Alexander Siddig is a Sudanese actor and director best known for his role as ‘Doctor Bashir’ on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He also has starred in several additional roles like 24, Atlantis, and Game of Thrones.
Early Life
Actor Alexander Siddig was born on November 21, 1965, in Omdurman, Khartoum, Sudan, to his parents, Tahir El Mahdi, a Sudanese, and Gloria, an English woman.
The actor was initially born Siddig El Tahir Fadil El Siddig Abdurrahman Mohammed Ahmed Abdel Karim El Madhi but later changed his screen name to Siddig El Fadil before his current name of Alexander Siddig. The actor said it was difficult for people to pronounce “El Fadil” and decided to change his name once again.
His parents later separated; his mother eventually remarried, and he had a son with her new husband. As a child, Siddig spoke Arabic but later forgot it after living in Britain for two years.
The actor comes from a long line of influential family members. His father attended Cambridge University, his uncle was the prime minister of Sudan in the late 60s and late 80s, and his great-great-grandson of a Nubian leader.
Siddig attended the University College London for one year before enrolling at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. After leaving school, he pursued a career in theater as a director and an actor.
Acting Career
Siddig’s first onscreen role was in The Big Battalions (1992), a British six-part miniseries. Not long after, he appeared in the film A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia (1992), the sequel to Lawrence of Arabia.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
In 1993, Siddig landed the role of Dr. Julian Bashir on the hit series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and the part would become one of his best-known roles to date. The actor stayed on for all seven seasons and directed several episodes throughout his time on the show.
Siddig’s character was part of the Post-Eugenics Human Augment species and served as a chief medical officer in Deep Space 9. His character was born in 2341, and as a young child, he was not very bright; however, he received enhancements to boost his I.Q. and eventually became an excellent student.
Siddig did not care for how his character was portrayed as the series went on and was vocal about how he tried to sabotage the situation. The actor did not like that Dr. Julian Bashir was eventually revealed to be an augment.
The actor was quoted as saying, “I did it the only way that an actor can. I completely destroyed the lines that they gave me regarding the situation.”
Star Trek: The Next Generation
In 1993, Siddig appeared in one Star Trek: The Next Generation episode as his original character, Dr. Julian Bashir in the episode ‘Birthright’. The series was the third in the Star Trek franchise and followed the happenings of the USS Enterprise.
What did he do after Deep Space Nine?
Siddig managed to add a long list of television and movie credits to his name after appearing on Deep Space Nine.
Reign of Fire
In 2002, Siddig starred alongside Christian Bale in the science fantasy film Reign of Fire. The actor played Ajay with the movie centering around a group of fire-breathing dragons that emerge from inside the earth and begin destroying everything and taking over the planet.
24
Siddig appeared in seven episodes of the hit FOX series 24, playing the character of Hamri Al-Assad. The actor played a former terrorist in season six of the series, which aired in 2007. The action-drama series received high praise for its innovative plot, covering 24 consecutive hours each season. The show starred Kiefer Sutherland and ran for a total of nine seasons.
Primeval
The science fiction drama, Primeval, ran for five seasons, from 2007-2011. Siddig played the character of Philip Burton for the show’s series four and five (episodes 24-36). The British television series follows a group of scientists examining the appearance of earthly oddities throughout the United Kingdom while also trying to prevent the world’s end.
Atlantis
Siddig played King Minos for eight episodes in the British fantasy-adventure series Atlantis. The show premiered in 2013 and stayed on the air for two seasons. While the show initially had high ratings, it was canceled after the second season.
Games of Thrones
For six episodes, Siddig played Doran Martell on the fantasy drama series Games of Thrones. From 2015-2016, the actor had a recurring role on the popular show, an adaptation of the book series A Song of Ice and Fire.
Da Vinci’s Demons
Siddig played Al-Rahim for thirteen episodes of the television series Da Vinci’s Demons. The historical fantasy drama portrays a fictional account of the early life of Leonardo da Vinci.
Peaky Blinders
In 2016, Siddig played Ruben Oliver for six episodes of the British crime drama Peaky Blinders. The show follows the crime gang, Peaky Blinders and their exploits after WWI. In addition to Siddig, the series starred Cillian Murphy, Helen McCrory, Paul Anderson, and Sophie Rundle.
Gotham
Siddig had a recurring role in the superhero crime drama Gotham, which originally aired on FOX. The actor played Ra’s al Ghul for twelve episodes, from 2017-2018. The series was developed by Bruno Heller and also starred Ben McKenzie, Donal Logue, and David Mazouz. Siddig’s character was the influential head of the League of Assassins.
Deep State
In 2019, Siddig appeared as Issouf Al Moctar in season two of the British thriller series Deep State. The series only aired for two seasons, with Siddig appearing in seven episodes, centered around a retired Field Agent for M16 who becomes recruited back into the field.
What is Alexander Siddig doing now?
Acting
The actor appeared in the 2019 miniseries, The Spy, alongside Sacha Baron Cohen. The series ran for six episodes and was based on real-life events surrounding the exploits of Mossad spy Eli Cohen.
In addition, Siddig will appear in the upcoming drama thriller series Shantaram as Khader Khan. The show is based on the book by the same name and revolves around an Australian bank robber who flees to India and will air on Apple+ TV.
Conventions
While the actor kept his distance from the Star Trek series for some time, he does attend conventions for the all the Trekkie fans. In 2022 he attended the Star Trek: Mission Chicago convention.
Sid City Social Club
Alexander is a frequent guest on his fan club site Sid City Social Club. He appears regularly on video chat and talks to fans and answers questions and talks about the going-ons in his life.
During the pandemic lock-down in 2020, Alexander participated in an online script read of a Deep Space Nine fan-fiction, entitled ‘Alone Together‘.
The script read was streamed on Alexander Siddig’s website, Sid City Social Club and had appearances by Cirroc Lofton, Andrew Robinson, Armin Shimerman and Nana Visitor.
Is Alexander Siddig on Picard?
Finally, to debunk some rumors, Siddig is not on the Star Trek: Picard series, as many fans have wondered. Instead, the show features his potential look-a-like actor James Callis, who even pointed out on Twitter the uncanny resemblance, posting a picture of the two actors together.
Relationships/Marriage
Alexander is currently married to a ‘civilian’, although her details have been kept private.
He was formerly married to his Deep Space Nine co-star, Nana Visitor. The couple had a son in 1996, Django El Tahir El Siddig. Alexander and Nana was married from 1997-2001. While the couple divorced over two decades ago, they remain friendly.
Django El Siddig is an actor who has appeared in various small budget movies. He also currently hosts a podcast with his mother, Nana, and they talk about various subjects and topics about their lives.
After Nana Alexander found love with Sex and the City actress Kim Cattrall in 2005 after starring in the theater production Whose Life is it Anyway? However, the two did not remain together long.
Related Posts:
