which competes in Ligue 1, the French football league system, top f ...

. He signed an October 2023 open letter of Artists4Ceasefire during the Israeli bombardment of Gaza.

Business Ventures

In June 2025, Sy became a co-owner of Paris Basketball of

LNB Élite The LNB Élite, currently known for sponsorship reasons as Betclic Élite, is a professional basketball league in France and is the highest level of the French basketball system. The competition has existed since 1921. Since 1987, the Ligue Nat ...

alongside David Kahn.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sy, Omar 1978 births Best Actor César Award winners Best Actor Lumières Award winners Black French male actors Black French comedians French male comedians French male film actors French male television actors French male voice actors French Muslims French people of Mauritanian descent French people of Senegalese descent Living people People from Trappes Male actors from Île-de-France 21st-century French male actors 20th-century French male actors French people of Fulbe descent French expatriate male actors in the United States Senegalese male film actors Senegalese male television actors Comedians from Île-de-France Senegalese male actors