Saeed Jaffrey: Difference between revisions

| education          = [[University of Allahabad]]: ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]], [[Master of Arts|MA]]); [[Catholic University of America]]: ([[Master of Fine Arts|MFA]])

| years_active      = 1961–2011

*{{marriage|[[Madhur Jaffrey]]|1958|1966|reason=divorced}}

| children          = 3, including [[Sakina Jaffrey]]

'''Saeed Jaffrey''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE}} (8 January 1929 – 15 November 2015) was a British-Indian actor.<ref name="saeed_hr_2015-11-16">{{cite news | title = Veteran Bollywood Actor Saeed Jaffrey Dies at 86 | url = http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/saeed-jaffrey-dead-veteran-bollywood-840504 | author = Nyay Bhushan |work= The Hollywood Reporter | date = 16 November 2015 | access-date = 16 November 2015}}</ref> His career covered film, radio, stage and television roles over 6 decades and more than a hundred and 50 British, American, and Indian movies.<ref name="saeed_tt_2015-11-16">{{cite news | title = Saeed Jaffrey, actor – obituary | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/11998228/Saeed-Jaffrey-actor-obituary.html |work= The Telegraph | date = 16 November 2015 | access-date = 16 November 2015}}</ref> During the 1980s and 1990s he was considered to be Britain's highest-profile Asian actor, thanks to his leading roles in the movie ''[[My Beautiful Laundrette]]'' (1985) and television series ''[[The Jewel in the Crown (TV series)|The Jewel in the Crown]]'' (1984), ''[[Tandoori Nights]]'' (1985–1987) and ''[[Little Napoleons]]'' (1994).<ref name="saeed_ti_1994-06-06">{{cite news | title = Saeed Jaffrey's passage from India | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/interview-saeed-jaffreys-passage-from-india-whenever-directors-are-casting-a-voluble-likeable-asian-1420497.html | author = Robert Butler |work= The Independent | date= 6 June 1994 | access-date = 15 October 2015}}</ref> He played an instrumental part in bringing together film makers [[James Ivory]] and [[Ismail Merchant]]<ref name="saeed_ti_2015-11-16">{{cite news | title = Saeed Jaffrey: Actor whose career took in India, Hollywood and the UK and who worked with Lean and Attenborough | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/saeed-jaffrey-actor-whose-career-took-in-india-hollywood-and-the-uk-and-who-worked-with-lean-and-a6736981.html | author = John Leman Riley | work= The Independent | date = 16 November 2015 | access-date = 16 November 2015 }}</ref><ref name="madhur_ti_1999-12-16">{{cite news | title = How We Met: Ismail Merchant & Madhur Jaffrey | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/how-we-met-ismail-merchant-madhur-jaffrey-1132061.html | author = Laurence Phelan | work= The Independent | date = 16 December 1999 | access-date = 15 October 2015}}</ref><ref name="madhur_nyt_2003-01-02">{{cite news | title = Telling Secrets That Worked For a Gambling Life in Films | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/02/movies/telling-secrets-that-worked-for-a-gambling-life-in-films.html?pagewanted=all | author = Mel Gussow |work=The New York Times | date = 2 January 2003 | access-date = 15 October 2015}}</ref> and acted in several of their [[Merchant Ivory Productions]] films such as ''The Guru'' (1969), ''[[Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures]]'' (1978), ''[[The Courtesans of Bombay]]'' (1983) and ''[[The Deceivers (film)|The Deceivers]]'' (1988).

He broke into [[Cinema of India|Indian films]] with [[Satyajit Ray]]'s ''[[Shatranj Ke Khilari]]'' (1977) for which he won the [[Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award]] in 1978. His cameo role as the ''[[paan]]wala'' Lallan Miyan in ''[[Chashme Buddoor (1981 film)|Chashme Buddoor]]'' (1981) won him popularity with Indian audiences.<ref name="saeed_ie_2015-11-17">{{cite news | title = From playing Nawab to a paanwala: Saeed Jaffrey straddled roles onscreen with ease | url = http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/nawab-to-paanwala-east-to-west-saeed-jaffrey-straddled-roles-regions-with-ease/ | author = Shubhra Gupta |work= Indian Express | date = 17 November 2015 | access-date = 17 November 2015}}</ref> He became a household name in India with his roles in [[Raj Kapoor]]'s ''[[Ram Teri Ganga Maili]]'' (1985) and ''[[Henna (film)|Henna]]'' (1991), both of which won him nominations for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award.<ref name="saeed_toi_ag_2015-11-16">{{cite news | title = Saeed Jaffrey one of the best known faces of Hindi cinema in Hollywood passes away | url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Saeed-Jaffrey-one-of-the-best-known-faces-of-Hindi-cinema-in-Hollywood-passes-away/articleshow/49807924.cms | author = Avijit Ghosh |work=The Times of India | date = 17 November 2015 | access-date = 17 November 2015}}</ref><ref name="saeed_rediff_2015-11-16">{{cite news | title = The Best Films of Saeed Jaffrey | url = http://www.rediff.com/movies/report/the-best-films-of-saeed-jaffrey/20151116.htm | work = Rediff.com | date = 16 November 2015 | access-date = 16 November 2015}}</ref>

