Faran Tahir
Faran Haroon Tahir (Urdu: فاران ہارون طاہر; born February 16, 1963) is a Pakistani-American actor.
Faran Tahir | |
|---|---|
Tahir in 2016 | |
| Born | Faran Haroon Tahir February 16, 1963 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Education | University of California, Berkeley (BA) Harvard University (MFA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Parent(s) | Naeem Tahir (father) Yasmeen Tahir (mother) |
| Relatives | Imtiaz Ali Taj (maternal grandfather) Hijab Imtiaz Ali (maternal grandmother) Sayyid Mumtaz Ali (maternal great-grandfather) Muhammadi Begum (maternal great-grandmother) Ali Tahir (Brother) |
Tahir was born in Los Angeles to an artistic family. His parents are actor Naeem Tahir and radio host Yasmeen Tahir, His grandparents were writers Imtiaz Ali Taj and Hijab Imtiaz Ali. Tahir went on to graduate from theatre programs at the University of California, Berkeley and the Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard University.
Tahir made his television debut as a desk clerk on Midnight Caller in 1989. He made his film debut as Nathoo in Disney's 1994 live-action version of The Jungle Book. He has gone on to star in a variety of roles, such as Raza in Iron Man (2008), Captain Robau in Star Trek (2009), and President Patel in Elysium (2013). In 2016, he played the title role of Othello in a production by the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C.
Early life edit
Faran Haroon Tahir was born on 16 February 1963 in Los Angeles to Naeem Tahir, a veteran actor and respected writer, and Yasmeen Tahir. Through his mother, "one of the most famous voices of Radio Pakistan", his grandparents are famous writers Imtiaz Ali Taj and Hijab Imtiaz Ali, also the first Muslim female pilot,[1] while his younger brother Ali Tahir (b. 1972) is an actor as well, better known for starring in the comedy-drama sitcom Teen Bata Teen.[2] His other younger brother, Mehran Tahir (b. 1965), is a TV producer, who has for instance worked for Hum TV.[3] Faran Tahir grew up in Pakistan and returned to the United States in 1980.[4]
Tahir studied business economics at the University of California, Berkeley before transitioning to the performing arts, graduating with a degree in theatre.[5] He later graduated with a MFA from the American Repertory Theater's (A.R.T.) Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard University.[6]
Career edit
He made his film debut playing Nathoo in the Disney's 1994 live-action version of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book. He has since appeared in such films as Picture Perfect (1997), Anywhere But Here (1999) and Charlie Wilson's War (2007). He also played the male lead in the 1999 independent film ABCD.
In 2008, Tahir played the role of the villain Raza in the Marvel Comics film Iron Man.[7]
He played Starfleet Captain Richard Robau in the 2009 film Star Trek.[8] In 2013, Tahir played President Patel in the science-fiction film Elysium.[9]
Tahir has guest starred on many television series, including Alias, The Practice, Family Law, The Agency, NYPD Blue, Lost, 7th Heaven, The West Wing, Walker, Texas Ranger, The D.A., 24, Monk, Justice, Cold Case, Chuck, Hawaii Five-0[10] and Warehouse 13.[11] He also co-starred with Robert Beltran and Chase Masterson in the 2005 Sci-Fi Channel original movie Manticore.[12] He also starred in the medical drama series Grey's Anatomy as Isaac[13] and appeared on the CW series Supernatural as the Egyptian god Osiris in the seventh season's episode "Defending Your Life".[14] Tahir starred in the ghost horror film Jinn,[15] and in the role of Frank, Cliff Barnes' right-hand man in the revival of Dallas.[16] In 2015 Tahir appeared in a role as the Commander on Supergirl.[17]
He appeared in JAG in the episodes "Ice Queen" and "Meltdown" which served as the two pilot episodes for the series NCIS. Seven years later, Tahir appeared in the spin-off NCIS: Los Angeles.
In 2016 Tahir joined American Crime as Rhys Bashir,[18] and was cast as Captain Nemo on Once Upon a Time.[19] In 2017, Tahir played the role of Mallick in Syfy's TV show, 12 Monkeys.
On his visit to Karachi, Pakistan, he appeared in a web series Speak Your Heart With Samina Peerzada in January 2019.[20]
Faran will be seen in the upcoming Pakistani movie Umro Ayyar - A New Beginning, an action thriller movie produced by Azfar Jafri under the banner of VR Chili Production. Umro Ayyar - A New Beginning is expected to be released in 2023 worldwide.
