Saeed Jaffrey was born in Maler Kotla, Punjab, India. He was born on the 8th of January 1929. He attended University of Allahabad where he completed his post-graduate degree in history. He also attended the Staff Training Institute of All India Radio. He started his career in drama, as the founder of his own English theatre company called the Unity Theatre, in New Delhi between 1951 and 1956. He also served with All India Radio as Radio Director during this period. He played a wide variety of roles in comedy and drama with equal ease and enthusiasm. His early theatrical work included roles in productions of Tennessee Williams, Fry, Priesty, Wilde, and Shakespeare. In 1956, he finished his studies at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, a premier school of drama. He went to the United States on a Fulbright scholarship and took a second post-graduate degree in drama from the Catholic University in America. With this experience as his base, he took his company on a tour of the United States doing Shakespearean plays in the year 1957. He was the first Indian Actor to have ever done so. He then became an active member of the Actors’ Studio in New York. Here, he was noted for his acting in the play “Nights”” and his role as the “”Nawab”” in Granada Television’s adaptation of “”The Jewel in the Crown””. He married Madhur, actress and cookery writer, with whom he has had three children. He is now divorced from her.In the 1960s he made numerous stage appearances and participated in a number of tours. He also started his U.S. television career in these years. He was the director of publicity and advertising for the Government of India in their Tourist Office in the U.S. from 1958 to 1960. His performance in the BBC classic Gangsters (1975) (TV)_, as “”Rafiq”” earned him countrywide recognition in the United Kingdom. This was even though he had acted in Theatres and appeared on television previously in the U.K. During this period he acted in the off-Broadway play “”A Tenth of an Inch Make The Difference”” written and directed by Rolf Forsberg, who later cast Saeed Jaffrey and his wife Madhur in the noted short films, “”Parable”” in 1964, and “”Stalked””, starring Jack Hawkins, in 1968. Mr. Jaffrey began his feature film career acting in the movie _The Guru (1969), and since then has made numerous film appearances along with Hollywood stars such as Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Pierce Brosnan etc. He has, since then, worked with directors of high caliber such as Satyajit Ray, James Ivory, David Lean and Richard Attenborough. He is a member of the Actors’ Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. He is known over the world for his impeccable English accent, his dapper style and his catch phrase “”My dear boy””. They form part of an acting persona that audiences have always found enchanting. He uses his smooth charm to good effect whether he is playing the archetypal oily, corrupt businessman or the kindly, knowing, father like figure. He is the first Asian to have received British and Canadian Academy Award nominations for acting, and is the first ever to be awarded the Order of the British Empire for his services to drama.”
Saeed Jaffrey
Movies
Aandhiyan
Shakuntala (Mumtaz) is an estranged wife from Dushyant (Shatrughan Sinha) who wanted refused to admit that she is his wife because his political career would be hindered. His father (Om Shivpuri) never approved her because of her poverty and therefore decided to split them apart by blaming Dushyant for marrying…
Aashik Aawara
Kedarnath is a wealthy man with many enemies. One day, a taxi-driver, Dilher Singh, saves his life, but is killed instead. Kedarnath is grateful and is willing to look after Dilher’s widow and son. But his enemies find out about this, and substitute a woman named Sheela and her son,…
Ram Lakhan
Sharda (Raakhee) vows vengeance when her husband is murdered by his two evil cousins, Bhishamber (Amrish Puri) and Bhanu (Paresh Rawal), and she and her two young sons are thrown out on the street. Those sons grow into the upstanding police officer Ram (Jackie Schroff) and the easily tempted dreamer…
Afsana Pyar Ka
Animosity has existed between the families of Raj and Nikita’s respective fathers. But their children have grown up without any knowledge of this animosity. They meet in college, and after a few misunderstandings both fall in love with each other. They plan to marry, and accordingly inform their respective families…
