About Omar Sy
Omar Sy (born 20 January 1978) is a French actor. He was initially best known in France for his comedy sketches with Fred Testot on the Service apres-vente des emissions 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 Cesar Award for Best Actor, making him the first black recipient. The fourth of eight children, he was born on 20 January 1978 in Trappes in the Yvelines department of the Ile-de-France region. Both his parents are immigrants from West Africa, and Sy is of Fulani origin.
Sy began his career after high school in 1996, working at Radio Nova, where he met his comedy partner Fred Testot. Afterwards he appeared in the TV show Le Cinema de Jamel on Canal+ with Jamel Debbouze. Most notably, Sy co-hosted Service apres-vente des emissions with Testot from 2005 to 2012 on Canal+ until it was cancelled. In 2011 he starred in The Intouchables, playing a streetwise young man who becomes the personal care assistant to a wealthy quadriplegic played by Francois Cluzet; the film topped the French box office in 2011 and became the bestselling French film of all time in its native country, with more than 19 million tickets sold. On 30 December 2012, Sy was voted the favourite personality in France.
In 2014 Sy appeared in X-Men: Days of Future Past, playing the character Bishop, and co-starred in Jurassic World, released in June 2015. In 2021 he starred in Netflix's hit series Lupin, a modern day retelling of Arsene Lupin novels, which became one of the most-watched non-English series on Netflix, and that year he was included on the Time 100. On 5 July 2007 he married Helene, the mother of his five children. The family resided in Montfort-l'Amaury before moving to Los Angeles in 2012. Sy is a Muslim.
Videos (15)
Videos 1 to 15 of 15.
1:04Omar Sy - Jamel Debbouze et l'exemplarité
1.2K views
59:45Omar Sy - Conversation Secrète avec Michel Denisot
1.1K views
8:27Omar Sy - Mon père, le Sénégal, mes succès : sa réussite
424 views
2:48Omar Sy - Comment s'est fait le film Yao
284 views
1:41Omar Sy - Police : Bande annonce
204 views
1:05Omar Sy - Les KaĂŻra
190 views
9:00Omar Sy - Le Prince oublié et la sorcière malfaisante
145 views
7:12Omar Sy - Soirée FIFA avec Soprano, Orelsan, Omar Sy, Blaise Matuidi...
132 views
1:07Omar Sy - La journée sur Europe 1 et dans le bureau de Nikos Aliagas
60 views
1:10Omar Sy - Une belle Coupe du monde de l'Ă©quipe de France ? J'ai envie d'y croire
56 views
6:38Omar Sy - Meilleur acteur 2012
50 views
2:00Omar Sy - "Je n'ai jamais été aussi français que maintenant"
43 views
5:12Omar Sy - "J'espère que je ne fais pas rire que la bourgeoisie"
41 views
2:05Omar Sy - C'est cool le changement d'heure pour les chĂ´meurs
24 views
1:29Omar Sy - Personnalité préférée des français
17 viewsGuest appearances (19)
Videos on other comedians' channels featuring Omar Sy.
Guest appearances 1 to 19 of 19.
7:35Omar Sy on Lupin’s Popularity in America & Learning English from the Kardashians
Jimmy Kimmel
2.8M views
6:04BONUS MOTHER FUCKER AVEC OMAR SY
Florence Foresti
913K views
9:09Omar Sy on Being at the Olympics in Paris & New Movie The Killer
Jimmy Kimmel
269K views
0:58Faut laissez tonton Omar Sy
Nordine Ganso
112K views
6:03Kamel le magicien bluffe Omar Sy
Cyril Hanouna
64.9K views
0:51Polémique autour d’Omar Sy qui prend la défense d'Aya Nakamura
Cyril Hanouna
25.7K views
6:33La cabine Ă bluff avec Omar Sy et Roschdy Zem
Cyril Hanouna
19.9K views
7:08Omar Sy obtient son Ă©toile Hollywood boulevard
Cyril Hanouna
13.1K views
9:09Quand Cyril Hanouna jouait au "DTC" avec Omar Sy et Fred Testot
Cyril Hanouna
7.6K views
20:33Omar Sy danse n’importe comment… et assume | CE SOIR AVEC ARTHUR
Arthur (animateur)
2.3K views
0:52Cyril Hanouna vole la vedette Ă Omar Sy dans le film "Knock" !
Cyril Hanouna
486 views
1:54Chantal LADESOU, Franck DUBOSC, Michel BOUJENAH et Omar SY se confessent ...
Christian Legal
92 views
2:13Franck DUBOSC, J-L REICHMANN, Omar SY et J-M BIGARD se confessent ...
Christian Legal
70 views
2:00Jean-Luc REICHMANN, Jean-Marc, JM-BIGARD et Omar SY se confessent ...
Christian Legal
55 views
0:55Omar SY se confesse au sujet de Benjamin GRIVEAUX...
Christian Legal
51 views
0:44OMAR SY se confesse sur Édouard Philippe
Christian Legal
31 views
0:44Delphine Batho face Ă Omar Sy
Dany Mauro
26 views
0:54Omar SY se confesse au sujet du Pr.SALOMON...
Christian Legal
23 views
1:04Omar SY se confesse au sujet de Christophe CASTANER
Christian Legal
19 viewsChannels on this page: Jimmy Kimmel, Florence Foresti, Nordine Ganso, Cyril Hanouna, Arthur (animateur), Christian Legal, Dany Mauro
Frequently asked questions
When and where was Omar Sy born?
He was born on 20 January 1978 in Trappes in the Yvelines department of the Ile-de-France region. The fourth of eight children, both his parents are immigrants from West Africa, and he is of Fulani origin.
What film brought Omar Sy international recognition?
He gained wider international recognition for his role in the 2011 comedy-drama film The Intouchables, which earned him the Cesar Award for Best Actor, making him the first black recipient.
What comedy show was Omar Sy initially known for?
He was initially best known in France for his comedy sketches with Fred Testot on the Service apres-vente des emissions television show on Canal+, which they co-hosted from 2005 to 2012.
What Netflix series does Omar Sy star in?
In 2021 he starred in Netflix's hit series Lupin, a modern day retelling of Arsene Lupin novels, which became one of the most-watched non-English series on Netflix.
What major Hollywood films has Omar Sy appeared in?
He appeared in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) as Bishop, Jurassic World (2015), Burnt alongside Bradley Cooper, and Transformers: The Last Knight (2017), among others.
