Akmal Saleh

Akmal Saleh
Born	1964 Egypt
Occupation(s)	Comedian, actor
Years active	1990–present
Known for	Stand-up comedy, television appearances (Superwog), radio hosting

Akmal Saleh (, ) is a comedian and actor of Egyptian-Australian heritage. Born in Egypt, he emigrated to Sydney with his family in 1975 when he was ten years old. Since the early 1990s, Saleh has performed at comedy festivals both across Australia and internationally, and has featured on Australian television shows such as Superwog.

Early life and education

Akmal Abdul Malek Saleh entered the world in Egypt around 1965 before moving to Sydney in 1975. His father, Riyadh, was a university academic fluent in English, whereas Saleh and his mother Marie initially lacked English proficiency. Growing up in Punchbowl, New South Wales, Saleh recalls being a reserved child who admired the class clown. He was raised within a "very right-wing fundamentalist Christian household," attributing his comedic sensibility to the contrasting temperaments of his parents—his clever father and anxious mother.

At age 14, Saleh lost his father to a long-term illness. This event prompted him to join the Coptic Orthodox Christian faith, though he eventually grew disillusioned with what he perceived as its hypocrisy. Comedy later became a substitute for religion in his life and emerged as a central theme in his stand-up routines. During this period, he also pursued multiple university courses while working as a taxi driver.

Career

Saleh’s stand-up journey began in 1990 at the Sydney Comedy Store. Early on, he adopted the stage name "Peter Saleh" to seem more relatable but reverted to his birth name after establishing himself. In 1992, alongside Anthony Mir and Gary Eck, he co-wrote and performed in All Aussies are Boofta and also the best, which paved the way for successful live productions such as Bound And Gagged and Hoot. These shows toured prominent festivals including Adelaide Fringe and Edinburgh Fringe. The trio developed The Fifty-Foot Foot Show for The Comedy Channel in 1999, marking Saleh’s first television credit under his real name. He also co-wrote and acted in the 2002 film You Can't Stop The Murders.

As a solo stand-up artist, Saleh has toured widely, often exploring themes of ethnicity and cultural stereotypes while deliberately expanding beyond solely "ethnic comedy." Stand-up remains his main creative outlet and area of expertise.

In radio, Saleh made his debut in 2007 on Nova during Merrick and Rosso’s summer hiatus before hosting his own drive-time program. Originally slated to co-host with Matthew Newton, Saleh became the sole presenter following Newton’s legal troubles. Later co-hosts included Cal Wilson and Ed Kavalee.

On television, Saleh has appeared on numerous Australian shows such as I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, Hey Hey It's Saturday, Rove Live, The Footy Show, The Glass House, Thank God You're Here, and is frequently featured as a panel member on Good News Week.

Personal life

Saleh is married to Cate, who works as a social worker. They have chosen not to have children—a decision influenced by the early passing of his father. In 2013, Saleh took on an ambassadorial role with the Top Blokes Foundation.

Films

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2003	You Can't Stop the Murders	Constable Akmal
2005	You and Your Stupid Mate	The Third AD
2006	BoyTown	Man in Rio 1
2020	100% Wolf	Hamish	Voice Only
2022	Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again	Seth	Voice Only
2024	200% Wolf	Hamish	Voice Only

Television

Year	Production	Character	Remarks
1993	G.P.	Mr. Bottros
1994	Crazy Crosswords	Bhutros Bhutros Bhutros Galic
1999	The 50 Foot Show	Multiple roles
2001-2011	Tracey McBean	Jim McConnolly	Voice role only
2016-2017	The Wild Adventures of Blinky Bill	Jacko Browing	Voice role only
2018	Superwog (TV series)	School Janitor	Season 1, Episode 3: The Final Exam

Video games

Year	Title	Character	Remarks
2004	Rome: Total War

Video albums

Title	Description
Live And Uncensored	Released: November 2007 Record Label: Universal
The Life of Akmal	Released: November 2017 Record Label: Universal
Transparent	Released: August 2018 Record Label: Universal

ARIA Music Awards

Since 1987, the ARIA Music Awards have celebrated outstanding achievements in Australian music across various genres.

! |- | 2008 | Akmal Live and Uncensored | rowspan="2"| ARIA Award for Best Comedy Release | | rowspan="2"| |- | 2018 | Transparent | |-