Kayvan Novak ( fa, کیوان نواک; born 23 November 1977) is a British actor and comedian.Kadivar, Dariu
Syriana breaks Iranian stereotypes
, ''Persian Mirror''. Retrieved 3 August 2007. He co-created and starred in the comedy series ''

Fonejacker ''Fonejacker'' is a British comedy programme broadcast on E4 featuring a series of prank calls involving a number of different characters performed by British Iranian television actor Kayvan Novak. It first appeared in May 2006 and became a fu ...

'' from 2006 to 2008 with a one-off in 2012, winning the

BAFTA Television Award The BAFTA TV Awards, or British Academy Television Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the BAFTA. They have been awarded annually since 1955. Background The first-ever Awards, given in 1955, consisted of six categories. Until ...

for Best Comedy (Programme or Series) in 2008. He also portrayed Waj in the 2010 comedy film ''

Four Lions ''Four Lions'' (originally titled ''We Are Four Lions'') is a 2010 British political satire black comedy film directed by Chris Morris (in his directorial debut) and written by Morris, Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong. The film, a jihad satire foll ...

'', and he plays the vampire Nandor the Relentless in the mockumentary series ''What We Do in the Shadows''.

Early life

Novak was born in London to Iranian parents. He was privately educated at Highgate School and the

Fine Arts College Fine Arts College is an independent college in Hampstead, London, founded in 1978, with an average intake of 200 students aged 13 – 19. The College offers over 25 A-level subjects in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and 15 subjects ...

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...

, before attending the

Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art Webber may refer to: *Webber, Kansas, a US city *Webber Township, Jefferson County, Illinois, USA *Webber Township, Lake County, Michigan, USA *Webber International University, in Babson Park, Florida, USA *Webber (surname) Webber (/ˈwɛbər/) i ...

Career

Novak initially appeared on various British shows, including ''

Family Affairs ''Family Affairs'' is a British soap opera that aired on Channel 5. It debuted on 30 March 1997, the day of the launch of said channel and was the first programme broadcast on the channel. It was screened as five thirty-minute episodes per w ...

'', ''

Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama ''Casualty'', and pr ...

'', and '' Spooks''. In 2005, he and

Ed Tracy Ed Tracy is a British television writer and television director who collaborated with the comedian Kayvan Novak to create all of the '' Fonejacker'' and ''Facejacker'' television shows. Initially working together on Tracy's short film ''Obsce ...

created ''

'', a

prank call A prank call (also known as a crank call) is a telephone call intended by the caller as a practical joke played on the person answering. It is often a type of nuisance call. It can be illegal under certain circumstances. Recordings of prank ph ...

show as part of

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

's ''Comedy Lab'' strand.Comedy Lab

. Retrieved 3 August 2007. After the pilot, he was given a Christmas special and a six-part series, which began airing on 5 July 2007 on E4; and 7 September 2007 on Channel 4. In November 2009, he appeared on the Channel 4 show ''

The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret ''The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret'' is a black comedy television series starring David Cross, Sharon Horgan, Blake Harrison, Will Arnett, Spike Jonze, Sara Pascoe and Amber Tamblyn. The series is produced by IFC and RDF Telev ...

'', playing a bomb-disposal officer. In April 2010, Novak began appearing in a spin-off of ''Fonejacker'' called ''

Facejacker ''Facejacker'' is a Channel 4 comedy series which started on 16 April 2010. It follows the similar show '' Fonejacker''. Kayvan Novak adopts various disguises (with the aid of prosthetics), including several characters heard in ''Fonejacker''. ...

'', in which he adopted various disguises, including several characters heard in ''Fonejacker''. Novak announced on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

in May 2012 that the character Terry Tibbs, a mainstay of both shows, would be getting a spin-off chat show; this aired in August 2012.International Business Times
Retrieved 2 July 2011. Novak played Simon in the Channel 4 sitcom pilot ''

Bad Sugar ''Bad Sugar'' is a British comedy pilot, written by Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong, based on an idea by the show's stars Olivia Colman, Julia Davis and Sharon Horgan. The programme centres on a wealthy, dysfunctional British mining dynasty, an ...