He was the first Asian to receive British and Canadian film award nominations. In 1995 he was awarded an [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] in recognition of his services to drama, the first Asian to receive this honour.<ref name="saeed_gm_2015-11-16">{{cite news | title = Actor Saeed Jaffrey was first Indian named to Order of British Empire | url = https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/actor-saeed-jaffrey-was-first-indian-named-to-order-of-british-empire/article27290033/ | author = Michael Roddy | publisher = Reuters Canada | work = The Globe and Mail | date = 16 November 2015 | access-date = 16 November 2015 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151118055817/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/actor-saeed-jaffrey-was-first-indian-named-to-order-of-british-empire/article27290033/ | archive-date = 18 November 2015 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> His memoirs, ''Saeed: An Actor's Journey'', were published in 1998.<ref name="madhur_ti_1999-01-25">{{cite news | title = Saeed Jaffrey interview: New kid on the Street | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/saeed-jaffrey-interview-new-kid-on-the-street-1046303.html | author = Deborah Ross |work= The Independent | date = 25 January 1999 | access-date = 15 October 2015}}</ref> He died at a hospital in [[London]] on 15 November 2015, after collapsing from a [[brain haemorrhage]] at his home.<ref name="saeed_bbc_2015-11-16_2">{{cite news | title = Saeed Jaffrey, Indian actor and Bollywood veteran, dies | url = https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-34829751 | work = BBC News | date = 16 November 2015 | access-date = 16 November 2015}}</ref><ref name="saeed_lat_2015-11-16">{{cite news | title = Saeed Jaffrey dies at 86; Actor exuded flair and versatility from Bollywood to Britain | url = http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-saeed-jaffrey-20151117-story.html | author = Elaine Woo | date = 16 November 2015 | access-date = 16 November 2015}}</ref><ref name="saeed_ja_2015-11-16">{{cite press release | title = Announcement of Death: Veteran Indian-born actor Saeed Jaffrey has died | url = https://pressreleases.responsesource.com/news/89148/announcement-of-death-veteran-indian-born-actor-saeed-jaffrey-has/ | author = Jaffrey Associates | publisher = SourceWire News Distribution|work=ResponseSource Press Release Wire|id=Press Release Wire on behalf of Jaffrey Associates | date = 16 November 2015 | access-date = 16 November 2015}}</ref> He was posthumously given the [[Padma Shri]] award in January 2016.<ref name="padma 2016">{{cite news|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/saeed-jaffrey-to-get-posthumous-padma-shri-honour-116012500913_1.html |title=Saeed Jaffrey to get posthumous Padma Shri honour|work=Business Standard|date=25 January 2016}}</ref>

In 1938, Jaffrey joined [[Minto Circle]] School at [[Aligarh Muslim University]] where he developed his talent for mimicry. In 1939 he played the role of [[Dara Shikoh]] in a school play about [[Aurangzeb]]. At Aligarh, Jaffrey also mastered the [[Urdu]] language and attended [[Muslim University Riding Club|riding school]].<ref name="saeed_toi_2015-11-16">{{cite news | title = Saeed Jaffrey never got over his Aligarh days | url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/agra/Saeed-Jaffrey-never-got-over-his-Aligarh-days/articleshow/49807411.cms | author = Eram Agha |work= The Times of India | date = 16 November 2015 | access-date = 16 November 2015}}</ref> At the local cinemas in Aligarh, he saw many [[Bollywood]] movies and became a fan of [[Motilal Rajvansh|Motilal]], [[Prithviraj Kapoor]], [[Noor Mohammed Charlie]], [[Fearless Nadia]], [[Kanan Devi|Kanan Bala]] and [[Durga Khote]].<ref name="saeed autobio"/>{{rp|31}}

