1979, Tánger, Marruecos
He received his academic training at the Americain School of Tangier, where he started acting in the theatrical branch of the school. After completing his studies, he moved to London to continue his training at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Arts.
His international career began in 2006 following the success of the film United 93, for which his director, Paul Greengress, was nominated for an Oscar and won the BAFTA Award for Best Director.
Since then, Omar has appeared in commercially successful films such as Extraordinary Rendition with Andy Serkis for which he received rave reviews and was selected for the Edinburgh Film Festival’s “trailblazer” program as an emerging talent.
His film credits also include The Kingdom, starring Jamie Fox and directed by Peter Berg; Body of lies directed by Ridley Scott, Green Zone with Matt Damon or Captain Phillips starring Tom Hanks.
In 2018 he takes part in the shooting of the action thriller Entebbe, directed by José Padilha.