Alexander Siddig
Siddig El Tahir El Fadil El Siddig Abdurrahman Mohammed Ahmed Abdel Karim El Mahdi[1][2][nb 1] (born 21 November 1965)[3][4] is a Sudanese-born English actor and director known professionally as Siddig El Fadil and subsequently as Alexander Siddig.
Alexander Siddig | |
|---|---|
| صدّيق الطاهر الفاضل الصدّيق عبدالرحمن محمد أحمد عبدالكريم المهدي (Arabic) | |
Siddig at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival | |
| Born | Siddig El Tahir El Fadil El Siddig Abdurrahman Mohammed Ahmed Abdul Karim El Mahdi 21 November 1965 |
| Other names | Siddig El Fadil |
| Alma mater | London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, director |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Spouse(s) | Shana Collier (m. 2015) |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Malcolm McDowell (uncle) Charlie McDowell (cousin) Sadiq al-Mahdi (uncle) |
| Website | www |
Siddig is best known for his roles as Dr. Julian Bashir in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, former terrorist Hamri Al-Assad in the sixth season of the series 24, Doran Martell in Game of Thrones, and Ra's al Ghul in Gotham.[1][5][6] He also starred in the films Syriana (2005), Hannibal (2006), A Lost Man (2007), Cairo Time (2009) and Inescapable (2012).
Early life
Siddig was born in Omdurman, Sudan.[7] His father, Tahir El Mahdi, was Sudanese; his mother, Gloria (née Taylor; d. 2001) was English.[1][2][8][9] She was the older sister of actor Malcolm McDowell.[1][10]
Siddig's parents met in the 1960s when his mother travelled to Sudan with a friend who introduced her to Siddig's father.[1] Siddig's father was a student at Cambridge University in the 1950s and was proficient in English.[1] Siddig's uncle Sadiq al-Mahdi was Prime Minister of Sudan from 1966–1967 and again from 1986–1989.[1][11] Siddig is also the great-great-grandson of Muhammad Ahmad, a Nubian religious leader who was proclaimed the Mahdi by his disciples.[1][11]
Siddig's mother remained in Sudan for three years and returned to London with Siddig and his father.[1][3] Siddig was two years old at the time.[3] Siddig initially spoke Arabic when he was a child, but by his second year of living in Britain he had forgotten much of it.[1] In 1978 his mother married film director and producer Michael Birkett and in 1982 the two had a son together named Thomas.[8] Siddig's mother worked as a model and theatrical press agent.[9]
Siddig attended St Lawrence College, Ramsgate.[citation needed] He also studied geography and anthropology for a year at University College London before enrolling at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA).[3][12]
Career
After leaving LAMDA, Siddig worked in theatre as both an actor and director.[3][12][13] Siddig's first television role was a Palestinian man in a British six-part miniseries called The Big Battalions (filmed in 1989 but released in 1992) and shortly afterward he won the role of Prince Feisal in A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia, a 1990 telefilm sequel to Lawrence of Arabia starring Ralph Fiennes.[3][13]
Siddig's role in A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia brought him to the attention of Rick Berman, executive producer of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993).[3] Berman originally considered Siddig for the role of Commander Benjamin Sisko, but decided in the end that Siddig was too young for the role and cast him as Dr. Julian Bashir.[3] Siddig remained with Deep Space Nine for all seven seasons of the series.[1] He also directed the episodes "Business as Usual" (1997) and "Profit and Lace" (1998).[14][15] In 1995 Siddig also changed his name from Siddig El Fadil to Alexander Siddig.[4]
Siddig told Bidoun magazine that there was an increased demand for Islamic and Arabic character roles in both film and television after the September 11 attacks and that people began to approach him with projects within six months of the event.[1] He played a mountain guide in the thriller film Vertical Limit (2000), starring Chris O'Donnell, and Ajay in the post-apocalyptic science fantasy film Reign of Fire (2002) starring Christian Bale.[1][13] In 2003 Siddig played the role of an Algerian secret agent on the trail of Islamists in the controversial episode "Nest of Angels" of the British television show Spooks (known as MI-5 in the US).[16][17] Siddig appeared in a cameo role as Khalid Sheikh Mohammed the film The Hamburg Cell that premiered the following year.[1]