In 1941 at Mussoorie, Jaffrey attended [[Wynberg Allen School]], a Church of England public school where he picked up British-accented English. He played the role of the [[Cockney]] cook, Mason, in the annual school play, [[R. C. Sherriff]]'s ''[[Journey's End]]''. After completing his Senior Cambridge there, Jaffrey attended [[St. George's College, Mussoorie]], an all-boys' Roman Catholic school run by [[Patrician Brothers|Brothers of Saint Patrick]]. He played the role of Kate Hardcastle in the annual school play, [[Oliver Goldsmith]]'s ''[[She Stoops To Conquer]]''. At Mussoorie, Saeed and his brother Waheed would often sneak out at night to watch British and American films at the local theatres.<ref name="saeed autobio"/>{{rp|31}}

In 1945, Jaffrey gained admission to [[Allahabad University]] where he completed his BA in English literature in 1948 and MA in medieval Indian literature in 1950. At Allahabad, Saeed learned about [[Hindu]] religion and mythology for the first time. While visiting his father in Gorakhpur in the winter of 1945, Saeed discovered the [[BBC World Service]] on the [[shortwave radio]].<ref name="saeed autobio"/>{{rp|42}} When India gained independence from Britain on 15 August 1947 Jaffrey heard [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]'s inaugural speech on [[All India Radio]] as the [[Prime Minister of India]], titled ''[[Tryst with Destiny]]''.<ref name="saeed autobio"/>{{rp|43}} The [[partition of India]] caused all of Saeed's relatives in [[New Delhi]] and Bannoor, Punjab to migrate to [[Pakistan]].<ref name="saeed autobio"/>{{rp|48}}  

In February 1951 Jaffrey travelled to [[New Delhi]] to try his luck as a cartoonist, writer or broadcaster. He successfully auditioned as an announcer at All India Radio. He started his radio career as an English Announcer with the External Services of All India Radio on 2 April 1951 for a salary of ₹250 / month.<ref name="saeed autobio"/>{{rp|54–59}}<ref>[http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/529298/index.html Screen Online credits]</ref> Unable to afford a place to stay and having no relatives in the city, Jaffrey spent his nights on the bench behind the office building. Mehra Masani, the station director, eventually arranged for him to share a room at the [[YMCA]] for ₹30 / month. Jaffrey bought a [[Raleigh Bicycle Company|Raleigh bicycle]] for the commute.<ref name="saeed autobio"/>{{rp|59}}

Along with Frank Thakurdas and 'Benji' Benegal, Jaffrey set up the Unity Theatre, an English language [[repertory theatre|repertory company]] at New Delhi in 1951.<ref name="saeed_tg_2015-11-16">{{cite news | title = Saeed Jaffrey obituary | url = https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/nov/16/saeed-jaffrey | author = Naseem Khan | author-link = Naseem Khan (activist) |work= The Guardian | date = 16 November 2015 | access-date = 16 November 2015}}</ref> The first production was of [[Jean Cocteau]]'s play ''[[The Eagle Has Two Heads]]'', with [[Madhur Jaffrey|Madhur Bahadur]] playing the role of the ''Queen's Reader'' opposite Saeed as Azrael.<ref name="saeed autobio"/>{{rp|62|quote=The other significant feature of that 1951 production of The Eagle Has Two Heads was the arrival of Madhur Bahadur in my life. Four days before we opened, we found out that the girl who was playing the rather important role of the Queen's Reader in the play had eloped with her lover and was untraceable! There was no understudy and we were really seriously in trouble. But a boy called Bahadur bailed us out by suggesting that we audition his cousin, Madhur, who was studying for her BA at Miranda House, a prestigious girls' college attached to Delhi University, and who had acted in her college productions. Along came this thin young girl in yellow pedal pushers, wearing glasses over a prominent nose. She auditioned brilliantly, impressed us all and made the part completely her own. In the play the Queen's Reader resents Azrael, the new man in the Queen's life. But in real life, M – for that was her nickname – and I fell madly in love with each other.}} Unity Theatre subsequently staged [[J. B. Priestley]]'s ''[[Dangerous Corner]]'', [[Dylan Thomas]]' ''[[Under Milk Wood]]'', [[Molière]]'s ''[[The Bourgeois Gentleman]]'', [[Christopher Fry]]'s ''The Firstborn'' and [[T. S. Eliot]]'s ''[[The Cocktail Party ]]''.<ref name="saeed_ht_2015-11-16">{{cite news | title = Saeed 'versatile' Jaffrey passes away at 86 | url = http://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/saeed-jaffrey-passes-away-at-86/story-M5L32xaDupwjqgie91BQLJ.html | author = Prasun Sonwalkar | work= Hindustan Times | date = 16 November 2015 | access-date = 16 November 2015}}</ref>

