G.Grandson of Al-mahdi, free-spirited: " Siddiq Alexander ", invade Hollywood

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02-09-2006, 02:27 AM

wedzayneb
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تاريخ التسجيل: 03-05-2003
مجموع المشاركات: 1848

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G.Grandson of Al-mahdi, free-spirited: " Siddiq Alexander ", invade Hollywood

    Alexander Siddig:


    Living Without Borders

    By Amanda Broadfoot

    “Prior to 9/11,” says actor Alexander Siddig, “I was happily going along, doing my own business and not too concerned about my ethnicity. I’m someone who didn’t even discover that I was Muslim until I was in my late-thirties.” The nephew of English movie star Malcolm McDowell, 39-year-old Siddig is probably best known for his seven-year stint as Dr. Julian Bashir on the popular TV series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

    But that is changing. Siddig has appeared in such films as Kingdom of Heaven, alongside Orlando Bloom, as well as the forthcoming George Clooney feature Syriana. With those film credits to his name, as well as roles in A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia, Vertical Limit, and The Hamburg Cell, Siddig is increasingly becoming one of the most recognizable Arab faces on the big and small screen.

    A Tale of Two Cultures


    Born Siddig El Tahir El Fadil to an English mother and Sudanese father in the Sudan, Siddig – he goes by “Sid” – has felt the pull of eastern and western cultures his entire life. “Now,” he says of his acting career, “I see myself as a diplomat first and foremost; I see myself as someone who is an interlocutor between these two cultures.”

    Sadiq Al Mahdi, Sid’s paternal uncle, ruled the Sudan in 1965 but was deposed, creating an untenable situation for his family. “Until fairly recently,” Siddig says, “it was pretty dangerous for me to go back there.” Even the hospital where Siddig was born was tear-gassed while his mother was giving birth. The increasing unrest prompted his mother to immigrate with her young son to England around 1969. There he enjoyed a privileged upbringing, far away from the political turmoil that would continue to rip apart the Sudan for decades.

    Blessed with an infectious laugh and disarmingly English wry wit, Siddig speaks without bitterness of the racism he encountered in English private schools. “Kids, when they are racists to one another, aren’t full of the venom that adults are,” he says, commenting that the worst he encountered were epithets like “Paki,” which were more ignorant than hateful. “Maybe I had a particularly privileged or unusually cushy environment, but I never took major offense,” he says. “I just thought, ‘They’re also talking about the fat kid and the red-headed kid – whatever makes you stand out.’”

    Role-playing


    After a brief stint studying anthropology and geography at the University College of London, Siddig tried his hand at everything from bartending to insurance sales. The influence of his maternal uncle, Malcolm McDowell, eventually helped steer him towards the London Academy of Dramatic Arts and a career in acting.

    Despite a couple of early roles as “baddies” in “Sinbad-type” children’s programs, Siddig says he never felt stereotyped. “I’ve got to be realistic,” he says. “I don’t look English, and I don’t look Midwest American. I’m not going to play someone with Dutch ancestry or a white American. But then, most actors can’t be many things, even if they’re the most average-looking, white, blue-eyed blonde guy. There are a million jobs they can’t do as well.”

    After struggling as the unpaid director of a small local theater, Siddig received a breakthrough role as Emir Feisal, in A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia, a televised sequel to Lawrence of Arabia, co-starring Ralph Fiennes. Siddig’s subtle but powerful performance as the complicated king caught the eye of Star Trek executive producer Rick Berman who was, in 1991, casting a brand new television series of his own, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

    A Long Trek


    “The timing was a wonderful opportunity,” Siddig says of his experience on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. “I was a young man, and it was really terrific, like winning the lottery.” The premise of the show placed an eclectic group of explorers, soldiers, and yes, aliens, aboard a station on the “frontier” of known space. He played affable Julian Bashir, a genetically enhanced Starfleet doctor, for seven years, and directed several episodes of the series as well.

