Awarded the 'Order of the British Empire' for his services to drama, Saeed Jaffrey is a popular and an accomplished Indian actor. Born in Malerkotla-Punjab, Saeed post-graduated in history and started his career in drama by starting his own English theatre company called the Unity Theatre in New Delhi between 1951 and 1956 while also serving the All India Radio as a Radio Director. His early work included roles in productions of Tennessee Williams, Fry, Priesty, Wilde, and Shakespeare. After finishing his studies at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London in 1956, 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, he became the first Indian to take his company on a tour to United States doing Shakespearean plays in the year 1957. He later started his U.S. television career and was also the director of publicity and advertising for the Government of India in their Tourist Office in the U.S. from 1958 to 1960. Known for his impeccable English accent, his elegant style and his catch phrase "My dear boy", Saeed has made numerous television, film and stage appearances and has worked alongside with some of the most respected names in Hollywood and Indian cinema such as Satyajit Ray, James Ivory, David Lean and Richard Attenborough, Sean Connery, Michael Caine & Pierce Brosnan. He is best known for his roles in films like 'The Man Who Would Be King', 'Shatranj Ke Khiladi', 'Gandhi', 'A Passage to India', ‘My Beautiful Laundrette’ and in television soaps such as 'Gangsters', 'The Jewel in the Crown', 'Tandoori Nights' and 'Little Napoleons'.
