Raza Jaffrey is a British actor. He is known for his roles as Zafar Younis in theBBC One spy drama seriesSpooks (2004–2007) and Neal Hudson in theCBS medical dramaCode Black (2015). He also had a recurring role as Aasar Khan inseason 4 of theShowtime seriesHomeland (2014). More recently, he appeared in theNBC seriesThe Enemy Within (2019) and theStarz seriesThe Serpent Queen (2022–2024).

Jaffrey's father, Hyder Jaffrey, was born inAgra,India, and later moved toPakistan afterPartition. Hyder Jaffrey emigrated to the UK in 1948 to train in the merchant navy and later became a captain. Hyder met Joan Bradshaw, anIrish CatholicLiverpudlian, in the early 1950s and they lived inKarachi,Pakistan, for a decade. The couple married in 1962 and had four children, of whom Raza was the youngest.^{[1][better source needed]}

Jaffrey grew up inLondon and was educated atDulwich College between 1986 and 1991, alongside actorsRupert Penry-Jones andChiwetel Ejiofor.^[1][2]

Jaffrey's initial career aspiration was to become aRoyal Air Force pilot and he passed the entrance exams for it and went on to study English and Drama atManchester University with the intention of gaining a degree to join officer training. However while at university, he became interested in acting and joined theBristol Old Vic Theatre School after graduation.^[1]

While at university, Jaffrey appeared in several plays at theEdinburgh Festival Fringe, includingThe London Vertigo by Brian Friel, and at thePendley Open Air Shakespeare Festival, includingHenry VIII andA Comedy of Errors. In his final year at Manchester, he worked withRoyal Shakespeare Company chief associate director Gregory Doran, which he has cited as one of the things that led him to apply for Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and eventually go on to become a professional actor. Throughout his time at Manchester, he was also the lead singer of ajazz funk band. He also participated onAmerica's Next Top Model.^{[citation needed]}

Jaffrey has worked extensively on stage, appearing inRomeo and Juliet (Haymarket Theatre),Cyrano De Bergerac (Theatre Royal),East Is East (Oldham Coliseum), and14 Songs, 2 Weddings, and a Funeral (Lyric Hammersmith,Birmingham Repertory Theatre). His break came in 2001 when he was cast as Sky inMamma Mia! at thePrince Edward Theatre, London, directed byPhyllida Lloyd. From this, he went on to land the leading role inAndrew Lloyd Webber's production of A. R. Rahman'sBombay Dreams at theApollo Theatre, London, directed bySteven Pimlott.^[3] He won rave reviews for his performance, with the BBC hailing him as "the most exciting new leading man to emerge in a London musical sinceHugh Jackman became an overnight star in the National Theatre production ofOklahoma".^[4]

After leavingBombay Dreams he appeared inITV1'sM.I.T.: Murder Investigation Team, theHBO/BBC co-productionDirty War, and the three-part BBC dramaLife Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee. In 2005, he began work on theBBC One spy drama seriesSpooks as agent Zafar Younis. During that time, he returned to the stage, playing Orsino in Shakespeare'sTwelfth Night at theAlbery Theatre, London, and was cast in theDavid Cronenberg filmEastern Promises.

Jaffrey leftSpooks to join the BBC One drama seriesMistresses and went on to star inSharpe's Peril and the filmsInfinite Justice, for which he won the Best Supporting Actor Award at theKara Film Festival,^[5]The Crew, andHarry Brown. In 2010, he appeared inSex and the City 2 as Gaurav. He then went on to star as cheating boyfriend Mike in the BBC1 comedyAccidental Farmer.

In 2011, he appeared as the French supervillain Cain on the NBC superhero dramaThe Cape before working for NBC again on theSteven Spielberg–produced dramaSmash, airing in early 2012. InSmash, he played Dev, the English boyfriend of a rising Broadway star,^[6] working as a press officer in the New York Mayor's office.^[7] He did not return to the show for its second season.^[8][9] In 2019, Jaffrey played Ottoman Janissary Captain Sunal Demir in the historical romance drama film,Cliffs of Freedom.

Jaffrey still continues to sing and has performed in several concert productions, including singing at theLondon Palladium with theRoyal Philharmonic Orchestra,^[10] and with the BBC Concert Orchestra for BBC Radio 2. He was also the creator and co-producer of the dance showRED, a celebration of dozens of styles of movement and dance, brought together by their influences on and from India. He took the show toJohannesburg's Nelson Mandela Theatre.^[11] He played the role of Billy Flynn inChicago at theGarrick Theatre in London.

Jaffrey married actressMiranda Raison in 2007. They divorced two years later.^[12] In 2012, Jaffrey began a relationship with actressLara Pulver. The couple married two years later.^[13] The couple has a son and daughter.^[14]

• Raza Jaffrey atIMDb 

• Living people
• 1975 births
• 20th-century English male actors
• 21st-century English male actors
• Alumni of the University of Manchester
• Alumni of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
• English male film actors
• English male stage actors
• English male television actors
• English people of Indian descent
• English people of Irish descent
• English people of Pakistani descent
• Male actors from Liverpool
• People educated at Dulwich College

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