Pnbh11 at 19:28, 26 November 2025

2025-11-26T19:28:26Z

New page

{{Short description|Indian actor (194?–1994)}}
{{Multiple issues|{{more citations needed|date=July 2022}}{{notability|Biography|date=July 2022}}}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Tariq Yunus
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=y|1946|10|16}}
| birth_place = [[Karachi]], [[India]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|1994|8|26|1946|10|16}}
| death_place = [[Mumbai|Bombay]], India
| birthname =
| years_active = 1969–1994
| spouse = {{marriage|Sultana Abdullah|1989|end=divorced}}
| children =
}}

'''Tariq Yunus''' (16 October 1946{{efn|This date of birth is most commonly given yet some sources like his obituary in ''[[The Guardian]]'' list it as 23 March 1940.}} – 26 August 1994) was an Indian actor known for his role as chef Alaudin in television sitcom ''[[Tandoori Nights]]''.

== Early life ==

Born in India (his brother being the politician [[Kunwar Khalid Yunus]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://twitter.com/kunwarkhalidyun/status/1126412137197395968 |title=@KunwarKhalidYun at Twitter |access-date=4 April 2022 |archive-date=4 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404101358/https://twitter.com/kunwarkhalidyun/status/1126412137197395968}}</ref>) but moved to Pakistan following [[Partition of India|partition]],<ref>{{cite news |title=A lesson for Karan |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/939170025/ |date=6 March 1973 |accessdate=26 November 2025 |work=[[Manchester Evening News]] |page=2}}</ref> Yunus gained his first acting part in a children's play for local radio and began to work regularly for this media. He joined a theatrical group run by the Arts Council while at college studying Geology.<ref>https://www.infotextmanuscripts.org/webb/webb_round_deca.pdf ''Decameron '73'' programme, The Round House</ref>

Two months before he was due to take his Geology Degree exams in 1962, Yunus headed to Britain in the hope of making his fortune. Arriving with only £10 in his pocket, he had to get a job helping a milkman.<ref name="sunil">{{cite news |title=Sunil lands in trouble |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/790672725/ |date=16 April 1988 |accessdate=9 June 2025 |work=[[Derby Telegraph|Derby Evening Telegraph]] |page=13}}</ref> Living on his wits, he became a professional card player.<ref name="guardian">{{cite news |title=Obituary: Working the Passage from India |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/260558503/ |date=15 September 1994 |accessdate=9 June 2025 |work=The Guardian |page=38}}</ref>

== Career ==

Without any proper training, Yunus began to work as an extra which led to having parts in ''[[The Wednesday Play]]'', ''[[Crown Court (TV series)|Crown Court]]'', ''[[Sykes (TV series)|Sykes]]'', ''[[Father Brown (1974 TV series)|Father Brown]]'', ''[[It Ain't Half Hot Mum]]'', ''[[Angels (TV series)|Angels]]'', the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' classic ''[[The Robots of Death]]'', ''[[The Professionals (TV series)|The Professionals]]'', ''[[Strangers (1978 TV series)|Strangers]]'', ''[[Terry and June]]'', ''[[The Dick Emery Show]]'', ''[[Hammer House of Horror]]'', ''[[Shoestring (TV series)|Shoestring]]'', ''[[Minder (TV series)|Minder]]'', ''[[The Bill]]'', ''[[Around the World in 80 Days (miniseries)|Around the World in 80 Days]]'', ''[[Inspector Morse (TV series)|Inspector Morse]]'' and ''[[House of Cards (British TV series)|House of Cards]]''. Along the way, he achieved bigger and more regular roles such as playing a con-man in ''A Passage to India'' (for ''[[Play for Today]]''), Jashir Singh Mahail in Birmingham-based drama series ''[[Gangsters (TV series)|Gangsters]]'', Dr. Khan in ''[[We'll Think of Something]]'' and Harry Patel in ''[[News at Twelve]]''.

