Iqbal Theba facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Iqbal Theba
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Theba in October 2012
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| Born | 20 December 1963 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Children | 2 |
Iqbal Theba (born on December 20, 1963) is an actor from Pakistan. He is best known for playing Principal Figgins in the popular TV show Glee.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Iqbal Theba was born in Karachi, Pakistan. His family belongs to the Theba clan, a group that speaks Gujarati and comes from Sindh.
In 1981, Theba started studying civil engineering at the University of Oklahoma. However, he decided to leave school to become an actor in New York. He later earned a degree in Construction Engineering Management. Theba went back to the University of Oklahoma in 1986 to study theater. After graduating, he moved to Los Angeles, California, to start his acting career.
Acting Career Highlights
Theba got his first big acting chance in a TV pilot called Death and Taxes for NBC. Even though the pilot didn't become a full series, it helped him get a regular role on The George Carlin Show.
He also had small but regular roles on other well-known shows like Married... with Children and ER. He appeared in the comedy show Family Matters.
Theba has been in many other TV shows and movies. Some of these include Nip/Tuck, Alias, Two and a Half Men, Bosch, Roseanne, Friends, Seinfeld, and Everybody Loves Raymond. He also lent his voice to the character Slav in Voltron: Legendary Defender in 2017. In the HBO comedy series The Brink, he played General Umair Zaman, a Pakistani general.
Playing Principal Figgins in Glee
Iqbal Theba's most famous role is Principal Figgins in the Fox TV series Glee. He played this character for six seasons, appearing in 58 episodes.
Even though the character of Principal Figgins was first planned to be white, Theba, who is Pakistani-American, was chosen for the role. He shared that playing Figgins meant finding a good balance. He had to show a character who was in charge but also felt unsure about himself.
In 2012, Theba also appeared on The Glee Project, a reality show where people competed for a role on Glee.
Personal Life
Iqbal Theba is married and has two children. His son's name is Mikael, and his daughter's name is Ranya.
Filmography
Film Roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | ... Proposal | Citizenship Student | |
| 1995 | Just Looking | VeeJee | |
| 1996 | Driven | Landlord | |
| 1998 | Sour Grapes | Dr. Alagappan | |
| 1998 | BASEketball | Factory Manager | |
| 2000 | Dancing at the Blue Iguana | Clerk | |
| 2001 | Guardian | Dr. Tuchman | |
| 2002 | Birdseye | Puneet Ristani | |
| 2006 | Blind Dating | Mr. Raja | |
| 2009 | Frankenhood | Mr. Samuels | |
| 2011 | Transformers: Dark of the Moon | UN Secretary General | |
| 2012 | Indian Spider-Man | Pappa Patel | Short film Direct-to-video |
| 2012 | Playing for Keeps | Param | |
| 2015 | The Escort | Richard | |
| 2016 | The Tiger Hunter | General Iqbal | |
| 2017 | Lego Scooby-Doo! Blowout Beach Bash | Dr. Najib | Voice, direct-to-video |
| 2017 | DriverX | Distinguished Man | |
| 2018 | Green Book | Amit | |
| 2019 | The Illegal | Babaji | |
| 2020 | Useless Humans | Kenneth | |
| 2022 | Land of Gold | Gurinder | Completed |
| TBA | Reminisce | Dr. Morris | Post-production |
Television Roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | L.A. Law | Chandra | Episode: "Vindaloo in the Villows" |
| 1994 | Living Single | The Pizza Man | Episode: "Five Card Stud" |
| 1994–1995 | The George Carlin Show | Various | 6 episodes |
| 1994 | The Innocent | Doctor #2 | Television film |
| 1994 | Mad About You | Cabbie | Episode: "The City" |
| 1995 | The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes | Sri Lankan | Television film |
| 1995 | Seinfeld | Cabbie | Uncredited Episode: "The Jimmy" |
| 1995–1997 | Married... with Children | Iqbal | 4 episodes |
| 1995–1997 | Family Matters | Zoohair Bhutto | 3 episodes |
| 1995 | Abandoned and Deceived | The Doctor | Television film |
| 1995 | Charlie Grace | Pakistani Clerk | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1995 | Dream On | Rudy the Newsstand Guy | Episodes: "Try Not to Remember" and "Tie Me Sister My Down, Sport" |
| 1996 | Sisters | Valentine | Episode: "A Little Snag" |
| 1996 | Ned and Stacey | Doctor | Episode: "Gut Feeling" |
| 1996 | Can't Hurry Love | Cabbie | Episode: "The Elizabeth Taylor Episode" |
| 1996 | Sister, Sister | Dr. Solokian | Episodes: "The Volunteers" and "The Piano Lesson" |
| 1996 | Yesterday's Target | Dr. Patel | Television film |
| 1996 | The Home Court | Noel | Episode: "Mike Solomon: Unplugged" |
| 1996 | Space: Above and Beyond | General Sarij | Episode: "Sugar Dirt" |
| 1996 | Homeboys in Outer Space | Habib | Episode: "There's No Space Like Home, or Return of the Jed Eye" |
| 1996 | New York Daze | The Cabbie | Episode: "Eric's Book" |