Filmography edit
Film edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | The Jungle Book | Nathoo | |
| 1997 | Picture Perfect | Sajit | |
| 1998 | A Price Above Rubies | Hrundi Kapoor | |
| Anywhere But Here | Hisham Badir | ||
| ABCD | Raj | ||
| 2007 | Charlie Wilson's War | Brigadier Rashid | |
| 2008 | Iron Man | Raza | |
| 2009 | Star Trek | Captain Robau | |
| 2010 | Ashes | Kartik | |
| 2013 | Elysium | President Patel | |
| Torn | Ali Munsif | ||
| Escape Plan | Javed Afridi | ||
| Mr. Jones | The Anthropologist | ||
| 2014 | Jinn | Ali | |
| 2015 | Flight World War II | William Strong | |
| 2016 | Honeyglue | Dr. Konig | |
| 2018 | Mad Genius | Eden | |
| 2019 | Boris and the Bomb | Sammi | |
| 2020 | I Am Fear | Asad | |
| I'll Meet You There | Majeed | ||
| 2021 | Lamya's Poem | Baha Walad | Voice |
| Injustice | Ra's al Ghul | Voice | |
| 2023 | Coup! | Post-production | |
| TBA | Umro Ayyar - A New Beginning | Post-production[21] |
Television edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Midnight Caller | Desk Clerk | Episode: "Blood Red" |
| 1993 | Law & Order | Mr. Khan | Episode: "Profile" |
| 1994 | New York Undercover | Dr. Venegas | Episode: "Missing" |
| 1995 | New York News | Neilson | Episode: "Past Imperfect" |
| 1997 | Party of Five | Radiologist | 2 episodes |
| 1999 | The Pretender | Anesthesiologist | Episode: "At the Hour of Our Death" |
| 2000 | The Practice | Dr. Michael Shields | Episode: "Death Penalties" |
| FreakyLinks | Doctor | Episode: "Subject: Three Thirteen" | |
| Family Law | Dr. Singh | 2 episodes | |
| 2001 | Alias | Mokhtar | Episode: "A Broken Heart" |
| NYPD Blue | Isa Al-Ramai | Episode: "Baby Love" | |
| 2001–2003 | The Agency | Jamar Akil / India's Secret Police Leader | 2 episodes |
| 2002 | 7th Heaven | Mr. Halawi | Episode: "Suspicion" |
| MDs | Dr. Banfa | Episode: "Cruel and Unusual" | |
| A Town Without Pity | Antoine Fahd | TV movie | |
| 2002–2003 | The West Wing | Manny | 2 episodes |
| 2003 | The Agency | Jamar Akil | Episode: "An Isolated Incident" |
| JAG | Amad Bin Atwa / Said Labdouni | 3 episodes | |
| Boston Public | Mr. Mubarik | Episode: "Chapter Seventy-Four" | |
| 2003–2005 | 24 | Mosque Greeter / Tomas Sherek | 3 episodes |
| 2004 | Judging Amy | Dr. Omidi | Episode: "The Quick and The Dead" |
| The D.A. | Asaf Shah | Episode: "The People vs. Achmed Abbas" | |
| 2005 | Over There | Hamza | Episode: "Embedded" |
| Just Legal | Unknown | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| Manticore | Umari | TV movie | |
| 2006 | Charmed | Savard | Episode: "Repo Manor" |
| Monk | Museum Official | Episode: "Mr. Monk and the Big Reward" | |
| Justice | Oscar Rivera | Episode: "Behind the Orange Curtain" | |
| Sleeper Cell | Aziz | Episode: "Faith" | |
| 2007 | Cold Case | Anil Patel | Episode: "A Dollar, A Dream" |
| 2008 | Lost | Ishmael Bakir | Episode: "The Shape of Things to Come" |
| Chuck | Farrokh Bulsara | Episode: "Chuck Versus Tom Sawyer" | |
| 2009 | Grey's Anatomy | Isaac | Episode: "Give Peace a Chance" |
| 2010 | NCIS: Los Angeles | Hassad Al-Jahiri | Episode: "Fame" |
| Childrens Hospital | Malik | Episode: "The Sultan's Finger: Live" | |
| 2010–2013 | Warehouse 13 | Adwin Kosan | 11 episodes |
| 2011 | Blue Bloods | El Haq | Episode: "Hall of Mirrors" |
| In Plain Sight | Ali Tavali | Episode: "A Womb with a View" | |
| Supernatural | Osiris | Episode: "Defending Your Life" | |
| 2012 | Burn Notice | Ahmad Damour | Episode: "Last Rites" |
| 2012–2013 | Dallas | Frank 'Smiling Frank' | 8 episodes |
| 2013 | Private Practice | Charles | Episode: "Full Release" |
| 2014 | Elementary | Agent Mattoo | Episode: "The Diabolical Kind" |
| Crisis | Tariq Rind | Episode: "If You Are Watching This I Am Dead" | |
| 2014–2015 | Criminal Minds | Tivon Askari | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | The Blacklist | Ruslan Denisov | Episode: "Ruslan Denisov (No. 67)" |
