Alexander Siddig
- Actor
- Director
- Soundtrack
Born in Sudan, Siddig was raised in Britain and
attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA) where he
studied acting and theater. Immediately after leaving LAMDA, Sid did a
season of theater in Manchester, in addition to
performing in various shows in pubs and small theaters. Later, Siddig
worked as a director in a small theater in London.
"I was in a situation where I pretty much had a theater company at my
disposal and a theater at my disposal and could do anything I liked...as long as I did it for nothing. Which is sort of a step before
charging and not being able to do what you like. I was at a point where
I could have just gone on and become a director in London, as a trainee
at the Royal Shakespeare Company or something like that, and ended up
being a bona fide director. It was quite a big struggle because for a
year and a half, which is the time I spent directing immediately after
I left acting school, you just have no money so you're just living on
welfare and you're trying to make it. . ."
During this time of financial struggle Sid was offered the part of Emir
Feisal in
A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia (1992),
the sequel to
Lawrence of Arabia (1962). Sid
co-starred with Ralph Fiennes who played
T. E. Lawrence.
Siddig's performance in
A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia (1992)
brought him to the attention of Rick Berman
who was creating the new series
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993).
Originally brought in to audition for the role of Captain Benjamin
Sisko, Berman decided Siddig was too young for the role and cast him as
Dr. Julian Bashir instead. The part had to be slightly rewritten for
Siddig as the original "bible" had called for an Hispanic male to play
the part, named Julian Amoros, although Berman reports that no other
actors were considered for the role.
During his time on
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993),
Siddig and co-star Nana Visitor had a son
(Django) and were married in 1997. They divorced in 2001, although they
remain friends.
After a successful seven-year run on television, Siddig began working
in feature films, quickly accumulating roles in movies such as
Vertical Limit (2000),
Reign of Fire (2002),
Kingdom of Heaven (2005), and
the critically acclaimed Syriana (2005).
Early 2005 saw Siddig return to the stage opposite
Kim Cattrall in the West End production of
"Whose Life Is It Anyway?" Following a controversial guest turn on
MI-5 (2002), the title role in
Hannibal (2006) in 2006 and a
recurring role on 24 (2001) in 2007
brought Siddig back to the small screen.
attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA) where he
studied acting and theater. Immediately after leaving LAMDA, Sid did a
season of theater in Manchester, in addition to
performing in various shows in pubs and small theaters. Later, Siddig
worked as a director in a small theater in London.
"I was in a situation where I pretty much had a theater company at my
disposal and a theater at my disposal and could do anything I liked...as long as I did it for nothing. Which is sort of a step before
charging and not being able to do what you like. I was at a point where
I could have just gone on and become a director in London, as a trainee
at the Royal Shakespeare Company or something like that, and ended up
being a bona fide director. It was quite a big struggle because for a
year and a half, which is the time I spent directing immediately after
I left acting school, you just have no money so you're just living on
welfare and you're trying to make it. . ."
During this time of financial struggle Sid was offered the part of Emir
Feisal in
A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia (1992),
the sequel to
Lawrence of Arabia (1962). Sid
co-starred with Ralph Fiennes who played
T. E. Lawrence.
Siddig's performance in
A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia (1992)
brought him to the attention of Rick Berman
who was creating the new series
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993).
Originally brought in to audition for the role of Captain Benjamin
Sisko, Berman decided Siddig was too young for the role and cast him as
Dr. Julian Bashir instead. The part had to be slightly rewritten for
Siddig as the original "bible" had called for an Hispanic male to play
the part, named Julian Amoros, although Berman reports that no other
actors were considered for the role.
During his time on
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993),
Siddig and co-star Nana Visitor had a son
(Django) and were married in 1997. They divorced in 2001, although they
remain friends.
After a successful seven-year run on television, Siddig began working
in feature films, quickly accumulating roles in movies such as
Vertical Limit (2000),
Reign of Fire (2002),
Kingdom of Heaven (2005), and
the critically acclaimed Syriana (2005).
Early 2005 saw Siddig return to the stage opposite
Kim Cattrall in the West End production of
"Whose Life Is It Anyway?" Following a controversial guest turn on
MI-5 (2002), the title role in
Hannibal (2006) in 2006 and a
recurring role on 24 (2001) in 2007
brought Siddig back to the small screen.