Alexander Siddig
From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference
(written from a Production point of view)
| Alexander Siddig | |
|---|---|
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| Birth name: | Siddig El Tahir El Fadil El Siddig Abderahman Mohammed Ahmed Abdel Karim El Mahdi |
| Date of birth: | 21 November 1965 |
| Place of birth: | Sudan, Africa |
| Roles: | Actor, Director |
| Character(s): | Julian Bashir (Primary Character); see Other Appearances |
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Alexander Siddig (born 21 November 1965; age 43) is an actor best known for his portrayal of Julian Bashir on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He also appeared as Dr. Bashir on Star Trek: The Next Generation in the episode "Birthright, Part I". He goes by the nickname of "Sid".
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[edit] Biography
He was born Siddig El Tahir El Fadil El Siddig Abderahman Mohammed Ahmed Abdel Karim El Mahdi in Sudan, in Northern Africa, but spent most of his life in Great Britain where he attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA). His uncle on his mother's side is actor Malcolm McDowell; another uncle, on his father's side, was once the prime minister of Sudan.
When he began acting, he adopted a shortened version of his name, Siddig El Fadil. He then changed his acting credit to Alexander Siddig at the start of the fourth season of Deep Space Nine, reportedly because people had difficulty pronouncing his birth name. According to Siddig, the name "Alexander" was chosen "out of a hat". (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion) His directorial credit remained as El Fadil for one DS9 episode he directed: "Business as Usual".
A union between Siddig and his Deep Space Nine co-star Nana Visitor produced a son, Django El Tahir El Siddig. Visitor's pregnancy was covered up on-screen by having the unborn child of the married Keiko O'Brien (played by Rosalind Chao) transplanted to the womb of Visitor's character, the unmarried Kira Nerys. Django was born on 16 September 1996, during production on the DS9 episode "Let He Who Is Without Sin...". Siddig and Visitor were married on 14 June 1997. The two divorced in 2001, two years after Deep Space Nine left the airwaves.
Since then, he has courted actress Kim Cattrall, herself a Star Trek alumna, having played Valeris in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. They were first seen in public at Glamour's Women of the Year Awards ceremony in London on 9 June 2005. [1] As of July 2008, it is not known what has become of their relationship, though it seems they are no longer together.
[edit] Career
Siddig first appeared to television audiences as Prince Feisal in the 1990 made-for-TV sequel to Lawrence of Arabia entitled A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia. When auditions came for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in 1992, Siddig was originally considered for the role of Benjamin Sisko, but was reportedly deemed too young for the role. [2]
Following the end of Deep Space Nine in 1999, Siddig began starring in major motion pictures. In 2000, he appeared as an ill-fated mountain climber in Vertical Limit. Two years later, he had a role in the fantasy action film Reign of Fire, alongside Trek guest star Alice Krige (the two did not share any scenes together).
Siddig went on to star in two major films in 2005: Ridley Scott's epic Kingdom of Heaven and Stephen Gaghan's highly-acclaimed Syriana. His performance as reformist Arabian Prince Nasir Al-Subaai in the latter film has garnered Siddig much praise and even early talks of a possible Oscar nomination. [3] [4] [5] [6] Syriana also stars fellow Trek performers Christopher Plummer, Robert Foxworth, and David Clennon.
In 2006, Siddig appeared as the angel Gabriel in the Biblical drama The Nativity Story. He followed this with roles in the 2007 war epic The Last Legion, set during the last days of the Roman Empire, and the 2007 French drama, Un Homme Perdu (A Lost Man). His most recent film role is that of Prime Minister John Hatcher in the 2008 futuristic action thriller Doomsday, co-starring with his uncle, Malcolm McDowell. Siddig also recently completed filming on the French drama Un simple espion.
On stage, Siddig appeared with Kim Cattrall in a production of the play Whose Life Is It Anyway in 2005. It was as a result of this pairing that Siddig and Cattrall, both alumni of the LAMDA, began dating soon afterwards.
In addition to his film and stage work, Siddig continues to perform for television on both sides of the Atlantic. In 2003 he guest starred in an episode of the popular BBC spy drama series Spooks (screened as MI5 in the United States). In 2005, he lent his voice to the "Patriot Games" episode of Family Guy, an animated series created by Trek fan Seth MacFarlane. Also in 2005, he appeared in a major role in an episode of the British detective series Agatha Christie's Poirot entitled "Cards on the Table". In 2006 he starred in the BBC television movie Hannibal, playing the title character.
In 2008, Siddig also appeared in two Doctor Who audio dramas, making him one of few people to be involved in both Star Trek and Doctor Who productions.
Siddig played former terrorist Hamri Al-Assad in the sixth season of the hit FOX TV series 24, which also featured James Cromwell. Other Trek actors to appear this season include Michael Reilly Burke, Roger Cross, Gregory Itzin, Glenn Morshower, Natalia Nogulich, Raphael Sbarge and Maury Sterling.
Siddig is currently on location in Cairo, Egypt, shooting a film entitled Cairo Time. In the film, Siddig plays a retired Egyptian police officer sent to pick up his friend's wife, only to begin an affair with her.[7]
In September 2009 appeared in the BBC forensic crime drama Waking the Dead as Dr Mohammed, a phychiatrist at a high security psychiatric hospital who is hiding a dark secret.
[edit] Appearances
- DS9:
- All episodes except "Paradise", "Blood Oath", "The Collaborator", and "For the Uniform"
- TNG: "Birthright, Part I"
[edit] Additional roles
 Prophet |
 Bashir inhabited by Torias Dax |
 Changeling (in the form of Bashir) |
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 Changeling (in the form of Bashir) |
[edit] Directorial Credits
- DS9:
- "Business as Usual" (as Siddig El Fadil) (Season 5)
- "Profit and Lace" (Season 6)
| Star Trek: Deep Space Nine regular cast |
|---|
| Rene Auberjonois • Avery Brooks • Nicole de Boer • Michael Dorn • Terry Farrell • Cirroc Lofton • Colm Meaney • Armin Shimerman • Alexander Siddig • Nana Visitor |
[edit] Star Trek interviews
- DS9 Season 1 DVD special feature "Section 31-Hidden File 07" (interview from 18 September 1992)
- DS9 Season 1 DVD special feature "Deep Space Nine Scrapbook Year One" (interview from 18 September 1992)