| Supergirl | The Commander | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| How to Get Away with Murder | Terrence Amos | Episode: "Hello Raskolnikov" | |
| Satisfaction | Omar Sandhal | Recurring role in season 2 | |
| 2016 | American Crime | Rhys Bashir | 6 episodes |
| Hawaii Five-0 | 'Lucky' Morad | Episode: "No ke ali'i wahine a me ka 'aina" | |
| 2016–2017 | Once Upon a Time | Captain Nemo | 3 episodes |
| 2017 | Prison Break: Resurrection | Jamil | Season 5 |
| Scandal | President Rashad | Season 7 | |
| Shameless | Adeeb Singh | Episode: "Where's My Meth" | |
| 2017–2018 | 12 Monkeys | Mallick | 7 episodes |
| 2018 | The Magicians | The Great Cock of the Darkling Woods | Episode: "The Tales of the Seven Keys" |
| Madam Secretary | President Tarindo Nandasiri | Episode: "Reading the Signs" | |
| 2019 | MacGyver | The Fence | Episode: "Fence + Suitcase + Americium-241" |
| FBI | Ravi Sharma | Episode: "Undisclosed" | |
| 2022 | Mira, Royal Detective | Sher (voice) | Episode: "Mira's Musical Mystery Tour/The Case of the Mystery Mehfil" |
| The Old Man | Rahmani | 3 episodes |
Video games edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Call of Duty: Black Ops III | General Abasi Hakim | Face and Motion Capture |
| 2023 | Dead Space | Challus Mercer |
Stage edit
References edit
- ^ Shahjahan Khurram (13 April 2015), "World’s first ever Muslim female pilot – Hijab Imtiaz Ali", AryNews. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
- ^ Haroon Ashraf (7 December 2015), "Hijab Imtiaz Ali: The Queen of Urdu Romanticism", Dawn News. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 2018-07-04. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
- ^ Amna Niazi (12 May 2015). "Faran Tahir". SiddySays.com. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
- ^ "After fighting Iron Man, Faran Tahir arrives in Karachi". The Express Tribune. 7 January 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
- ^ Appelo, Tim (2013-05-30). "The Top 25 Drama Schools in the World". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
- ^ "Actor Faran Tahir on "Iron Man" and "Star Trek"". cbr.com. 4 June 2008. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- ^ . blastr.com. 14 December 2012. Archived from the original on 27 September 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- ^ "Interview with Elysium's Faran Tahir". denofgeek.com. 9 August 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- ^ . hipinpakistan.com. 12 July 2016. Archived from the original on 22 September 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- ^ "Exclusive: 'Star Trek' captain invades 'Warehouse 13'". ew.com. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- ^ "Original Movie Manticore Debuts on SCI FI Nov. 26". awn.com. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- ^ "Faran Tahir Does a Guest Appearance on Grey's Anatomy". www.koolmuzone.pk. 13 November 2009. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- ^ "Western Audiences Get Taste of 'Jinn'". 8 May 2010.
- ^ "Western Audiences Get Taste of 'Jinn'". 25 February 2015.
- ^ "Q&A with Hollywood Actor, Faran Tahir for DALLAS (New Series) | Upodcasting- Under Promise Over Deliver". upodcasting.com. 3 September 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- ^ "Supergirl To Square Off Against Iron Man and Star Trek Actor Faran Tahir". Comicbook.com. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- ^ Petski, Denise (24 July 2015). "Faran Tahir Joins ABC's 'American Crime'; Holly Curran In Amazon Pilot 'Zelda'". deadline.com. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- ^ "'Once Upon a Time' casts Captain Nemo — exclusive". ew.com. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- ^ Speak Your Heart with Samina Peerzada, Faran Tahir | The Star Who Made Us Proud | Speak Your Heart With Samina Peerzada | Promo, retrieved 2019-01-31
- ^ "Umro Ayyar - A New Beginning". IMDb.
- ^ NewsBytes. "Stage play Bhai Bhai to feature Pak-American actor Faran Tahir". The News International. Retrieved 2019-01-31.