Saeed Jaffrey

Saeed Jaffrey OBE (8 January 1929 – 15 November 2015) was a British-Indian actor whose career traversed film, radio, stage, and television roles over six decades with over 150 British, American, and Indian movies to his credit. Primarily recognized during the 80s and 90s as Britain's highest-profile Asian actor, his largely acclaimed roles included those in My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) and television series such as The Jewel in the Crown (1984), Tandoori Nights (1985–87) and Little Napoleons (1994). Additionally, he played instrumental roles in bringing together acclaimed filmmakers James Ivory and Ismail Merchant. Jaffrey acted in several of their Merchant Ivory Productions films. He first gained recognition in the Indian film industry with Satyajit Ray's Shatranj Ke Khilari (1977), for which he won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award in 1978. His cameo role in Chashme Buddoor (1981) further boosted his popularity among Indian audiences. Notably, he was the first Asian to receive British and Canadian movie award nominations. In 1995, he received an OBE in acknowledgment of his contributions to drama. He also authored an autobiography, Saeed: An Actor's Journey.