Akmal Saleh ( ar, أكمل صالح Coptic: AKMAΛ CAΛΕϨ) (born 21 July 1964) is an
Egyptian-Australian comedian and actor. He was born in Egypt and arrived in Sydney with his family in 1975 at the age of 11. He has been performing comedy since the early 1990s and his live shows have toured comedy festivals both within Australia and internationally. He has also made guest appearances on numerous Australian television series such as ''
Superwog
superwog1 or just simply ''Superwog'', is a YouTube duo consisting of two Australian brothers, Theodore and Nathan Saidden. The channel consists of various videos including comedies and skits. They have gained over 3 million subscribers and 456 ...
''.
Background
Born in Egypt, Saleh moved to Sydney in 1975 at the age of 11. While his father Riyadh, a university professor, was fluent in English, neither Saleh nor his mother Marie could speak the language when they arrived. He grew up in
Punchbowl, New South Wales
Punchbowl is a suburb south west of Sydney, west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Canterbury-Bankstown, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. At the , Punchbowl had a population of 20,23 ...
and describes himself as having been a quiet child who was "the class clown's assistant. I was the guy who got his props ready."
He grew up in a "very right-wing fundamentalist Christian family", which he says contributed to his sense of humour. "My father... was a very witty man with a quick mind. My mother was neurotic and mad. I think the combination of those two turned me into who I am," he says.
Saleh was 14 when his father died of a disease contracted years earlier when swimming in the
Nile River
The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered the longest rive ...
. Searching for something meaningful in his life, Saleh became very religious and joined the
Coptic Orthodox
The Coptic Orthodox Church ( cop, Ϯⲉⲕ̀ⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲛ̀ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ⲛ̀ⲟⲣⲑⲟⲇⲟⲝⲟⲥ, translit=Ti.eklyseya en.remenkimi en.orthodoxos, lit=the Egyptian Orthodox Church; ar, الكنيسة القبطي ...
Christian church. However, within a few years he says he grew resentful of the religion, finding it "corrupt and hypocritical".
Saleh says that when he discovered comedy it "filled the void that religion left", and his disillusionment with Christianity became a subject of comedy in his stand-up routine from early on. Saleh now describes himself as an agnostic.
He began performing stand-up comedy in 1990, when he decided to take part in an Open Mic night at the Sydney Comedy Store. Prior to this, he started a number of university degrees and drove a
taxi
A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...
.
Saleh is married; his wife, Cate, is a social worker.
He has said that they do not intend to have children, a decision he says which is probably influenced by his father's untimely death.
Career
Saleh entered into stand-up comedy in 1990. For a time, he performed under the alias "Peter Saleh"—"so that people would think I was white", he says. "'Peter' seemed like a common name. 'Akmal' is such an awkward name, a very difficult name to remember."
In 1992 he co-wrote and starred in the show ''All Aussies are Boofta and also the best'' alongside fellow comedians Anthony Mir and
Gary Eck
Gary Eck is an Australian comedian and actor.
Career
Gary Eck has starred in several Australian movies, including 2003's '' You Can't Stop The Murders'' (which he had written for as well) and '' The Night We Called It A Day'', and also in 2006' ...
, which enjoyed successful runs in various Sydney venues. This was followed by the live shows ''Bound And Gagged'' and ''Hoot'', the latter of which toured the 1996
Adelaide Fringe Festival
The Adelaide Fringe, formerly Adelaide Fringe Festival, is the world's second-largest annual arts festival (after the Edinburgh Festival Fringe), held in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Between mid-February and mid-March each year, ...
, the
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the largest stand-alone comedy festival and the second-largest international comedy festival in the world. Established in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks, typicall ...
, and the
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...
. In 1999 the trio created the television show ''The Fifty-Foot Foot Show'' for Australia's
The Comedy Channel
The Comedy Channel (promoted on air as comedy) is a defunct Australian subscription television channel available on Foxtel, and Optus Television. The channel ceased broadcasting on 1 September 2020.
History
A joint venture between Artist Servi ...
. Saleh was credited onscreen by his real name; he says he had not bothered to use his stage name because he did not expect that many people would watch an obscure cable television show. "But strangely enough, enough people saw it and saw me in the street and said, 'Hey Akmal, good show mate! Loved ''The Fifty-Foot Show." He says he found it so much nicer to be called by his real name, and has performed under it ever since.
Saleh has also collaborated with Mir and Eck on the 2002 film ''
You Can't Stop The Murders'', which he co-wrote and starred in.
Saleh also performs solo stand-up shows and has toured numerous comedy festivals in both in Australia and internationally. He commonly jokes about his own ethnicity and negative stereotypes regarding Middle Easterners. However, he says that he does not want to become known as an "ethnic comic" and likes to be able to talk about "broad range of stuff". He says that he is most comfortable performing stand-up: "It's the thing that I do best. I'm not a radio guy. I'm a comedian doing radio."
