Saeed Jaffrey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Saeed Jaffrey OBE
Born	(1929-01-08)8 January 1929 Malerkotla, Punjab, British India (present-day Punjab, India)
Died	15 November 2015(2015-11-15) (aged 86) London, England, United Kingdom
Resting place	Gunnersbury Cemetery
Citizenship	British Indian (formerly)
Education	University of Allahabad (BA, MA) Catholic University of America (MFA)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1961–2011
Spouse(s)	Madhur Jaffrey ​ ​ (m. 1958; div. 1966)​ Jennifer Sorrell ​ (m. 1980)​
Children	3, including Sakina Jaffrey
Relatives	Kiara Advani (grandniece)
Honors	OBE (1995) Padma Shri (2016; posthumously)

Saeed Jaffrey was a famous British-Indian actor. He acted in movies, on radio, on stage, and on TV for over 60 years. He appeared in more than 150 British, American, and Indian films. In the 1980s and 1990s, he was known as Britain's most famous Asian actor. This was thanks to his main roles in the movie My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) and TV shows like The Jewel in the Crown (1984). He also helped filmmakers James Ivory and Ismail Merchant meet. He acted in many of their films, such as The Guru (1969) and The Deceivers (1988).

Saeed Jaffrey started acting in Indian films with Satyajit Ray's Shatranj Ke Khilari (1977). For this role, he won an award in 1978. His small but memorable role in Chashme Buddoor (1981) made him very popular in India. He became a household name in India with his roles in Raj Kapoor's Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985) and Henna (1991). Both of these roles earned him nominations for acting awards.

He was the first Asian actor to be nominated for British and Canadian film awards. In 1995, he received an OBE award for his great work in drama. He was the first Asian to get this honor. His life story, Saeed: An Actor's Journey, was published in 1998. He passed away in London on 15 November 2015, after a brain bleed at his home. In January 2016, he was given the Padma Shri award after his death.

Early Life and Education

Saeed Jaffrey was born on 8 January 1929. His family was Punjabi Muslim and lived in Malerkotla, Punjab. At that time, his grandfather was like the Prime Minister of the princely state of Malerkotla. His father, Dr Hamid Hussain Jaffrey, was a doctor and worked for the government's health department. Because of his father's job, Saeed and his family moved often. They lived in many cities in India, like Muzaffarnagar and Lucknow.

In 1938, Saeed joined Minto Circle School. There, he found he was good at copying people's voices and actions. In 1939, he acted in a school play about Aurangzeb, playing the part of Dara Shikoh. At this school, Saeed also became very good at the Urdu language and learned to ride horses. He loved watching Bollywood movies at local cinemas and became a fan of actors like Motilal and Prithviraj Kapoor.

In 1941, Saeed went to Wynberg Allen School in Mussoorie. This was a British school where he learned to speak English with a British accent. He played a cook in the school play, Journey's End. After that, he went to St. George's College, Mussoorie, a Catholic school for boys. There, he played a female role, Kate Hardcastle, in the play She Stoops To Conquer. Saeed and his brother often snuck out at night to watch British and American films.

In 1945, Saeed started studying at Allahabad University. He earned his first degree in English literature in 1948 and a master's degree in Indian literature in 1950. At Allahabad, he learned about the Hindu religion and its stories for the first time. In 1945, he discovered the BBC World Service on the radio. When India became free from Britain on 15 August 1947, Saeed heard Jawaharlal Nehru's famous speech on the radio. After India was divided, all of Saeed's relatives moved to Pakistan.

Saeed Jaffrey later earned another master's degree in drama from the Catholic University of America in 1957.

Career Highlights

Early Acting in New Delhi (1951–1956)

In 1951, Saeed Jaffrey went to New Delhi to try to become a cartoonist, writer, or radio announcer. He got a job as an English announcer at All India Radio. He started on 2 April 1951, earning ₹250 a month. Since he couldn't afford a place to live, he slept on a bench behind the office building. The station director helped him find a room at the YMCA.

Saeed, along with some friends, started a theater group called Unity Theatre in New Delhi in 1951. They put on plays in English. Their first play was The Eagle Has Two Heads. Saeed acted in many plays with this group, including Dangerous Corner and Under Milk Wood.

Madhur Bahadur joined All India Radio in 1953. She worked as a disc jockey at night. Saeed and Madhur fell in love and often went on dates. They acted together in several plays at Unity Theatre, like A Phoenix Too Frequent and Othello.

In 1955, Madhur went to the UK to study drama. Later that year, Saeed won a scholarship to study drama in America. In 1956, he asked Madhur's parents if he could marry her, but they said no. They thought acting wasn't a good way to make money. Saeed then went to London and proposed to Madhur, but she said no again. He then sailed to New York City.

