Alexander Siddig
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| Alexander Siddig | |
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 Siddig at TrekExpo in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 25, 2005 |
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| Born | Siddig El Tahir El Fadil El Siddig Abdurrahman Mohammed Ahmed Abdul Karim El Mahdi November 21, 1965 Sudan |
| Other name(s) | Siddig El Fadil |
| Occupation | actor |
| Spouse(s) | Nana Visitor (1997-2001) |
Siddig El Tahir El Fadil El Siddig El Abderahman El Mohammed Ahmed El Abdel Karim El Mahdi (Arabic: صدّيق الطاهر الفاضل الصدّيق عبدالرحمن محمد أحمد عبدالكريم المهدي; born 21 November 1965) is a Sudanese-born English actor, also known as Siddig El Fadil and Alexander Siddig. He is known for playing Dr Julian Bashir in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and for his performance as Prince Nasir Al-Subaai in the film Syriana (2005). He recently guest starred on 24 as Hamri Al-Assad.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Personal life
Siddig was born in Sudan, and spent most of his life in England. Born to an English mother who worked as a theatrical consultant[1] and a Sudanese father, Siddig describes himself as Muslim. His maternal uncle is English actor Malcolm McDowell, and his paternal uncle is the former Sudanese Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi. He is also descendant from Muhammad Ahmad Al-Mahdi. He studied at St. Lawrence College, Ramsgate. He was credited under the shortened name Siddig El Fadil until October 1995 (three seasons into his run on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), when he changed his stage name to Alexander Siddig, as he thought it would be less confusing and easier to pronounce by American tongues than his original name - not to mention a lot quicker than his full name; on set, however, he became known as 'Sid'. In 1996, Siddig and his co-star Nana Visitor became involved - their son, Django El Tahir El Siddig, was born in 1996 and the couple married in 1997. They eventually divorced in 2001. In 2005 he was briefly involved with his Whose Life Is It Anyway? co-star Kim Cattrall, a fellow Star Trek alumnus.[2]
[edit] Career
Since the end of the long-running Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Siddig has made prominent appearances in films and television. Highlights include guest-starring as an Algerian secret agent on the trail of Islamic extremists in a controversial episode of the British television show Spooks, entitled "Nest of Angels", in 2003. In 2005, he appeared as Saladin's aide, Nasir, in Sir Ridley Scott's film Kingdom of Heaven and gave a critically-lauded performance as Prince Nasir in Syriana, alongside George Clooney and Matt Damon. He played the title role in 2006's Hannibal - Rome's Worst Nightmare for the BBC (UK). Early 2007 brought him back to American television in the role of former terrorist Hamri Al-Assad for the sixth season of 24.
Siddig's roles have often called for him to act out many different accents: an English 'RP' accent (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), a cockney accent (Reign Of Fire), and an Algerian accent (Spooks), among others. He has also given performances in Arabic as the role required (Spooks, Syriana, 24). He is also a keen cricketer and plays for a village cricket team called Wisborough Green.
[edit] Filmography and television appearances
- Sammy and Rosie Get Laid (1987) – partygoer
- A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia, TV movie (1990) – Emir Feisal
- Big Battalions, TV miniseries (1992) – Yousef
- Star Trek: The Next Generation, TV (1993) – Dr. Julian Bashir
- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, TV (1993–1999) – Dr. Julian Bashir
- Vertical Limit (2000) – Kareem
- Reign of Fire (2002) – Ajay
- Spooks (aka MI-5), TV guest appearance (2003) – Ibhn Khaldun
- The Hamburg Cell, TV (2004) – Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
- Kingdom of Heaven (2005) – Nasir
- Syriana (2005) – Prince Nasir Al-Subaai
- Poirot: Cards on the Table (2005) – Mr. Shaitana
- Hannibal - Rome's Worst Nightmare, TV (2006) – Hannibal
- The Nativity Story (2006) – Angel Gabriel
- 24 (2007) – Hamri Al-Assad
- The Last Legion (2007) – Theodorus Andronikus
- Un Homme Perdu (2007) – Fouad Saleh
- Doomsday (2008) – Hatcher (Prime Minister)
[edit] Other appearances
- Whose Life Is It Anyway?, stage play (2005) in London – Dr. Scott
- James Cameron's Titanic Explorer video game (1997) – various voices
- Family Guy Season 4, Episode 2, "Patriot Games" (2006) - Voice of one of the London Silly Nannies
[edit] Directing credits
- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) episodes "Business as Usual" and "Profit and Lace"
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Alexander Siddig at the Internet Movie Database
- Official Fansite
- Alexander Siddig at TV.com
- Alexander Siddig article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki
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