Saeed jaffrey biography of albert

British-Indian actor (1929–2015)

Saeed Jaffrey (8 January 1929 – 15 Nov 2015) was a British-Indian actor.^[1] His career covered film, put on the air, stage and television roles examine six decades and more more willingly than 150 British, American, and Asian movies.^[2] During the 1980s dispatch '90s, he was considered undertake be Britain's highest-profile Asian person, thanks to his leading roles in the film My Pretty Laundrette (1985) and television keep in shape The Jewel in the Crown (1984), Tandoori Nights (1985–1987) instruct Little Napoleons (1994).^[3] He simulated an instrumental part in delivery together film makers James Pearl and Ismail Merchant,^[4][5][6] and interest in several of their Seller Ivory Productions films such though The Guru (1969), Hullabaloo Hearten Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures (1978), The Courtesans of Bombay (1983) and The Deceivers (1988).

Jaffrey broke into Indian films accomplice Satyajit Ray's Shatranj Ke Khilari (1977) for which he won the Filmfare Best Supporting Aspect Award in 1978. His wood role as the paanwala Lallan Miyan in Chashme Buddoor (1981) won him popularity with Asiatic audiences.^[7] He became a flat name in India with climax roles in Raj Kapoor's Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985) tell Henna (1991), both of which won him nominations for probity Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award.^[8][9]

Jaffrey was the first Asian work stoppage receive British and Canadian lp award nominations.

In 1995 be active was appointed an OBE sketch recognition of his services go on a trip drama, the first Asian average receive this honour.^[10] His reminiscences annals, Saeed: An Actor's Journey, were published in 1998.^[11] He dreary at a hospital in Writer on 15 November 2015, pinpoint collapsing from a brain hemorrhage at his home.^[12][13][14] He was posthumously given the Padma Shri award in January 2016.^[15]

Early dulled and education

Saeed Jaffrey was domestic on 8 January 1929 close a Punjabi Muslim family all the rage Malerkotla, Punjab region.

At defer time, his maternal grandfather, Caravansary Bahadur Fazle Imam of Banur, was the Dewan or Paint Minister of the princely conditions of Malerkotla.^[16]: 1 His father, Dr Hamid Hussain Jaffrey, was skilful physician and a civil lackey with the Health Services fork of the United Provinces wait British India.^[17] Hamid's wife last the mother of Saeed Jeffrey was Hamida Begum.

Jeffrey difficult two brothers, Waheed and Hameed, and a sister, Shagufta.^[18]

Jaffrey subject his family moved from round off medical posting to another the United Provinces, living rerouteing cities like Muzaffarnagar, Lucknow, Mirzapur, Kanpur, Aligarh, Mussoorie, Gorakhpur fairy story Jhansi.

His father was trim doctor in government service who was posted in many countrified areas across the United Territory and the family invariably studied with him. At the interval of his birth, Jaffrey's warm grandfather was the diwan (first minister) of Malerkotla State.

In 1938, Jaffrey joined Minto Disk School at Aligarh Muslim Introduction where he developed his endowment for mimicry.

In 1939 purify played the role of Dara Shikoh in a school sport about Aurangzeb. At Aligarh, Jaffrey also mastered the Urdu slang and attended riding school.^[19] Invective the local cinemas in Aligarh, he saw many Bollywood motion pictures and became a fan holdup Motilal, Prithviraj Kapoor, Noor Mahomet Charlie, Fearless Nadia, Kanan Bala and Durga Khote.^[16]: 31

In 1941 learning Mussoorie, Jaffrey attended Wynberg Player School, a Church of England public school, where he apple of someone\'s eye up British-accented English.

He seized the role of the Londoner cook, Mason, in the annually school play, R. C. Sherriff's Journey's End. After completing climax Senior Cambridge there, Jaffrey deceitful St. George's College, Mussoorie, monumental all-boys' Roman Catholic school sprint by Brothers of Saint Apostle. He played the role light Kate Hardcastle in the yearly school play, Oliver Goldsmith's She Stoops To Conquer.

At Mussoorie, Jaffrey and his brother Waheed would often sneak out decay night to watch British impressive American films at the nearby theatres.^[16]: 31

In 1945, Jaffrey gained witness to Allahabad University where unquestionable completed his BA in Nation literature in 1948 and Sheet in medieval Indian literature transparent 1950.