In 2005 Siddig returned to the live stage, playing the role of Doctor Scott in a production of Whose Life Is It Anyway? starring Kim Cattrall that played at the Comedy Theatre in London.[18][19] That same year Siddig appeared as Saladin's aide Imad in Ridley Scott's 2005 film Kingdom of Heaven[13][20] and starred alongside George Clooney and Matt Damon as Prince Nasir in the film Syriana.[1][21]
Siddig played the title role in the BBC's 2006 tele-film Hannibal.[22] In 2007 he starred in A Lost Man (French title Un Homme Perdu) a French language film that screened at the Cannes Film Festival.[13][23] That same year Siddig played the role of former terrorist Hamri Al-Assad in the sixth season of 24.[6][13]
In 2009, he co-starred with Patricia Clarkson in the award-winning film Cairo Time as Tareq Khalifa, an Egyptian who battles his attraction to his friend's wife.[6][24] Directed by Canadian director Ruba Nadda, the film won the prize for "Best Canadian Feature Film" at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival.[25] He also played Jamal in Julian Schnabel’s 2010 film Miral.[2]
Siddig played Philip Burton in series 4 and 5 of the ITV science-fiction drama programme Primeval; both series aired in 2011.[2][26] In 2012, Siddig again worked with director Nadda and played the starring role as a Syrian-Canadian businessman in the film Inescapable, which also starred Marisa Tomei and Joshua Jackson.[27][28]
In 2013 Siddig narrated the BBC Two nature documentary series Wild Arabia and played the role of Minos in the first series of the BBC fantasy-adventure programme Atlantis.[29][30]
From 2013 to 2015 Siddig played Aslan Al-Rahim (aka "The Turk") in the BBC historical fantasy drama series Da Vinci's Demons.[13][31] In 2015 and 2016 he appeared in the HBO series Game of Thrones; Siddig played the role of Doran Martell, the ruling Prince of Dorne, in the series' fifth and sixth seasons.[32] He also played Reuben Oliver, an artist and suitor of Polly Shelby, in the third season of the British series Peaky Blinders.[33] Siddig also provided the voice of Wolf, a character in the historical fantasy drama Tumanbay that aired on BBC Radio 4 between December 2015 and February 2016.
In 2017 Siddig joined the cast of the televisions series Gotham as League of Shadows leader Ra’s al Ghul[5][34] and also played the part of Aristotle Onassis in the drama miniseries The Kennedys: After Camelot.[35]
In 2019 he appeared in the Netflix series The Spy as Ahmed Suidani, a Syrian security officer.[36][37] That same year he appeared as Issouf Al Moctar in the second season of the Fox (UK and Ireland) thriller series Deep State, and voiced Avi Singh in Star Wars: The Bad Batch.[38]
Personal life
Siddig met Nana Visitor on the set of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.[39] Their son, Django El Tahir El Siddig, was born on 16 September 1996 and Visitor's pregnancy was written into the storyline of Deep Space Nine.[10][39] Django is Siddig's first child and Visitor's second son.[39] The couple were married in 1997 and divorced in 2001.[39][40]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Sammy and Rosie Get Laid | Partygoer | |
| 1992 | A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia | Emir Feisal I | TV film |
| 2000 | Vertical Limit | Kareem Nazir | |
| 2002 | Reign of Fire | Ajay | |
| 2004 | The Hamburg Cell | Khalid Sheikh Mohammed | TV film |
| 2005 | Kingdom of Heaven | Imad ad-Din al-Isfahani | |
| 2005 | Syriana | Prince Nasir Al-Subaai | |
| 2006 | Hannibal | Hannibal | TV movie |
| 2007 | The Nativity Story | Angel Gabriel | |
| 2007 | The Last Legion | Theodorus Andronikus | |
| 2008 | A Lost Man | Fouad Saleh | |
| 2008 | Doomsday | Hatcher | |
| 2008 | Espion(s) | Malik | |
| 2009 | Cairo Time | Tareq Khalifa | |
| 2010 | Miral | Jamal | |
| 2010 | 4.3.2.1. | Robert | |
| 2010 | Clash of the Titans | Hermes | |
| 2012 | Inescapable | Adib Abdel-Kareem | |
| 2013 | The Fifth Estate | Dr. Tarek Haliseh | |
| 2013 | May in the Summer | Ziad | |
| 2017 | Submergence | Dr. Shadid | |
| 2019 | 21 Bridges | Adi | |
| 2020 | Skylines | General Radford |
Television series
| Year | Production | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Big Battalions | Yousef | Miniseries, 4 episodes |
