Omar Sy

Omar Sy (, ; born 20 January 1978) is a French actor, best known in France for his sketches with Fred Testot 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, making him the first Black recipient of the award. He later appeared in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Jurassic World (2015), Two Is a Family (2016), Chocolat (2016), Inferno (2016), Transformers: The Last Knight (2017), the Netflix-produced series Lupin (2021–present), Jurassic World Dominion and The Takedown (2022). Early life The fourth of eight children, Sy was born on 20 January 1978 in Trappes in the Yvelines department of the Île-de-France region. Both of 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. Career 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 Cinéma de Jamel on Canal+, with Jamel Debbouze. 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.