Farid Kamil

Farid Kamil (born Farid Kamil bin Zahari; 5 May 1981) is a Malaysian actor and screenplay writer. He is a well-known male model turned actor who has made a big reputation of himself as one of Malaysia's most famous actors since Rosyam Nor in the 1990s for several of his outstanding performances in drama series and movies alike.

Early life and family

Farid Kamil was born in Alor Star, Kedah. He is the eldest son of five siblings to Dato' Dr. Zahari Che and Datin Sharifah Bardah Syed Abdillah. His brother, Fadzil Zahari is also an actor.

Education

In 2010, Kamil graduated from Universiti Teknologi MARA with Bachelor's Degree (Hons.) in Performing Arts. Kamil has also been one of the most fortunate actor as he was lucky enough to have been guided by in acting by known actor; Ahmad Yatim which had given him an edge as a method actor despite appearing in a number of comedy and commercial released films and dramas.

Personal life

As a well-known actor, Farid Kamil was romantically linked with a number of actresses. From his break-up with his then girlfriend Irma Hasmie some years ago, his alleged romantic entanglement with Lisa Surihani and the latest one being his courtship with starlet Diana Danielle. On 16 October, it was confirmed that he is engaged with Diana Danielle and the couple got married on 3 November 2012. They now have two children together.

Career

Kamil began his career in the entertainment industry as a model in 1999 to support his tuition fee - some of the companies he worked for during this early period were Dunhill, Pringles and TM Net. His involvement in the film industry however only began in 2000 when he was discovered by A Razak Mohaideen, a very popular drector during that time, and was cast as a minor character in his film; Mistik. Appearing in Mistik was a turning stone for Kamil as he began to catch the attention of local directors and film makers. In 2003, Kamil was cast alongside Erra Fazira in Cinta Kolestrol, playing her younger brother.

By 2004, Kamil's popularity soared, he continued to appear not only in films alongside prominent names such as Erra Fazira in Hingga Hujung Nyawa and Kuliah Cinta in a supporting role and a leading man debut in a thriller movie titled Tujuh Perhentian . In the same year, Kamil also appeared alongside Datuk Siti Nurhaliza for a Hotlink advertisement campaign. The campaign itself helped Kamil to be recognised as well as becoming a fan favourite.

Kamil starred mainly in A Razak Mohaideen movies until 2006, where Kamil started to appear in a movie under a different director; Ahmad Idham in his movie Remp-It not only as the lead actor, but also the screenwriter, at the behest of the producer. The movie was a box office success and was followed by two sequels.

With his career on a roll, Kamil took one of his most challenging role to date in 2008 when he appeared in Osman Ali’s Anak Halal. His appearance in the movie as well as in Mamat Khalid’s Kala Malam Bulan Mengambang made him one of the most sought actors during that time. Kamil was also recognised when he was nominated for Best Actor for his portrayal in Anak Halal and best supporting actor for his role in Kala Malam Bulan Mengambang in the 21st Malaysia Film Festival in 2008.

In 2010, Farid was entrusted to direct the third and final movie in the Remp-It series. However, the movie snowballed bad publicity due to perceptions that it had glorified mat rempit culture which was very prevalent in TV dramas and movies at that time, much to the Government’s chagrin. The movie was subsequently retitled V3-Samseng Jalanan.

Filmography

As actor

As writer