Omar Sy

Omar Sy (French pronunciation: [ɔmaʁ si]; Fula: 𞤌𞤥𞤢𞤪 𞤅𞤭, romanized: Omar Si; born 20 January 1978) is a French actor.

Sy was initially best known in France for his comedy sketches with Fred Testot on the Service après-vente des émissions television show on Canal+ (2005–2012). He gained wider international recognition for his role in the 2011 comedy-drama film The Intouchables, which earned him the César Award for Best Actor, making him the first black recipient. He later appeared in larger productions such as X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Jurassic World (2015), Two Is a Family (2016), Chocolat (2016), Inferno (2016), Transformers: The Last Knight (2017), Arctic Dogs (2019), the Netflix-produced series Lupin (2021–present), Jurassic World Dominion, and The Takedown (2022).

Early life and family

The fourth of eight children, Omar Sy was born on 20 January 1978 in Trappes in the Yvelines department of the Île-de-France region. Both his parents are immigrants from West Africa. His Mauritanian mother, Diaratou, worked as a house cleaner, and his Senegalese 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 at home. Sy is actor Alassane Diong's uncle.