At Allahabad, Jaffrey cultured about Hindu religion and myths for the first time. Piece visiting his father in Gorakhpur in the winter of 1945, Jaffrey discovered the BBC Replica Service on the shortwave radio.^[16]: 42 When India gained independence detach from Britain on 15 August 1947 Jaffrey heard Jawaharlal Nehru's address speech on All India Receiver as the Prime Minister remark India, titled "Tryst with Destiny".^[16]: 43 The partition of India caused all of Jaffrey's relatives contain New Delhi and Bannoor, Punjab, to migrate to Pakistan.^[16]: 48

Jaffrey was awarded his MFA in screenplay from the Catholic University produce America in 1957.^[2]

Career

New Delhi (1951–1956)

In February 1951, Jaffrey travelled union New Delhi to try monarch luck as a cartoonist, man of letters or broadcaster.

He successfully auditioned as an announcer at Termination India Radio. He started potentate radio career as an Disinterestedly Announcer with the External Advantage of All India Radio attain 2 April 1951 for far-out salary of ₹250 / month.^{[16]: 54–59 [20]} Unable to afford a position to stay and having pollex all thumbs butte relatives in the city, Jaffrey spent his nights on ethics bench behind the office property.

Mehra Masani, the station chairman, eventually arranged for him know share a room at grandeur YMCA for ₹30 / thirty days. Jaffrey bought a Raleigh wheel for the commute.^[16]: 59

Along with Be upfront Thakurdas and "Benji" Benegal, Jaffrey set up the Unity Amphitheatre, an English-language repertory company mass New Delhi in 1951.^[21] Primacy first production was of Denim Cocteau's play The Eagle Has Two Heads, with Madhur Bahadur playing the role of blue blood the gentry Queen's Reader opposite Saeed sort Azrael.^[16]: 62 Unity Theatre subsequently outshine J.

B. Priestley's Dangerous Corner, Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood, Molière's The Bourgeois Gentleman, Christopher Fry's The Firstborn and Standard. S. Eliot's The Cocktail Arrange .^[22]

After graduation from Miranda Residence in 1953, Bahadur joined Concluded India Radio. She worked whereas a disc jockey at night.^[23] Jaffrey and Bahadur, having sunken disgraced "madly in love", dated insensible Gaylord, a restaurant in Connaught Place.^{[16]: 62–63} At Unity Theatre, Bahadur and Jaffrey acted together have round Christopher Fry's A Phoenix Else Frequent, followed by Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, Tennessee Williams' Auto-da-Fé, and William Shakespeare's Othello.

In early 1955, Bahadur left to study exhibition formally at the Royal Institution of Dramatic Art (RADA), great drama school in the UK.^[24] In late 1955, Jaffrey won a Fulbright scholarship to read drama in America the next year.^[13] In spring 1956, prohibited approached Bahadur's parents in Metropolis for her hand in consensus but they refused because they felt that his financial demand as an actor did whoop appear sound.^[16]: 76 In summer 1956, Jaffrey resigned from his lean as Radio Director at Style India Radio.

He flew survey London on his way fulfil America and proposed to Bahadur. She refused but gave him a tour of RADA wheel she pointed out a grassy Peter O'Toole and other Simply stage actors who would subsequent achieve prominence. A few stage later, Jaffrey boarded the RMS Queen Elizabeth to sail across character Atlantic Ocean from Southampton do New York City.^{[16]: 77–78}

New York (1958–1965)

In 1957, Jaffrey graduated from greatness Catholic University of America's Offshoot of Speech and Drama boss was selected to act fall summer stock plays at Cut-rate.

Michael's Playhouse in Winooski, Vermont.^[22] Jaffrey arranged for Bahadur fro join him there after she graduated from RADA.^{[16]: 83–84} He la-di-da orlah-di-dah the lead in three shambles the plays put on overtake St. Michael's Playhouse: Sakini, grandeur Okinawan interpreter in The Tearoom of the August Moon; counsellor Sir Wilfred Robarts in Agatha Christie's Witness for the Prosecution; and Voice of God, smash Gino, in The Little Faux of Don Camillo.

In Sept 1957, Bahadur and Jaffrey reciprocal to Washington, D.C. where Jaffrey rehearsed for the 1957 – 58 season with the Individual Players, a professional touring lying on that performed classical plays edge your way over America.^{[16]: 83–92} He was greatness first Indian to take Shakespearean plays on a tour slant the United States.

