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Erick Avari
Avari at the Big Apple Convention in Manhattan in 2009
Born	Nariman Erach Avari (1952-04-13) 13 April 1952 (age 72) Darjeeling, West Bengal, India
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1962–present

Erick Avari (born Nariman Nariman Erach Avari; 13 April 1952) is an Indian-American actor whose roles in science-fiction and action productions include Stargate (1994), Independence Day (1996), and The Mummy (1999).

Early life

Erick Avari was born on 13 April 1952 in Darjeeling, West Bengal, India, into a Parsi Zoroastrian family. His father, Erach Dinshaw Avari, ran two movie theatres, the Capital and the Rink. His early education was at the North Point School, which he attended as a day-scholar. He later studied at the College of Charleston.

Avari is a member of the Avari-Madan family of Darjeeling and Calcutta. His great-great-grandfather was Jamshedji Framji Madan, one of the pioneers of Indian cinema.

Career

Avari is one of only two actors, along with Alexis Cruz, to appear in both the original Stargate movie and the spin-off series Stargate SG-1 (three episodes). Before arriving in Los Angeles in 1991, his extensive work onstage garnered him praise from theater critics across America, most notably as Vasquez, in 'Tis Pity She's a Whore with Val Kilmer at the Joseph Papp Public Theater, and as Sir Richard at The Guthrie Theater's memorable production of The Screens.

In the video game Zork Grand Inquisitor, he played Grand Inquisitor Mir Yannick, a ruthless dictator who serves as the game's main villain. He also appeared in The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines.

Beginning in the autumn of 2006, a photograph of Avari and a recording of his voice were used in the role of Chandra Suresh in Heroes. He did not appear onscreen until the episode "Seven Minutes to Midnight", as his character is part of the backstory and had died before the events of the pilot.

Over the course of his career, Avari has portrayed representatives of more than 24 ethnicities. As of November 2006, he has appeared in 33 feature films and over 70 television episodes.

Avari has appeared with Brent Spiner in three different productions: Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), Independence Day (1996), and The Master of Disguise (2002). He performed opposite Richard Gere in a drama film based on a true story: Hachi: A Dog's Tale, in which he played Jasjeet, an Indian hot dog vendor.

Avari was scheduled to reprise in his role as Kasuf in the Stargate SG-1 Season Six finale "Full Circle", but was unable to do so due to his commitment to Dragnet (2003).

In January 2009, he played a mobile-phone salesman in Paul Blart: Mall Cop, and in October 2009, he was cast as Omar on Days of Our Lives.

In 2014, Avari voiced Master Rahool in the science fiction video game Destiny, a role he reprised in a sequel.

In 2019, Avari portrayed Nicodemus in the television historical series The Chosen based on the life of Jesus Christ. He said in a 2023 interview that he considered himself retired prior to the series and mostly retired since, but may have an unspecified project in the works.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

1. Erick Avari Biography
2. Denmead, Ken (13 July 2010). "Acting For Geeks: a Chat with Erick Avari". Wired. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
3. ErickAvari.com Archived 16 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine Official Website
4. Church, Tim (18 April 2023). "Church's Celebrity Connection: Actor Erick Avari on Queen Esther, The Chosen & Kindness". Branson Tri-Lakes News. Retrieved 4 August 2023.

External links

• Erick Avari at IMDb

• 1952 births
• Living people
• 20th-century American male actors
• 20th-century Indian male actors
• 21st-century American male actors
• 21st-century Indian male actors
• American male actors of Indian descent
• American male film actors
• American male musical theatre actors
• American male Shakespearean actors
• American male stage actors
• American male television actors
• American people of Parsi descent
• American Zoroastrians
• Indian emigrants to the United States
• Indian male film actors
• Indian male musical theatre actors
• Indian male stage actors
• Indian male television actors
• Indian Zoroastrians
• Male actors from West Bengal
• Parsi male actors
• People from Darjeeling