| 1993–1999 | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Dr. Julian Bashir | Credited as Siddig El Fadil (1993-1995) |
| 1993 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Episode: "Birthright" | |
| 2003 | Spooks | Ibhn Khaldun | Episode: "Nest of Angels" |
| 2005 | Agatha Christie's Poirot | Mr. Shaitana | Episode: "Cards on the Table" |
| 2006 | Family Guy | Silly Nannies Player (voice) | Episode: "Patriot Games" |
| 2007 | 24 | Hamri Al-Assad | 7 episodes |
| 2008 | Merlin | Kanen | Episode: "The Moment of Truth" |
| 2009 | Waking the Dead | Dr Mohammed | 2 episodes (Endgame)[41] |
| 2010 | Strike Back | Zahir Sharq | 2 episodes |
| 2011 | Primeval | Philip Burton | Episode 24–36 (series 4–5)[42] |
| 2012 | True Love | Ismail | Episode: "Sandra" |
| 2013–2014 | Da Vinci's Demons | Al-Rahim | 13 episodes |
| 2013 | Wild Arabia | Narrator | Documentary |
| 2013 | Atlantis | King Minos | 8 episodes |
| 2015–2016 | Game of Thrones | Doran Martell | 6 episodes (season 5–6)[43] |
| 2015 | Tut | Amun | Miniseries |
| 2015 | Bar Rescue | Himself | Episode: "Brokedown Palace" |
| 2016 | Peaky Blinders | Ruben Oliver | 6 episodes |
| 2017 | The Kennedys: After Camelot | Aristotle Onassis | |
| 2017–2018 | Gotham | Ra's al Ghul | 12 episodes (season 3–4) |
| 2019 | The Spy | Suidani | Miniseries |
| Deep State | Issouf Al Moctar | Season 2 | |
| 2021 | Star Wars: The Bad Batch | Senator Avi Singh | Episode: "Common Ground" |
| 2021 | Foundation | Advocate Xylas[44] | Episode: "The Emperor's Peace" (S01E01) |
| 2022 | Shantaram | Khader Khan | Main Role |
References
Notes
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Mahjoub, Jamal (Summer 2009). "Alexander Siddig: The Accidental Arab". Bidoun. No. 18. Brooklyn, New York, United States. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ a b c d Rothe, E. Nina (3 February 2011). "Alexander Siddig — Discovering the Uncommon Hero". HuffPost. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Spelling, Ian (31 December 1993). "El Fadil having time of his life as a jerk". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois, United States. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ a b Cole, Maxine (2 August 1998). "Your Page". The Daily Oklahoman TV This Week. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. p. 17. Retrieved 20 April 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Phillips, Jevon (2 March 2017). "'Gotham' finds its Ra's Al Ghul in 'Game of Thrones' actor Alexander Siddig". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois, United States. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ a b c Ouzounian, Richard (10 October 2009). "Stars sparkle on Cairo Time". Toronto Star. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ Harris, Will (19 July 2015). "Alexander Siddig on being Bashir, quitting 24, and getting saddle-sore for Ridley Scott". The A.V. Club. Chicago, Illinois, United States. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
So I did that, and then I was also born in Omdurman, which is in Sudan, which is where the confluence of the Nile, where this great river passes through, so I'm intimately acquainted with the most important thing about ancient Egypt, which is the river.
- ^ a b Burton, Humphrey (18 May 2015). "Lord Birkett obituary". The Guardian. London, United Kingdom. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ a b "Lord Birkett: Film producer who trained at Ealing Studios and championed the arts". The Times. London, United Kingdom. 21 July 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ a b Lipton, Michael A. (15 July 1996). "A Family Enterprise". People. Vol. 43, no. 3. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ a b Keegan, Simon (15 May 2015). "Game of Thrones star Alexander Siddig is descendant of real dynasty of despots". Daily Mirror. London, United Kingdom. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ a b Messer, Ron (9 August 2010). "Alexander Siddig Exclusive Interview". Collider. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g Harris, Will (19 July 2015). "Alexander Siddig on being Bashir, quitting 24, and getting saddle-sore for Ridley Scott". The A.V. Club. Chicago, Illinois, United States. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ Spelling, Ian (3 April 1997). "Directing 'DS9' Takes Siddig To A Higher Plane". The New York Times. New York City, New York, United States. Retrieved 20 April 2020 – via Chicago Tribune.