    While filming the series, Siddig and co-star Nana Visitor fell in love and married, and in 1996 had a son, Django El Tahir El Siddig. Between the third and fourth seasons of the show, Siddig – who was still going by “Siddig El Fadil” – changed his name to “Alexander Siddig,” a name he felt more accurately reflected his merged cultural heritage.

    “It was something my mother always wanted,” he says, “to name me something that was both English and Sudanese.” He admits that the name is certainly also easier for western casting agents and directors to remember. “I considered naming myself ‘uh,’” he laughs, “because people would recognize me and say, ‘Let’s see. You’re uh, uh . . .’”

    A Turning Point

    His run with Star Trek ended in 1999, and Siddig says that the separation from the cast, with whom he had spent the better part of his career, was an almost traumatic one. Like any actor on a long-running TV series, he wondered whether he would continue to work.

    “Sometimes,” he jokes, “I still wonder if I’ll ever completely escape Star Trek.” More seriously, he goes on, “I have lost jobs because of it. But then again, I lose jobs for many different reasons. As far as typecasting is concerned, that’s my problem. If I can act well enough, I’ll get the jobs.”


    But as difficult as that transition was, 2001 was even more challenging for Siddig. He and Visitor divorced, and then on September 11, the world turned upside down. “9/11 was a wake-up call for me,” he says. “Other people’s perceptions dragged me into the politics of it all.” For the first time in his life, he was stopped and searched on the streets. “And that’s totally cool,” he says. “I completely understand why that happens in sensitive parts of London.”

    Most importantly, Siddig began a spiritual journey that he believes is still ongoing. “I didn’t know that I was Muslim by default because my father was Muslim. I’d read books – religion, philosophy, psychology – and those two small wires never connected in my brain. And then it dawned on me that I was.”



    Making a Difference


    Siddig needn’t have worried about his career. Almost immediately, he found himself cast in a controversial episode of the English TV series Spooks, as well as landing a role in the Matthew McConaughey – Christian Bale sci-fi film Reign of Fire.

    And his Star Trek fans – a predominantly female group – have certainly never abandoned Siddig, following his career and forming SidCity.net to share information about their favorite actor. Siddig is proud of the fundraising his fans have done in his honor to benefit Doctors Without Borders’ work in the Sudan.

    The Shape of Things to Come
    If his role as actor is also that of diplomat, then his next feature will allow him to participate in one of the most ambitious feats of soft diplomacy yet. Syriana, starring George Clooney, and loosely based on See No Evil, the memoir of former CIA operative Robert Baer, is a story of “petrol politics,” says Siddig.

    “That’s a scary phrase,” he admits. “The classic American corporate hegemony right now is in the process of extracting as much oil out of the Middle East as possible. And this film explores how terrible that can be for the Middle East. It’s a message to the Middle East, to at least let them know that there are Americans who know what’s happening.”

    Syriana has already finished filming, and Siddig is preparing for his next project – an installment in popular 1930s detective series Poirot. After that, he will join Colin Firth on the set of a “sword and sandals” epic titled The Last Legion, before hopefully joining his uncle, Malcolm McDowell, on a film noir project this fall, in which he plays “a psychotic Moroccan cop.”

    But politics is practically impossible to escape these days, especially for an Arab Muslim living in London. Siddig is quiet, and there is no hint of laughter in his voice when he speaks: “It’s becoming a pandemic, I’m afraid to say. I’m really not quite sure where to look with regard to this. It’s such a tiny, tiny minority of people with an axe to grind, and I guess they’ve been kind of ‘conned’ by this message. And now it’s as though the planet has collided in some bizarre way – the most horrifying of the West meets the most horrifying of the East.”

    It seems fitting then, that Siddig played Imad, General Saladin’s right-hand man, in Kingdom of Heaven. “He was also an urger of peace to Saladin,” says Siddig. “I found that role so attractive. It’s really me that I’m expressing. Above anything else, I am a product of twin cultures. If I can bring them together, if I can do anything to help, then that is wonderful.”
                  