Saleh emerged on Australian radio in January 2007, filling in for
Merrick and Rosso
Merrick and Rosso were an Australian comedy duo, composed of Merrick Watts (Merrick) and Tim Ross (Rosso). The duo began in stand up comedy, and first came together when they teamed up for what was intended to be a one-off comedy show in 1996. Th ...
on Nova for three weeks during the summer before receiving his own drive-time show. He was initially contracted to co-host the show alongside actor
Matthew Newton
Matthew Joseph Newton (born January 22, 1977) is an Australian actor, writer, and director, and son of TV personalities Bert Newton, Bert and Patti Newton. His acting career was interrupted by treatment in a psychiatric unit for bipolar disor ...
, but Newton was unexpectedly dropped after news emerged that he was facing assault charges involving a former girlfriend and instead Saleh made a solo debut.
The show has since experienced several changes of co-hosts Saleh co-hosted the drive shift with comedians
Cal Wilson
Cal Wilson (born 5 October 1970) is a New Zealand stand-up comedian, author, radio and television presenter.
Early life
After attending high school in Christchurch, New Zealand, Wilson completed a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Canterbu ...
and
Ed Kavalee
Edward Robert Kavalee (born 30 June 1979) is an Australian comedian, actor, writer, podcaster radio and television presenter. He is a recurring panellist on Network 10's ''Have You Been Paying Attention?'' with Sam Pang and co-hosts ''Hughesy, ...
.
Saleh has appeared on numerous Australian television shows, such as ''
I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'', ''
Hey Hey it's Saturday
''Hey Hey It's Saturday'' was a long-running variety television program on Australian television. It initially ran for 28 years on the Nine Network from 9 October 1971 to 20 November 1999, with a recess in 1978. Its host throughout its entire ...
'', ''
Rove Live
''Rove'', also titled ''Rove Live'', was an Australian television variety show that featured live music performances and interviews with local and international celebrity guests. The program premiered on the Nine Network on 22 September 1999, be ...
'', ''
The Footy Show (rugby league)
''The Footy Show'' was an Australian sports variety television program covering professional rugby league in Australia. It was shown on the Nine Network and aired for 25 seasons. For the final season in 2018, the show was hosted by journalist Er ...
'', ''
The Glass House'', ''
In Siberia Tonight'', ''
Thank God You're Here
''Thank God You're Here'' is an Australian television improvised comedy program created by Working Dog Productions, which premiered on Network Ten on 5 April 2006, and aired for the first three seasons and on Seven for the fourth season.
Each ...
'', ''
Big Questions
''Big Questions'' is an Australian television show which is produced and broadcast on the Nine Network, with Jules Lund as host. It commenced broadcasting on 19 October 2006. It shouldn't be confused with the Sydney Morning Herald column of th ...
'', ''
Hughesy, We Have a Problem
''Hughesy, We Have a Problem'' was an Australian comedy panel television series which premiered on Network 10 on 30 January 2018. The program was hosted by Dave Hughes, who along with a panel of comedians, attempted to solve problems of viewers ...
'', ''
Spicks and Specks'',
Tracey McBean
''Tracey McBean'' is an Australian animated children's television series produced by Southern Star Entertainment and Film Australia. The show was aired from 2001 until 2006 on ABC Kids.
Overview
The main protagonist, Tracey, is a young nine- ...
and is a regular panel member in ''
Good News Week
''Good News Week'' is an Australian satirical panel game show hosted by Paul McDermott that aired from 19 April 1996 to 27 May 2000, and 11 February 2008 to 28 April 2012. The show's initial run aired on ABC until being bought by Network Ten in ...
''.
In 2013, Akmal Saleh became an ambassador for the
Top Blokes Foundation
The Top Blokes Foundation is an Australian-based non-government organisation that addresses young men’s health outcomes and provides social education programs to young men and boys. Founded in 2006, Top Blokes Foundation has worked with Australia ...
. Saleh currently lives in
Queanbeyan
Queanbeyan ( ) is a city in the south-eastern region of New South Wales, Australia, located adjacent to the Australian Capital Territory in the Southern Tablelands region. Located on the Queanbeyan River, the city is the council seat of the ...
as of 2013.
Filmography
Films
Television
Video games
Discography
Video albums
Awards and nominations
ARIA Music Awards
The
ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...
are a set of annual ceremonies presented by
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing th ...
(ARIA), which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of the
music of Australia
The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions of ...
. They commenced in 1987.
!
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,
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, , ''Akmal Live and Uncensored'' , , rowspan="2",
ARIA Award for Best Comedy Release
The ARIA Music Award for Best Comedy Release, is an award presented at the annual ARIA Music Awards, which recognises "the many achievements of Aussie artists across all music genres", since 1987. It is handed out by the Australian Recording Indu ...
, , , , rowspan="2",
, -
,
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
, , ''Transparent'' , ,
, -
Notes
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saleh, Akmal
1964 births
Living people
Australian people of Egyptian descent
Australian stand-up comedians
Australian agnostics
Australian former Christians
Australian people of Coptic descent
Egyptian emigrants to Australia
People from New South Wales
Nova (radio network) announcers
I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (Australian TV series) participants
Blinky Bill