Acting in New York (1958–1965)

In 1957, Saeed Jaffrey finished his drama degree. He was chosen to act in summer plays in Vermont. He arranged for Madhur to join him there. He played the main character in three plays, including The Teahouse of the August Moon.

In 1957, Madhur and Saeed returned to Washington, D.C.. Saeed joined a touring company that performed classic plays across America. He was the first Indian actor to take Shakespearean plays on a tour of the United States. He played roles in Romeo and Juliet and The Taming of the Shrew. During the tour, Saeed returned to Washington DC to marry Madhur. They then moved to New York City. Between 1959 and 1962, they had three daughters: Meera, Zia, and Sakina.

In 1958, Saeed joined the Actors Studio, a famous acting school. He acted in a play called Blood Wedding. Around this time, he met Ismail Merchant, a filmmaker. Saeed also met James Ivory, another filmmaker, in 1959. Saeed provided the voice for Ivory's short film, The Sword and the Flute. He also narrated Ismail Merchant's short film, The Creation of Woman.

In 1961, Saeed helped James Ivory and Ismail Merchant meet. They became lifelong partners in filmmaking, creating Merchant Ivory Productions. Saeed and Madhur planned to move back to India and start a theater company.

Saeed also worked at a radio station, WQXR-FM, where he hosted a show called Reflections of India with Saeed Jaffrey. He continued to act on stage. In 1962, he appeared in a Broadway play based on the book A Passage to India.

By 1964, Saeed and Madhur's marriage ended. Their children went to live with Madhur's family in India. Their divorce was finalized in 1966.

Acting in London (1965–2000)

In 1965, Saeed Jaffrey moved to London. He got a role in a play called Kindly Monkeys. Because of good reviews, the BBC World Service asked him to write, act, and narrate radio shows in Urdu and Hindi. He also had a small part in a BBC TV show, A Passage to India. To pay his rent, Saeed worked as a cashier at a department store called Liberty's.

In 1966, Saeed went back to New York City for a play. Later that year, he acted in a comedy that toured different states.

Back in London, Saeed got to film in India for the next Merchant Ivory movie, The Guru (1969). He flew to Bombay in 1967 and saw his daughters after three years. In 1975, he played Billy Fish in the classic film The Man Who Would Be King.

In the 1980s, Saeed got big roles on British TV. He was in historical dramas like The Jewel in the Crown and The Far Pavilions. He also starred in the British Indian comedy show Tandoori Nights and the TV soap opera Coronation Street.

In 2001, he was featured on the TV show This Is Your Life. He was surprised by the host during a musical performance in London.

Passing Away

Saeed Jaffrey passed away in a London hospital on 14 November 2015. He was 86 years old. He had collapsed at his home due to a brain bleed and did not wake up. His funeral was held in London on 7 December.

Film and TV Roles

Saeed Jaffrey acted in many Indian (Bollywood) and Hollywood movies. He worked with famous actors like Sean Connery, Michael Caine, and Pierce Brosnan. He also starred in films directed by Satyajit Ray, James Ivory, and Richard Attenborough.

Some of his movie roles include The Wilby Conspiracy (1975), The Man Who Would Be King (1975), and Shatranj Ke Khilari (The Chess Players) (1977). He played Sardar Patel in Gandhi (1982) and appeared in A Passage to India (1984 film). He was also in My Beautiful Laundrette (1985).

He appeared in many Bollywood films in the 1980s and 1990s. For television, he starred in The Protectors (1973), The Jewel in the Crown (1984), and Tandoori Nights (1985–1987). He also played Ravi Desai on Coronation Street.

Awards and Recognitions

• 2016 – Padma Shri – This is India's fourth highest award for civilians, given by the Government of India (received after his death).

Film Awards

Personal Life

Saeed Jaffrey was the oldest of four children. His parents were Hamid Hussain Jaffrey and Hamida Begum. He had two brothers, Waheed and Hameed, and a sister, Shagufta. His father was a doctor who worked for the government, so the family moved often. Saeed's grandfather was an important official in Malerkotla State when Saeed was born.

Saeed Jaffrey was married two times. His first wife was Madhur Jaffrey. She came from a wealthy family in Old Delhi. Madhur is also a well-known actress and has written many books about cooking. Saeed and Madhur got married in Washington DC in September 1958. They had three daughters: Zia, Meera, and Sakina. Their youngest daughter, Sakina Jaffrey, is also an actress. After Saeed and Madhur divorced in 1966, their children went to live with Madhur's parents and sister in Delhi. Madhur later married Sanford Allen but kept Saeed's last name for her acting career.

In 1980, Saeed Jaffrey married Jennifer Sorrell. She was an agent and helped find actors for roles. They were married for 35 years until Saeed's death in 2015. They did not have any children together.

In 1998, Saeed Jaffrey wrote his life story in a book called Saeed: An Actor's Journey.

Images for kids

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  Saeed Jaffrey