| 1996 | The Tomorrow Man | FBI Examiner | Television film |
| 1996 | Roseanne | Dr. Bakshi | Episodes: "Hoi Polloi Meets Hoiti Toiti" and "Roseambo" |
| 1997 | Ellen | Dalai Rajhavaari | Episode: "Hello, Dalai" |
| 1997 | Caroline in the City | Koothrappally the Cabbie | Episode: "Caroline and the Critics" |
| 1997–2001 | ER | Dr. Zagerby / Dr. Zogoiby | 4 episodes |
| 1997 | Total Security | Sangarapillai | Episode: "The Never Bending Story" |
| 1997 | Everybody Loves Raymond | Doctor Sundram | Episode: "Golf" |
| 1997 | Brooklyn South | Omar Rashmid | Episode: "Love Hurts" |
| 1998 | Fired Up | Driver | Episode: "Fire and Nice" |
| 1998 | Friends | Joey's Doctor | Episode: "The One Hundredth" |
| 1998 | JAG | Johnny Marvel | Episode: "Wedding Bell Blues" |
| 1998 | King of the Hill | Dr. Bhudamanjur | Voice, episode: "Next of Shin" |
| 1998 | Martial Law | Raj Patel | Episode: "Trackdown" |
| 1999 | Malcolm & Eddie | Dr. Halim Sahir | Episode: "Worst Impressions" |
| 1999 | Shasta McNasty | Meb | Episode: "Adult Education" |
| 2000 | The West Wing | Indian Ambassador | Episode: "Lord John Marbury" |
| 2000 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | East Indian Driver | Voice, episode: "The Prince and the Pauper" |
| 2000 | The Hughleys | Clerk | Episode: "Oh Thank Heaven for Seven-Eleven" |
| 2001 | The Huntress | Edouard Barsamian | Episode: "Undercover" |
| 2001 | Judging Amy | Mr. Pradip | Episode: "The Last Word" |
| 2001 | Yes, Dear | Instructor | Episode: "The Ticket" |
| 2001 | The Agency | Dr. Prabhakar | Episode: "Closure" |
| 2001 | The Tick | Dry Cleaner | Episode: "The License" |
| 2002 | Alias | General Arshad | Episode: "Passage: Part 2" |
| 2003 | The Division | Mohammed | Episode: "Hearts & Minds" |
| 2003 | Life with Bonnie | Iqbal | Episode: "Boomerang" |
| 2003 | The Lyon's Den | Professor | Episode: "The Quantum Theory" |
| 2004 | Arrested Development | Nazhgalia | Episode: "Shock and Aww" |
| 2004 | Life with Bonnie | Deepak | Episode: "Father and Son: A Table for Two" |
| 2004 | JAG | Captain Qamal Samad | Episode: "Trojan Horse" |
| 2004 | Dr. Vegas | Mr. Desai | Episode: "Advantage Play" |
| 2004 | Joan of Arcadia | East Indian Sunglasses Salesman God | Episode: "Wealth of Nations" |
| 2004 | Girlfriends | Dr. Norayan | Episode: "When Hearts Attacks" |
| 2005 | Eve | Bob | Episode: "Real Women Have Nerves" |
| 2005 | Las Vegas | Parviz Silani | Episode: "Double Down, Triple Threat" |
| 2005–2006 | Kitchen Confidential | Iqbal | Episodes: "French Fight" and "Teddy Takes Off" |
| 2005 | Just Legal | Dr. Gupta | Episode: "The Limit" |
| 2005 | Hot Properties | Fareed | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2006 | The War at Home | Middle-Eastern Man | Episode: "The West Palm Beach Story" |
| 2006 | Beyond | Imran Khan | Television film |
| 2007 | Weeds | Sanjay's Father | Episode: "Bill Sussman" |
| 2007 | Chuck | Peyman Alahi | Episode: "Chuck Versus the Wookiee" |
| 2009 | Two and a Half Men | Don | Episode: "I Think You Offended Don" |
| 2009–2010; 2013 | Community | Gobi Nadir | 3 episodes |
| 2009–2015 | Glee | Principal Figgins | 58 episodes Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2010) Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2011) Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2012) |
| 2009 | Nip/Tuck | Dr. Vijay Paresh | Episode: "Ricky Wells" |
| 2010 | Ghosts/Aliens | Neighbor | Television film |
| 2010 | Hell's Kitchen | Himself (Restaurant Patron) | Episode: "9 Chefs Compete: Part 2" |
| 2010 | Childrens Hospital | Sultan Abdul Aziz | Episode: "The Sultan's Finger - LIVE" |
| 2012 | NCIS | Ramesh Sungupta | Episode: "Housekeeping" |
| 2012 | The Glee Project | Principal Figgins | 2 episodes; uncredited |
| 2015 | The Brink | General Umair Zaman | 9 episodes |
| 2016 | School of Rock | Alex | Episode: "We Can Be Heroes, Sort Of" |
| 2017 | Jeff & Some Aliens | Swami | Voice, episode: "Jeff & Some Jeffs" |
| 2017–2018 | Voltron: Legendary Defender | Slav | Voice, 9 episodes |
| 2017 | Young & Hungry | Mr. Jain | Episode: "Young & Hold" |
| 2017 | Sigmund and the Sea Monsters | Sheriff Bob | Episode: "Dibs" |
| 2018 | Season and Renae | Faraz | Television film |
| 2018 | America 2.0 | Mr. Zanadri | Television miniseries Episode: "Don't Be Scared" |
| 2018 | Dream Corp LLC | Patient 75 | Episode: "Dust Bunnies" |
| 2019 | Bosch | Chemical Ali | Episode: "Salvation Mountain" |
| 2019 | The Blacklist | Bhavish Ratna | Episode: "The Hawaladar (No. 162)" |
| 2020 | Messiah | Danny Kirmani | 4 episodes |
| 2020 | Never Have I Ever | Uncle Aaravind | Episode: "...had to be on my best behavior" |
| 2021 | Mira, Royal Detective | Detective Gupta | Voice, 3 episodes |
Video Game Roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Blade Runner | Moraji | |
| 2012 | Medal of Honor: Warfighter | Urdu Fighter | |
| 2017 | Uncharted: The Lost Legacy | Additional Voices |
See also
In Spanish: Iqbal Theba para niños
