Omar Sy

Omar Sy (; ; 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. He was raised in a habitation à loyer modéré Sy is the uncle of actor Alassane Diong.

Career

Sy began his career after high school in 1996, He and co-star François Cluzet were jointly bestowed the Best Actor Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival. Additionally, he won the César Award for Best Actor 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. He also starred in Samba, directed by Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache. He co-starred in the fourth installment of the Jurassic Park franchise, Jurassic World, 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 Lupin, a modern day retelling of Arsène Lupin 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, Times annual list of the most influential people in the world. Most recently, Sy signed a first-look deal with HBO Max to develop a series for multiple markets, especially French-speaking ones.

Personal life Growing up in Trappes, Sy became friends with fellow actor Jamel Debbouze and professional footballer Nicolas Anelka.

On 5 July 2007, Sy married Hélène, the mother of his five children, 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, a commune of Île-de-France,

Sy is a Muslim.

Sy is a supporter of Olympique de Marseille.

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

He is an ambassador for the 2026 Summer Youth Olympics in Dakar, Senegal.

Business ventures In June 2025, Sy became a co-owner of French basketball club Paris Basketball of LNB Élite, alongside David Kahn.

Filmography Film

Television

Video games Year Title Role Notes 2022Jurassic World Evolution 2 Barry

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result Ref 2006 Raimu de la Comédie Actor in a Supporting Role Nos jours heureux 2007 NRJ Ciné Awards Best Young Talent in a Debut Film 2011 Tokyo International Film Festival Best Actor (shared with François Cluzet) Intouchables 2012 Lumière Awards Best Actor Globe de Cristal Awards Best Actor César Awards Best Actor Étoiles d'Or Best Male Newcomer Prix Patrick Dewaere European Film Awards Best Actor Intouchables Satellite Awards Best Actor in a Motion Picture 2013 Santa Barbara International Film Festival Virtuoso Award Black Reel Awards Best Actor Best Breakthrough Performance 2017 Lumière Awards Best Actor Chocolat Globe de Cristal Awards Best Actor César Awards Best Actor 2021 TCA Awards Individual Achievement in Drama Lupin Montreal International Black Film Festival Career Achievement Award Gotham Awards Outstanding Performance in a New Series Lupin Rose d'Or Performance of the Year 2022 Satellite Awards Best Actor in a Drama / Genre Series Golden Globe Awards Best Actor – Television Series Drama