02-09-2006, 02:35 AM

wedzayneb
<awedzayneb
تاريخ التسجيل: 03-05-2003
مجموع المشاركات: 1848

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Re: G.Grandson of Al-mahdi, free-spirited: " Siddiq Alexander ", invade Hollywood (Re: wedzayneb)

    Former Deep Space Nine star Alexander Siddig (Julian Bashir) sent a letter to his fan club yesterday expressing his sympathies over the terrorist attacks that hit America on Tuesday.

    The letter was sent by Siddig, who is currently working on a film in England, to Sid City. The letter came as a reaction to Tuesday's events, when terrorists slammed two hijacked planes into the World Trade Center in New York and another one in the Pentagon in Washington. The full text of the letter can be found below:



    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "Dear All,

    "If Christmas is a time when we get together to celebrate the family, and Thanksgiving marks a day of gratitude for the community - New Year's a time of national cohesion .. then I hope history will remember Tuesday the eleventh of September 2001 as the day when humanity as a race came together to fight our common enemy within - our own messed up brothers and sisters who share this world with us.

    "I have been glued to the television these past two days, punching redial on my telephone every ten minutes or so for six hours yesterday until the international phone lines cleared up, just waiting to hear news of my little boy and his mother [DS9 actress Nana Visitor - TT] and his brother, all of whom I was worried about. During these past two days I have heard and seen gestures and moments of such courage and selflessness that I simply had to write to you, the only group of Americans I know (personally in many cases) if for no other reason than to remind you all that you are in sympathetic company all over the world. Your nation is not alone. The British Prime Minister has said today that this was not just an attack on the American people but on the free world. Leaders from nearly every country have unanimously stepped up to the plate to try and share your grief, offer their support and burden the responsibility of exacting some kind of revenge on the sad and lost people who did this.

    "I like to think that the very few people who were in the vicinity and have so far survived these attacks have set an example for all of us. Their calmness, their understanding of what needed to be done, their ability to stop running and turn to help someone less fortunate than themselves are examples of what every one of us on this planet is capable of. If America is the leader of the free world (and I believe it is) then these Americans have lead by example.

    "It isn't my place to tell any of you how to react - your own personal consciences will, no doubt, be your guides but I would like to add 'my two cents' to your discussions on this topic and beg you to remember that many of the people who are saddened and shocked by all this are people who will, in the days to come, seem like your enemies - people who had no part in this, who also have children and lovers and family. Many Islamic countries have condemned this action including aggressive states like Syria and Iran -even Palestine.


    I am not a Muslim nor indeed am I a Christian, I am just another person bumbling through life, trying to stay on my own two feet. - and I am not an American, but I can hear what the rest of the world has to say about this tragedy and from what I can tell, the rest of the world is holding out a friendly, helping hand. It's possible that you may not need any other country's help - but the hand is still there.



    "I hope that when I see you again soon we can all say that our reactions to these atrocities have begun the process of putting an end to world wide terrorism - not perpetuating it. I sincerely hope that none of your families have been personally marked by all this. "Sid"

                  

02-09-2006, 02:41 AM

wedzayneb
<awedzayneb
تاريخ التسجيل: 03-05-2003
مجموع المشاركات: 1848

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Re: G.Grandson of Al-mahdi, free-spirited: " Siddiq Alexander ", invade Hollywood (Re: wedzayneb)


    Siddig El Fadil (Mother English)





    Nana Visitor (His ex-wife , mother of Django Tahir Siddig)
                  

02-09-2006, 02:48 AM

wedzayneb
<awedzayneb
تاريخ التسجيل: 03-05-2003
مجموع المشاركات: 1848

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Re: G.Grandson of Al-mahdi, free-spirited: " Siddiq Alexander ", invade Hollywood (Re: wedzayneb)

