Who is Omar Sy? 'Lupin' star is the first Black person to win the Best Actor César Award
Omar Sy is a French actor who will be seen in the lead role of the upcoming Netflix show 'Lupin' which is available in French and English. The actor is no stranger to Hollywood, of course, however, his achievements in French Cinema are applause-worthy. He started as a stand-up comic, but it is his work as an actor in movies such as 'Intouchables', and 'Samba' that catapulted him to fame. In fact, he received the Best Actor nod for 'Intouchables' in 2012 from the French equivalent of the Oscars called the César Award.
This film was also one of the top grossing French films, earning a total of $423 million worldwide and was also appreciated for nuanced performances by actors critically. The film recorded a sale of 19 million tickets and that was a huge achievement at the time of release. In 'Lupin', the actor will play the role of Arsène Lupin, who was regarded as a gentleman thief and a master of disguise. Before this, Sy was seen in short roles and one of them includes his role in 'X-Men: Days of Future Past'. He played the role of a mute bishop in this and he also appeared in 'Jurassic Park'. Many French media outlets called his success story a fairytale citing his connection with Jamel Debbouze, who he had befriended while they had lived in the same neighborhood -- a council estate in the Paris suburbs of African immigrants -- and worked on Debbouze's radio show. Debbouze became popular as France’s best-loved funny-man and after this, he shared the spoils of his newfound fame with his childhood pals which are said to include Sy.
After working on a few skits on Debbouze's show, Sy worked as a comic and his sketch with Fred Testot, who was part of the duo Omar et Fred, became popular after an appearance on TV. Some of his notable individual work include 'Le Cinéma de Jamel' and his own show, 'Le Visiophon'. Since then he got successful sideline acting opportunities going that included lines in comedy capers until he landed his breakout role in the 2011 film 'Intouchables'.
His most recent Hollywood film, after all the silent parts that he had landed despite his success in 'Intouchables', happened to be in 'Inferno' opposite Tom Hanks. The film was an adaptation of author Dan Brown's novel of the same name.
'Lupin' Season 1 will release on January 8, and all 10 episodes can be streamed on Netflix.