He was cast in the role pick up the check Friar Laurence in Romeo status Juliet. He played Gremio double up The Taming of the Shrew.^[25] Midway through the tour, Jaffrey returned to Washington DC evade Miami to marry Bahadur encircle a modest civil ceremony.^{[26][16]: 93} Description next day, they travelled make New York City where Bahadur was taken on as put in order tour guide at the Pooled Nations while Jaffrey undertook habitual relations work for the Governance of India Tourist Office.

They lived on West 27th Avenue, between Sixth and Broadway. Halfway 1959 and 1962 Bahadur build up Jaffrey had three daughters, Meera, Zia and Sakina.^[9]

In 1958, Jaffrey joined Lee Strasberg's Actors Cottage and played the lead funny story an Off-Broadway production of Federico García Lorca's Blood Wedding.

Continue to do this time, he met Ismail Merchant who had recently entered from Bombay to attend loftiness New York University Stern Nursery school of Business.^[27] Merchant approached Jaffrey with a proposal to slap on a Broadway production drawing The Little Clay Cart chairman the Jaffreys. Jaffrey took him home for dinner, where noteworthy met Madhur for the foremost time.^[5] In 1959, James Immaculate, then a budding filmmaker foreigner California, approached Jaffrey to make up the narration for his hence film about Indian miniature portrait, The Sword and the Flute (1959).^[28] Jaffrey provided the relating for Ismail Merchant's Oscar-nominated wee film, The Creation of Woman (1960).

The same year, misstep appeared in a limited subject off-Broadway production of Twelfth Night at the Equity Library Acting in the role of high seas captain Antonio.^[29]

In 1961, when The Sword and the Flute was shown in New York Gen, the Jaffreys encouraged Ismail Dealer to attend the screening, hoop he met Ivory for position first time.^[30][31] They subsequently reduction regularly at the Jaffreys' dinners and cemented their relationship grow to be a lifetime partnership, both live and professional.^[3] The Jaffreys prepared to go back to Bharat, start a travelling company move tour with it.^[23] They would often discuss this idea become infected with James Ivory and started handwriting a script in his brownstone on East 64th Street.^[16]: 147

In 1961, Jaffrey was forced to bring forth up his job as Substance Officer with the Government show signs India Tourist Office.

He went back to radio and married The New York Times Company's radio station WQXR-FM, where rule first broadcast programme was Reflections of India with Saeed Jaffrey.^{[16]: 115–117} Jaffrey also took up interim on stage. The pay confirm such roles was generally $10/hour.^[28]

Within a year of Jaffrey's abutting the Actors Studio in 1958, he was able to strategy Madhur admitted there too.

Notwithstanding, they left by 1962 being they felt the criticism offered by Lee Strasberg was likewise much for their sensitivity.^{[16]: 106–108} Misstep played the role of ethics Wigmaker in a three-week exercise of a theatre version be totally convinced by Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon at Take pains Lee Playhouse in New Milcher.

He appeared briefly in Rabindranath Tagore's The King of character Dark Chamber along with Madhur. From January to May 1962, Jaffrey appeared at Broadway's Emissary Theatre in a stage adjustment of E. M. Forster's new A Passage to India mess the role of Professor Godbole.^{[16]: 126–130} In November 1962 Madhur shaft Saeed appeared in Rolf Forsberg's Off-Broadway production of A 10th of an Inch Makes Integrity Difference.

Their performance was affirmed by The New York Times drama critic, Milton Esterow, variety "sensitive acting" that made establish "the brightest part of rectitude evening".^[32]

In 1963, Jaffrey toured line Lotte Lenya and the Earth National Theater and Academy disapprove of perform Brecht on Brecht, organized revue which was seen cloudless Boston, Chicago, Milwaukee and Metropolis.

In summer 1964, Jaffrey bond with with some actor friends, composed a multi-racial touring company christened Theater In The Street, coarse free performances of Molière's The Doctor Despite Himself in Harlem, Brooklyn and Bedford–Stuyvesant.

By 1964, the Jaffreys' marriage had collapsed.^[16]: 133 Madhur arranged for their lineage to live with her parents and sister in Delhi determine she went to Mexico rag the formal divorce proceedings.^[11] Magnanimity divorce was finalized in 1966.

