Osamah Sami


Osamah Sami is an Australian stage and screen actor, writer, spoken word artist, and stand-up comedian of Iraqi origin. His critically acclaimed book Good Muslim Boy, was the winner of the 2016 NSW Premier's Literary Award. It was also Highly Commended at the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards that same year.
Sami also co wrote and starred in Ali's Wedding, which earned him an Australian Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay as well as a nomination for Best Lead Actor. This was mirrored at the 2018 Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards in 2018, where he won for Best Script, and was nominated for Best Male Lead. His script also received an Australian Writers Guild Award in the Best Original Film category. The film won the Audience Award for Best Feature Film at the 2017 Sydney Film Festival, and was the winner of The Age Critics Prize at Melbourne International Film Festival.
Osamah has also been nominated for a Green Room Award for Best Male Performer in a Lead Role for Melbourne Theatre Company's I Call My Brothers.

Biography

Sami was born in Iran to Iraqi parents and was cast in several roles on stage in his childhood hometown of Qom.
After immigrating to Australia, he began working with a local theatre group and starred in many productions from then on. His performance in Trial of Saddam, where he played Saddam Hussein, was very successful amongst the Iraqi community in Australia. The play was written by his father. In 2005 he was part of a theatre group that was prevented from entering the United States of America to perform the play.
He has since gone on to work regularly in film, theatre and television. He has been cast in several leading roles; one opposite Claudia Karvan in the telemovie Saved, directed by Tony Ayres. He also played the lead role in the award-winning Dee McLachlan comedy feature, 10 Terrorists!
His guest roles include TV shows including East West 101, Rush, Sea Patrol, City Homicide, Jack Irish and a regular role in the TV series Kick.
His theatre appearances include Belvoir St. Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, Queensland Theatre Company, Malthouse Theatre Company, and La Mama.
Osamah is also the co-creator of the comedy web series Two Refugees & a Blonde, which was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series at the L.A Web Fest. He also writes a poetry blog, with four main categories of: Love, Social Justice, For Dad and War.

Awards

Actor

Feature films