Songs
Ajooba
This is a story of Ajooba, the masked legend, who was treated as the only protector of the people of Baharistan. Ajooba is none other than Ali, the real heir to the kingdom of Baharistan. Unfortunately for Ali, when he was just born, his father and mother were overthrown by…
English Babu Desi Mem
Vikram Mayur, a wealthy Indian, born and raised in England, returns to his ancestral home in Mumbai, India to look up his late brother’s eight-year-old son Nandu raised by his caring aunt Bijuriya in which Vikram is torn between choosing to take Nandu back to England to learn his family’s…
Angrakshak
Ajay leads a life as a gangster and is known for his short-temper which made him mercilessly murder a man named Ramesh for falling in love with his sister Asha. Years later Ajay takes up employment as a bodyguard to a politician Satyendra Pal Choudhary’s daughter Priyanka alias Priya; only…
Mashaal
MASHAAL is a story about Vinod (Dilip Kumar) an honest, fearless editor of an outspoken newspaper, Raja (Anil Kapoor) a man from the slums who takes to black marketing to make his living and Vardhan (Amrish Puri) who is a powerful and respected figure of the city whose cloak of…
Henna
Orphan Chander Prakash is employed as a menial laborer in a timber mart; he meets with wealthy Chandni only to fall in love with her and the marriage is arranged with the blessings of Chandni’s parents. Unfortunately on the day of the marriage Chander meets with a vehicle accident and…
Chaalbaaz
Anju and Manju, identical twins separated at birth. Born to a rich father who is paralyzed, they are brought up in totally contrasting environments. Anju is brought up in her father’s house, bullied by her stepmother and her brother. She is constantly terrorized by them and often ends up in…
Jalwa
Kapil’s (Naseeruddin Shah) younger brother, Buntu, dies as a result of a drug overdose. Kapil vows to put an end to drugs and drug-dealers, by joining the police. He soon attains the title of C.I.D. Inspector. He lives in Bombay with his mom (Kamini Kaushal). One day his friend from…
Yeh Dillagi
Sapna (Kajol) was a frequent visitor to the Saigal mansion as her father was the most trusted driver of the family. She envied the rich, and wanted to be like them. When she is reminded of her social status by the super rich brat Vicky Saigal (Saif Ali Khan), she…
Prem
Sanjay Verma is an eligible young man, who has been having hallucinations of a past life as Shantanu. He travels to a small community and meets with Sonia Verma, and recognizes her as the girl named Lachi in his hallucinations. Convinced, that they were lovers from a past life, he…
Fun Facts
Had three daughters from his marriage to actress/cookbook writer Madhur Jaffrey: Zia, Meera Jaffrey, and actress Sakina Jaffrey, who appeared with her father in the film Masala (1991).
His brother, Hamid Jaffrey, is the son-in-law of Ashok Kumar.
Niece is model and beauty queen Shaheen Jaffrey (Hamid's daughter). She is often confused with Dilip Kumar's actress niece Shaheen (Mahasangram). She worked as a assistant to Mahesh Bhatt in the film Maarg.
Grand uncle to Kiara Advani (brother who married Ashok Kumar's daughter's granddaughter).
Brother-in-law of actress Bharati Jaffrey. She is married to brother Hamid.
Grandfather to actors Cassius Kumar Wilkinson and Jamila Wilkinson, who are Sakina Jaffrey's children.
Has appeared in Tandoori Nights (1985), Masala (1991), and Chicken Tikka Masala (2005), titles which are all references to ways of preparing food, most commonly chicken.
Was the father of three daughters: Zia, Meera, and Sakina.
He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1995 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to drama.
He played Mr. Hamidullah in two adaptations of E.M. Forster's 1924 novel "A Passage to India"": BBC Play of the Month: Passage to India (1965) and A Passage to India (1984). Ishaq Bux also appeared in both productions.
Daughter Meera Jafferey is a music teacher at The Learning Community Charter School in New Jersey USA.
Wrote a autobiography book in 1998 titled ""Saeed - An Actor's Journey"". It was highly criticized for too much bold and sexual revelation of his life.
Daughter Zia Jaffrey is a world famous author.
Starred in a shelved film K.K. Films ""Anaar"" (1983) Starring Pradeep Khayyam