Film roles included ''[[East of Elephant Rock]]'', ''[[Rosie Dixon – Night Nurse]]'', ''[[The Golden Lady]]'', ''[[Ashanti (1979 film)|Ashanti]]'', ''[[Who Dares Wins (film)|Who Dares Wins]]'', ''[[A Talent for Murder]]'', ''[[The Fourth Protocol (film)|The Fourth Protocol]]'', ''[[Partition (1987 film)|Partition]]'', ''[[The Deceivers (film)|The Deceivers]]'' and ''[[Scandal (1989 film)|Scandal]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba1d446bb|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170426063745/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba1d446bb|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 April 2017|title=Tariq Yunus|website=BFI}}</ref>

The 1988 ''[[Screen Two]]'' play ''Lucky Sunil'' was inspired by Tariq's tales when he first came to London, with the actor co-starring in the production.<ref name="sunil"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Will He Be a Law Maker or Breaker |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/806890462/ |date=15 April 1988 |accessdate=9 June 2025 |work=[[Perthshire Advertiser]] |page=23}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=A passage to England |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/807143214/ |date=16 April 1988 |accessdate=9 June 2025 |work=[[Huddersfield Daily Examiner]] |page=15}}</ref>

Later in life, Yunus concentrated more on writing and developing his own projects, which led him back to his native India but still continued to act.<ref name="guardian"/> For many years, he was a founder member of [[Equity (British trade union)|Equity]]'s Afro-Asian Committee, promoting the careers of actors from other ethnic minorities.<ref>{{cite news |title=Equity gives film a stormy passage |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/259549403/ |date=18 August 1983 |accessdate=9 June 2025 |work=The Guardian |page=22}}</ref>

==Death==

While directing a play at Bombay's [[Prithvi Theatre]] in 1994, Yunus died from a heart attack whilst suffering with typhoid in the house of his friend [[Jalal Agha]], the son of Bollywood actor [[Agha (actor)|Agha]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hasan |first1=Khalid |author1-link=Khalid Hasan |title=Remembrances |year=2001 |publisher=Vanguard |isbn=9694023521 |page=59 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SgxlAAAAMAAJ&q=tariq+yunus+died |language=en}}</ref> (However, his obituary claims he died in hospital.) He is buried in Karachi.

==Filmography==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|1970|| ''[[Figures in a Landscape (film)|Figures in a Landscape]]'' || Soldier #5 ||
|-
|1978|| ''[[East of Elephant Rock]]'' || Inti ||
|-
|1978|| ''[[Rosie Dixon – Night Nurse]]'' || Black Doctor ||
|-
|1979|| ''[[Ashanti (1979 film)|Ashanti]]'' || Faid ||
|-
|1979|| ''[[The Golden Lady]]'' || Vishanya ||
|-
|1982|| ''[[Who Dares Wins (film)|Who Dares Wins]]'' || Terrorist #1 ||
|-
|1984|| ''[[A Talent for Murder]]'' || Rashi || TV movie
|-
|1987|| ''[[The Fourth Protocol (film)|The Fourth Protocol]]'' || Immigration Officer ||
|-
|1987|| ''[[Partition (1987 film)|Partition]]'' || ||
|-
|1988|| ''[[The Deceivers (film)|The Deceivers]]'' || Feringea ||
|-
|1989|| ''[[Scandal (1989 film)|Scandal]]'' || Ayub Khan ||
|-
|1993|| ''[[Bedardi]]'' || Mehta ||
|-
|1994|| ''Bollywood'' || || (final film role)
|}

==Notes==
{{Noteslist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|0950987}}
*{{IMDb name|6484565|Tariq Yunis}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yunus, Tariq}}
[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:1994 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian male television actors]]
[[Category:Indian male film actors]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian male actors]]

Tariq Yunus - Revision history

Pnbh11 at 19:28, 26 November 2025