Actor Omar Sy is one of his generation’s most famous French black actors. Born to African immigrants from Senegal (father) and Mauritania (mother), Sy began his career as a comedian. Although not a career choice as a young child, comedy came naturally to him.
Omar Sy has starred in several French and American movies since he made his debut in the short film Granturismo (2000). Sy had appeared in several guest-starring roles on television even before Netflix’s Lupin. Although he has starred in several top French films, the focus will mostly be on his Hollywood appearances. Here are Omar Sy’s best roles as an actor.
Intouchables (2011)
Despite being a French film, Intouchables (2011) became a career-defining production for Omar Sy. Cast as Bakary “Driss” Bassari, Sy’s character is a young, streetwise man who becomes the personal care assistant to a wealthy quadriplegic. Released theatrically on November 2, 2011, Intouchables became the highest-grossing film at the French Box Office, with over 51 million tickets sold. For a better context, France had a population of about 65 million in 2011. For his role, Omar Sy was nominated for Best Actor at the César Awards. Sy’s nomination win made him the first black actor to win the award. Produced on an equivalent estimate of $10.8 million, it grossed $426.6 million at the French Box Office.
X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) isn’t the first Marvel Comics film Omar Sy starred in. The honor goes to Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), in which he was cast in a minor role as Bucky’s Team Soldier. In Bryan Singer’s X-Men: Days of Future Past, Sy played a more prominent role in portraying the comic mutant character Bishop. The mutant abilities allow him to absorb energy and redirect it offensively as kinetic blasts. With box office earnings of $746 million, X-Men: Days of Future Past became the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2014.
Jurassic World (2015)
Omar Sy was part of the main cast in the first installment of the Jurassic World trilogy. The film is set 22 years after the original 1993 Jurassic Park film’s events, and Sy is starred as Barry Sembène. Barry’s character is introduced as Owen Grady’s (Chris Pratt) assistant, who helps care for the raptors. Produced on a $150–215 million budget, Jurassic World crossed the Box Office billion-dollar mark, grossing $1.671 billion to become 2015’s second highest-grossing movie. Jurassic World (2015) is Omar Sy’s highest-grossing film of his career. Although Omar Sy did not appear in its sequel, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), he reprised his role in the third and final installment of the trilogy Jurassic World Dominion (2022). However, the Barry Sembène character is introduced as a French Intelligence agent.
Inferno (2016)
Omar Sy played a supporting role in the Ron Howard-directed action mystery thriller Inferno (2016). The film, loosely based on Dan Brown’s 2013 novel of the same name, cast Sy as Christophe Bouchard. Sy’s character was the head of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control’s SRS (Surveillance and Response Support) team. Inferno is a sequel to the Ron Howard-directed The Da Vinci Code (2006) and Angels & Demons (2009). Inferno was a massive box office success, grossing $220 million on a $75 million production budget.
Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)
Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) is Omar Sy’s first voice role in a Hollywood movie. Besides his work as an actor, Sy has also earned a reputation as a voice actor. Sy is one of the go-to voice actors cast in several Hollywood French dub films. Notable examples are the 2014 Mune: Guardian of the Moon and 2016 The Angry Birds Movie. In Transformers: The Last Knight, the fifth installment in the Transformers film series, Omar Sy voiced Hot Rod. The character is an Autobot who first transforms into a 1975 Citroën DS. Hot Rod sports a thick French accent and is Bumblebee’s ally. Hot Rod later upgraded to a 2017 Lamborghini Centenario LP770-4.
Lupin
Netflix’s Lupin is unarguably Omar Sy’s most recognized role, especially for television audiences. In the mystery thriller series, Sy plays a gentleman thief, Assane Diop. Assane, seeking to avenge his father’s death, styles himself as Arsène Lupin. Lupin premiered on January 8, 2021, with its third series released on October 5, 2023. Omar Sy’s performance hasn’t gone without recognition. Sy was nominated for Best Actor – Television Series Drama at the Golden Globe Awards and for Outstanding Performance in a New Series at the Gotham Awards. He won his nomination for Best Actor in a Drama / Genre Series at the Satellite Awards.
The Book of Clarence (2023)
After reprising his role in the American sequel Jurassic World Dominion (2022), Omar Sy starred in another Hollywood movie the next year. While not returning as a gentleman thief or a French Intelligence agent, Sy delivered a breathtaking performance as the freed gladiator, Barabbas, in The Book of Clarence (2023). Barabbas becomes a close friend of Clarence after Clarence earns his respect. Omar Sy‘s role in The Book of Clarence was one of those singled out for praise by critics and audiences.
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