''. Novak filmed a scene for ''

This Is England '86 ''This Is England '86'' is a 2010 British drama miniseries written by Shane Meadows and Jack Thorne, a spin-off from the 2006 film ''This Is England''. Set three years later, it focuses on the mod revival scene rather than the skinhead subcu ...

'' which was cut from the final broadcast, but appears in the DVD extras. He was also one of the main characters in the television show ''

Sirens Siren or sirens may refer to: Common meanings * Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies * Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology Places * Siren (town), Wisconsin * Siren, Wisco ...

'', which began on 27 June 2011 on

in the UK. Novak also featured in two episodes of '' Phone Shop'', the first in Series 1, titled "The First Temptation of Chris", and the second in Series 2, titled "Revenge of the Razz". He played area manager Razz Prince. In addition to acting, Novak has made appearances as himself on shows ''

Soccer AM ''Soccer AM'' is a British football-based comedy/talk show, produced by Sky Sports. First broadcast in 1995, the programme currently airs on Sky Showcase, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Football at 10.30am on Saturdays during the f ...

'', ''

8 out of 10 Cats ''8 Out of 10 Cats'' is a British comedy panel show broadcast on Channel 4 and its sister networks, airing since 3 June 2005. The show is hosted by Jimmy Carr; the current team captains are Rob Beckett and Katherine Ryan. The show is based on ...

'', '' Celebrity Big Brother's Little Brother'', and ''

Never Mind the Buzzcocks ''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' is a British comedy panel game show with a pop music theme. It has aired on Sky Max since September 2021, having originally aired between November 1996 and January 2015 on BBC Two. The original series was first hoste ...

''. Novak appeared as an intelligence officer in the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-winning film ''

Syriana ''Syriana'' is a 2005 American political thriller film written and directed by Stephen Gaghan, loosely based on Robert Baer's 2003 memoir ''See No Evil (Baer book), See No Evil''. The film stars an ensemble cast consisting of George Clooney, Mat ...

''. In 2008, he appeared in micro-budget

B-movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double featur ...

''The Blue Tower''.last accessed 1 December 2012.
/ref> He also appeared in the 2010 comedy ''

'', in which he played the dim-witted Waj, a role for which he won the award for Best Comedy Performance in a British Film at the 2010

British Comedy Awards The National Comedy Awards (known as the British Comedy Awards from 1990 to 2014) is an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom, celebrating notable comedians and entertainment performances of the previous year. The British Comedy Awards (1 ...

, beating fellow actor

Nigel Lindsay Nigel Lindsay (born 17 January 1969) is an English actor. He is best known on television for his roles as Sir Robert Peel in the first two seasons of ''Victoria'', Jo Jo Marshall in the Netflix series '' Safe'' and as Barry in the BAFTA-winnin ...

, who was nominated for his role in the same film. Novak appeared as Alok in the first series of

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

comedy ''

Fags, Mags and Bags ''Fags, Mags and Bags'' is a Scottish radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Its first series was nominated for a Sony Radio Award. The writers, Sanjeev Kohli and Donald McLeary, received a Writers Guild Award in November 2008 for Radio ...

''. He has provided voice work for three video games: '' Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit'', ''

Perfect Dark Zero ''Perfect Dark Zero'' is a first-person shooter developed by Rare and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It was released as a launch title for the Xbox 360 video game console in 2005. The game is part of the ''Perfect Dark'' series and a pr ...

'' and ''

Kameo ''Kameo: Elements of Power'' is a 2005 Action-adventure game, action-adventure video game developed by Rare (company), Rare and published by Microsoft Game Studios. The player controls Kameo, a 16-year-old elf, who must travel across the land, ...

''. He also voiced various characters in the

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

spoof sketch show ''

Headcases ''Headcases'' is a British satirical animation show based on current affairs. It employed the same satirical style as ''Spitting Image'', ''2DTV'' and '' Bo' Selecta!'', but using 3D animation created by UK Visual Effects and animation house Red ...

'', and in the 2012 Channel 4 animated series ''

Full English A full breakfast is a substantial cooked breakfast meal, often served in the United Kingdom and Ireland, that typically includes back bacon, sausages, eggs, black pudding, baked beans, some form of potato, tomatoes, mushrooms, toast, and a ...