    Biography for


    Alexander Siddig

    Birth name
    Siddig El Fadil
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Nickname
    Sid
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Height
    6' (1.83 m)
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Mini biography
    Was born in the Sudan in Northern Africa, but spent most of his life in England. His mother is British and the sister of Malcolm McDowell while his father is Sudanese. He has a brother named Thomas, sixteen years younger than he is.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    IMDb mini-biography by
    Henry Lebovic
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Spouse
    Nana Visitor (14 June 1997 - April 2001) (divorced) 1 child

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Trivia
    Son, Django El Tahir El Siddig, born. [16 September 1996]

    Grew up in England where he Attended London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts.


    Was originally "Siddig El Fadil", but has changed his name to "Alexander Siddig" because (as reported by him at Star Trek conventions) nobody could pronounce "El Fadil".


    One of his uncles (his father's brother) was the Sudanese prime minister. Another one (his mother's brother) is Malcolm McDowell.

    He was at one time considered for the role of Benjamin Sisko, the station commander of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" (1993). However, he was apparently considered too young. The role eventually went to Avery Brooks. However, the producers were impressed enough with Siddig and offered him the role of Dr. Julian Bashir.

    Cousin of Lilly McDowell and Charlie McDowell.

    Son Django was born around 11pm. After spending all night with his son and wife, Siddig went to work at "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" (1993) the following day at 5:30am to continuing filming the episode "Let He Who Is Without Sin".

    Fellow "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" (1993) cast member, Andrew Robinson, is the godfather of Siddig's son Django.

    Shares a birthday with Bj&rk, Goldie Hawn, Rachel Rogers, Nicollette Sheridan, & Juliet Mills

    In 2005, he appeared in two films set in the Middle East, Kingdom of Heaven (2005) and Syriana (2005). In both films, he played a character named Prince Nasir.


                  

02-09-2006, 02:59 AM

wedzayneb
<awedzayneb
تاريخ التسجيل: 03-05-2003
مجموع المشاركات: 1848

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Re: G.Grandson of Al-mahdi, free-spirited: " Siddiq Alexander ", invade Hollywood (Re: wedzayneb)
                  

02-09-2006, 04:04 AM

wedzayneb
<awedzayneb
تاريخ التسجيل: 03-05-2003
مجموع المشاركات: 1848

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Re: G.Grandson of Al-mahdi, free-spirited: " Siddiq Alexander ", invade Hollywood (Re: wedzayneb)

    ARABIC STAR CHANGES HIS SON'S NAME TO AVOID PREJUDICE


    Also see:
    ALEXANDER SIDDIG


    Sudanese actor ALEXANDER SIDDIG has changed his son's birth name over fears it's too Arabic and will prompt prejudice amongst the boy's peers.


    The KINGDOM OF HEAVEN star, whose birth name is SIDDIG AL FADIL, was prompted to rename his son, DJANGO EL TAHIR EL SIDDIG, by his ex-wife who feared his Arabic name would present problems.


    Siddig, who grew up in England, says, "She changed my son's name because his last name was Muslim and he was at the United Nations school in New York getting hassled, and he's only a seven-year-old boy.

    "My own son had his name changed, which I suppose is the demarcation of the front line of the current problem of prejudice. I'm handing problems down to my child even though I'm doing it inadvertently.

    "I don't think I've ever been more conscious of being Arabic than I am now. I understand much more about prejudice than I ever did. I realise that you can quite happily fit into the crowd wonderfully until there's some prejudice against you and you don't have any choice but to pop out."
                  

02-12-2006, 05:46 AM

wedzayneb
<awedzayneb
تاريخ التسجيل: 03-05-2003
مجموع المشاركات: 1848

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20 عاما من العطاء و الصمود
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Re: G.Grandson of Al-mahdi, free-spirited: " Siddiq Alexander ", invade Hollywood (Re: wedzayneb)

    ؟؟؟؟!!!.
                  


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