Raza Jaffrey

**Raza Jaffrey** is an English actor and singer, who starred as Dr. Neal Hudson on the CBS TV medical drama *Code Black*. He is best known for playing Zafar Younis on the BBC One spy drama series *Spooks*. In 2014, he played Pakistani Lieutenant Colonel Aasar Khan in season 4 of the Showtime series *Homeland*.

## Early life

Jaffrey was born in Liverpool, Merseyside, the son of an Indian sea captain from Agra and an English mother from Liverpool. He grew up in London and was educated at Dulwich College (1986–1991), alongside fellow *Spooks* actor Rupert Penry-Jones. He studied English and Drama at Manchester University, and studied acting at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He intended to join the Royal Air Force as a pilot after leaving Manchester University.

While at university, he appeared in a number of plays at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, including *The London Vertigo* by Brian Friel, and at the Pendley Open Air Shakespeare Festival, including *Henry VIII* and *A Comedy of Errors*. In his final year at Manchester, he worked with Royal 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 a jazz funk band. He also participated on America's Next Top Model.

## Career

Jaffrey has worked extensively on stage, appearing in *Romeo and Juliet* (Haymarket Theatre), *Cyrano De Bergerac* (Theatre Royal), *East Is East* (Oldham Coliseum), and *14 Songs 2 Weddings and A Funeral* (Lyric Hammersmith, Birmingham Repertory Theatre). His break came in 2001 when he was cast as Sky in *Mamma Mia!* at the Prince Edward Theatre, London, directed by Phyllida Lloyd. From this, he went on to land the leading role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's production of A. R. Rahman's Bombay Dreams at the Apollo Theatre, London, directed by Steven Pimlott. 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 since Hugh Jackman became an overnight star in the National Theatre production of *Oklahoma*".

After leaving *Bombay Dreams* he appeared in ITV1's *M.I.T.: Murder Investigation Team*, the HBO/BBC co-production *Dirty War*, and the three part BBC drama *Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee*. In 2005, he began work on the BBC One spy drama series *Spooks* as agent Zafar Younis. During this time, he returned to the stage, playing Orsino in Shakespeare's *Twelfth Night* at the Albery Theatre, London, and was cast in the David Cronenberg film *Eastern Promises*.

Jaffrey left Spooks to join the BBC One drama series *Mistresses* and went on to star in *Sharpe's Peril* and the films *Infinite Justice*, for which he won the Best Supporting Actor Award at the Kara Film Festival, *The Crew*, and *Harry Brown*. In 2010, he appeared in *Sex and the City 2* as Gaurav. He then went on to star as cheating boyfriend Mike in the BBC1 comedy *Accidental Farmer*.

In 2011, he appeared as the French supervillain Cain on the NBC superhero drama *The Cape* before working for NBC again on the Steven Spielberg produced drama *Smash*, airing in early 2012. In *Smash*, he played Dev, the English boyfriend of a rising Broadway star, working as a press officer in the New York Mayor's office. He did not return to the show for its second season.

Jaffrey still continues to sing and has performed in a number of concert productions, including singing at the London Palladium with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and with the BBC Concert Orchestra for BBC Radio 2. He was also the creator and co-producer of the dance show *RED*, a celebration of dozens of styles of movement and dance, brought together by their influences on and from India. He took the show to Johannesburg's Nelson Mandela Theatre. He played the role of Billy Flynn in *Chicago* at the Garrick Theatre in London.

## Personal life

Jaffrey married fellow *Spooks* actress Miranda Raison in September 2007, shortly after he left the show. They divorced in November 2009.

In late 2011, Jaffrey began dating another *Spooks* actress, Lara Pulver, and the two were married on 27 December 2014. The couple had a son in February 2017.

## Trivia

* Creator of the dance-show spectacular, "RED." The show is a celebration of dozens of styles of movement and dance featuring flamenco, salsa, capoeira and hip-hop. There is also belly dance and kathkali, break dance and ballet. All these styles are brought together by their influences on and from India.
* Holds a pilots license and flies regularly out of Van Nuys Airport, California.
* Alumnus of Dulwich College alongside actors Rupert Penry Jones and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
* His first on-screen role was as Mr. Datani in EastEnders in 1999.
* He acted in the 2012 drama Smash which was produced by Steven Spielberg. He has over 10,000 followers on his razajaffrey Instagram account.
* He married Lara Pulver in 2014. His parents are Joan Bradshaw and Hyder Jaffrey.
* He acted in Lost in Space with Molly Parker in 2018.