''. He lent his vocals to British band

Beady Eye Beady Eye were an English rock band formed in London in 2009 by former Oasis members Liam Gallagher (vocals), Gem Archer (guitar), Andy Bell (guitar), and Chris Sharrock (drums). In 2013, former Kasabian guitarist Jay Mehler joined the band ...

's 2013 song "

Flick of the Finger "Flick of the Finger" is the first song from British band Beady Eye's second album, '' BE'', and the first song released from the album. Background and release The song features a guest appearance from Kayvan Novak who reads out a passage from Tar ...

". In 2013, he appeared as

Effy Stonem Elizabeth "Effy" Stonem is a fictional character in the television series '' Skins'', played by Kaya Scodelario. She appears in all of the first four series, as well as the seventh series, and appears in the most episodes (27). Kaya Scodelario wa ...

's boss in the '' Skins'' episode "

Skins Fire "Skins Fire" is a feature-length episode of E4 television series '' Skins''. It aired in two parts in 2013 as part of a specially-commissioned seventh season marking the end of the programme. The first six series of ''Skins'' aired from 2007 to ...

". He voiced a

Cyberman The Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme '' Doctor Who''. The Cybermen are a species of space-faring cyborgs who often forcefully and painfully convert human beings ...

head called Handles in the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' 2013 Christmas special "

The Time of the Doctor "The Time of the Doctor" is an episode of the British science fiction television programme '' Doctor Who'', written by Steven Moffat and directed by Jamie Payne, and was broadcast as the ninth ''Doctor Who'' Christmas special on 25 December 201 ...

". He had a starring role in the last episode of the first series of ''

Uncle An uncle is usually defined as a male relative who is a sibling of a parent or married to a sibling of a parent. Uncles who are related by birth are second-degree relatives. The female counterpart of an uncle is an aunt, and the reciprocal relat ...

'' as Mo, the boss of a fictional record label. In 2014, he played Paul in the second episode ("

A Quiet Night In "A Quiet Night In" is the second episode of the British dark comedy television anthology series ''Inside No. 9''. It first aired on 12 February 2014 on BBC Two. Written by Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton, it stars the writers as a pair o ...

") of ''

Inside No. 9 ''Inside No. 9'' is a British black comedy anthology television programme that first aired in 2014. It is written by Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton and produced by the BBC. Each 30-minute episode is a self-contained story with new chara ...

''. Also in 2014, he appeared in Episode 1, Series 3 of '' Rev.'' as the Imam, Yussef Hasan. Since 2015, he has voiced the character of

Brains A brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as vision. It is the most complex organ in a v ...

in the revived ITV series '' Thunderbirds Are Go''. In 2015, he featured in the sitcom ''Asylum'' as "Rafael". In May 2015, he appeared in a new comedy series called ''

SunTrap ''SunTrap'' is a British television sitcom produced by Happy Tramp Productions for the BBC. The series was created and written by Neil Webster and Charlie Skelton. The storyline follows Woody (Kayvan Novak), an undercover journalist who is a mas ...

'' on BBC1. In May 2017, Novak appeared in

's ''Britain Today, Tonight''. In 2019, Novak was cast as the vampire Nandor The Relentless in the

mockumentary A mockumentary (a blend of ''mock'' and ''documentary''), fake documentary or docu-comedy is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events but presented as a documentary. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on c ...

comedy horror Comedy horror, also known as horror comedy, is a literary genre, literary, television genre, television, and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as able to be categorized under three ty ...

television series ''

What We Do In The Shadows ''What We Do in the Shadows'' is a 2014 New Zealand mockumentary horror comedy film written and directed by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi and the first installment in the ''What We Do in the Shadows'' franchise. The film also stars Clem ...

''. The show is based on the 2014 film of the same name. Novak speaks fluent

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

, as seen on the second episode of Season 2 (“Ghosts”) of ''What We Do in the Shadows''. In 2021, he released eight episodes of "All New Fonejacker Podcast" on Audible and starred as Roger in Disney's ''Cruella''.

Personal life

Novak is a fan of

Liverpool FC Liverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Founded in 1892, the club joined the Football League the following year and has p ...

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Novak, Kayvan 1978 births Living people 21st-century English male actors Comedians from London English male comedians English male film actors English male television actors English male video game actors English male voice actors English people of Iranian descent Male actors from London People educated at Highgate School People from Cricklewood Prank calling