- ^ Handlen, Zack (16 January 2014). "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: "Valiant"/"Profit And Lace"". The A.V. Club. Chicago, Illinois, United States. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ Leonard, Tom (11 June 2003). "Bomber on Spooks upsets 1,000 viewers". The Daily Telegraph. London, United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ "Viewers upset by Muslim plot". BBC News Online. London, United Kingdom. 10 June 2003. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ Inverne, James (7 January 2005). "Kim Cattrall Starts London Previews Jan. 7 in Whose Life Is It Anyway?". Playbill. New York City, New York, United States. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ ""Whose Life is it Anyway?"Full cast confirmed!". londontheatre.co.uk. 25 October 2004. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ Moore, Roger (6 May 2005). "Thrills but not enough soul". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida, United States. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ McCarthy, Todd (19 November 2005). "Syriana". Variety. Los Angeles, California, United States. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ "Hannibal". BBC News. London, United Kingdom. 9 May 2006. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ Jaafar, Ali (1 May 2007). "'Lost Man' finds Cannes slot". Variety. Los Angeles, California, United States. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ Taylor, Ella (5 August 2010). "Looking For Love On 'Cairo Time'? Prepare To Wait". NPR. Washington, District of Columbia, United States. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ . tiff.net. Archived from the original on 12 November 2013.
- ^ Wightman, Catriona; Mansell, Tom (26 December 2010). "'Primeval' Week: Q&A with Alexander Siddig". Digital Spy. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ Arrazola, Luis-Enrique (16 March 2012). "All surprisingly calm on the set of Inescapable". National Post. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ Schneller, Johanna (14 September 2012). "Inescapable: Anatomy of a DIY blockbuster". The Globe and Mail. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ Wollaston, Sam (22 February 2013). "Last night's TV: Wild Arabia – review". The Guardian. London, United Kingdom. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ Gelt, Jessica (27 November 2013). "BBC America picks up second season of fantasy show 'Atlantis'". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California, United States. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ Truitt, Brian (7 October 2015). "Sneak peek: Da Vinci, mom in 'Demons'". USA Today. McLean, Virginia, United States. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ Robinson, Joanna (23 September 2016). "Game of Thrones Actor Gives Scorching Exit Interview". Vanity Fair. New York City, New York, United States: Condé Nast. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ Hughes, Sarah (5 May 2016). "Peaky Blinders recap: series three, episode one – welcome back boys!". The Guardian. London, United Kingdom. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ Bryant, Jacob (2 March 2017). "'Gotham' Casts 'Star Trek' Alum Alexander Siddig as Ra's al Ghul". Variety. Los Angeles, California, United States. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ Shanahan, Mark (13 June 2016). "Katie Holmes on the set of 'The Kennedys: After Camelot'". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ Rabinowitz, Dorothy (5 September 2019). "'The Spy' Review: A Life Undercover". The Wall Street Journal. New York City, New York, United States. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ Sepinwall, Alan (3 September 2019). "'The Spy' Review: Sacha Baron Cohen Goes Undercover — This Time Not for Laughs". Rolling Stone. New York City, New York, United States. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ "Senator Avi Singh Voice". Behind the Voice Actors. from the original on 10 June 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
- ^ a b c d O'Hare, Kate (15 June 1997). "Love, marriage and baby carriage on 'Star Trek'". The Times, TV Times (insert). Munster, Indiana, United States. Tribune Media Services. p. 19. Retrieved 20 April 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Original to Enterprise: 50 Years of 'Star Trek' Crews". Newsweek. New York City, New York, United States. 10 July 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ "BBC Programme Information: Week 39". BBC Press Office. Retrieved on 10 September 2009-09-10 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/proginfo/tv/2009/wk39/sun.shtml.
- ^ . Itv.com. Archived from the original on 11 April 2010. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
- ^ Friedlander, Whitney (25 July 2014). "'Game of Thrones' Announces New Cast Members". Variety. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
- ^ East, Michael (2021-09-24). Foundation premiere review: “The Emperor’s Peace” and “Preparing to Live”. FanSided, Minute Media, 24 September 2021. Retrieved on 2021-09-24 from https://winteriscoming.net/2021/09/24/foundation-review-episodes-emperors-peace-preparing-to-live/.