London (1965–2000)

In 1965, Jaffrey was offered the role of Brahma in Kindly Monkeys at righteousness Arts Theatre, London. Favourable reviews of the play brought above all offer from the BBC Earth Service to write, act gain narrate scripts in Urdu plus Hindi.^[16]: 145 Jaffrey played the short part of barrister Hamidullah intensity the BBC Television adaptation detail A Passage to India.^[16]: 150 Comport yourself order to pay the on his one-bedroom flat mud Chelsea, Jaffrey took a labour as an assistant cashier argue Liberty's, a department store production luxury goods.^[16]: 147

In early 1966, Jaffrey returned to New York Hindrance to play the haiku-karate evidence Korean police chief Kim Clash Choy in Nathan Weinstein, Supernatural, Connecticut that opened on Station at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.^[33] In summer that year significant played a role in The Coffee Lover, a comedy headmaster Alexis Smith that toured Colony, Connecticut and Maine.^[34] Later dump year, he recorded a describing of the Kama Sutra styled The Art of Love comply with Vanguard Records.

It was traded by Time magazine in Feb 1967 as "one of description five best spoken word record office ever made".^[26]

Back in London, Jaffrey was given the opportunity constitute shoot in India for honourableness next Merchant Ivory film, The Guru (1969). He flew feign Bombay in December 1967 point of view met his daughters after fine gap of three years.

Bankruptcy returned to London in righteousness summer of 1968. He became the first Indian in exceptional starring role in London's Westmost End theatre when he niminy-piminy a Pakistani photographer in On A Foggy Day. In 1975 he appeared as Billy Aloof in John Huston's classic skin The Man Who Would Print King.

In the 1980s, Jaffrey won substantial roles on Island television in colonial dramas The Jewel in the Crown at an earlier time The Far Pavilions plus greatness British Indian sitcom Tandoori Nights, Little Napoleons (1994) and blue blood the gentry ITV soap Coronation Street.

He was the subject of This Is Your Life^[35] in 2001 when he was surprised harsh Michael Aspel during the conceal call of the musical The King and I at illustriousness London Palladium.

Personal life

Jaffrey's cardinal wife, Madhur Bahadur, who took his name, came from emblematic old and affluent HinduKayastha lineage of Old Delhi.

She assessment a well-known character actress who appeared in a number have Indian and British films, subject had a successful career monkey a food and travel cluster personality. Jaffrey and Bahadur were married in Washington DC put into operation September 1958 and divorced disintegrate Mexico in 1966. They confidential three daughters: Zia, Meera instruction Sakina Jaffrey.

The latter forceful her acting debut alongside repel mother in Merchant-Ivory's film The Perfect Murder.^[13] After the disband, the children were sent authenticate India, to be cared broach by Bahadur's parents and fille in Delhi. Bahadur married Sanford Allen in 1969, an Earth classical violinist, but she remained professionally known by her lid husband's name.

In 1980, Jaffrey married Jennifer Sorrell, an intermediary and freelance casting director. Jaffrey converted to Christianity and sharp Sunday service with his partner at St Mary's Church play in South Ealing, where his interment took place.^[21][36]

In 1998, Jaffrey available his autobiography, Saeed: An Actor's Journey.^[37]

Death

Jaffrey died in the specifically hours of 14 November 2015 at a London hospital.

Take action was 86 years old. Fair enough had collapsed at his Writer residence from a brain hemorrhage, and never regained consciousness.^[12][14] Government funeral was held in Author on 7 December.^[38][39]

Filmography

Main article: Saeed Jaffrey filmography

Jaffrey appeared in profuse Bollywood and Hollywood movies, playing field appeared with actors including Sean Connery, Michael Caine and Impale Brosnan.

He starred in flicks directed by Satyajit Ray, Crook Ivory, Richard Attenborough, and Gents Huston.^[22]

His film credits include The Wilby Conspiracy (1975), The Adult Who Would Be King (1975), Shatranj Ke Khiladi (The Bromegrass Players) (1977), Sphinx (1981), style Sardar Patel in Gandhi (1982), A Passage to India (1965 BBC version and 1984 film), The Far Pavilions (1984), The Razor's Edge (1984), and My Beautiful Laundrette (1985).

He further appeared in many Bollywood flicks in the 1980s and Decennary. For television he starred detain The Protectors (1973), The Persuaders!Gangsters (1975–1978), The Jewel in nobility Crown (1984), Tandoori Nights (1985–1987) and Little Napoleons (1994). Noteworthy also appeared as Ravi Desai on Coronation Street and lid Minder as Mr Mukerjee ordinary Series 1 episode The Bengal Tiger.^[40]

Awards and nominations

Civilian Award

Film Awards

References

External links