After graduation from Miranda House in 1953, Bahadur joined All India Radio. She worked as a disc jockey at night.<ref name="madhur_jw_1">{{cite web | title = Madhur Jaffrey Interview – Part 1: An oral history project conducted by Judith Weinraub | url = http://dlib.nyu.edu/beard/interviews/madhur-jaffrey-interview-1 | author = Judith Weinraub | publisher = Fales Library, NYU | date = 2 December 2010 | access-date = 15 October 2015}}</ref> Jaffrey and Bahadur, having fallen "madly in love", dated at Gaylord, a restaurant in [[Connaught Place, New Delhi|Connaught Place]].<ref name="saeed autobio"/>{{rp|62–63}} At Unity Theatre, Bahadur and Jaffrey acted together in [[Christopher Fry]]'s ''[[A Phoenix Too Frequent]]'', followed by [[Oscar Wilde]]'s ''[[The Importance of Being Earnest]]'', [[Tennessee Williams]]' ''[[Auto-da-Fé (play)|Auto-da-Fé]]'', and [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Othello]]''.

In early 1955, Bahadur left to study drama formally at the [[Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]] (RADA), a drama school in the UK.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3322487.stm | work = BBC News | title = Moving stories: Madhur Jaffrey | date = 22 December 2003 | access-date=12 May 2010}}</ref> In late 1955, Jaffrey won a [[Fulbright scholarship]] to study [[drama]] in America the following year.<ref name="saeed_lat_2015-11-16"/> In spring 1956, he approached Bahadur's parents in Delhi for her hand in marriage but they refused because they felt that his financial prospects as an actor did not appear sound.<ref name="saeed autobio"/>{{rp|76}} In summer 1956, Jaffrey resigned from his position as Radio Director at All India Radio. He flew to London on his way to America and proposed to Bahadur. She refused but gave him a tour of RADA where she pointed out a young [[Peter O'Toole]] and other English stage actors who would later achieve prominence. A few days later, Jaffrey boarded the ''[[RMS Queen Elizabeth]]'' to sail across the [[Atlantic Ocean]] from [[Southampton]] to [[New York City]].<ref name="saeed autobio"/>{{rp|77–78}}

In 1957 Jaffrey graduated from the [[Catholic University of America]]'s Department of Speech and Drama and was selected to act in [[summer stock theatre|summer stock]] plays at [[Saint Michael's College|St. Michael’s Playhouse]] in [[Winooski, Vermont]].<ref name="saeed_ht_2015-11-16"/> Jaffrey arranged for Bahadur to join him there after she graduated from RADA.<ref name="saeed autobio"/>{{rp|83–84}} He played the lead in three of the plays put on by St. Michael’s Playhouse: Sakini, the Okinawan interpreter in ''[[The Teahouse of the August Moon (play)|The Teahouse of the August Moon]]''; barrister Sir Wilfred Robarts in [[Agatha Christie]]'s ''[[Witness for the Prosecution (play)|Witness for the Prosecution]]''; and Voice of God, with Gino, in ''[[Don Camillo|The Little World of Don Camillo]]''.

In September 1957, Bahadur and Jaffrey returned to [[Washington, D.C.]] where Jaffrey rehearsed for the 1957 – 58 season with the [[National Players]], a professional touring company that performed classical plays all over America.<ref name="saeed autobio"/>{{rp|83–92}} He was the first Indian to take Shakespearean plays on a tour of the [[United States]]. He was cast in the role of [[Friar Laurence]] in ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]''. He played Gremio in ''[[The Taming of the Shrew]]''.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/desert-island-discs/castaway/9cf13d6b BBC UK Desert Island Discs review of Saeed Jaffrey]</ref> Midway through the tour, Jaffrey returned to Washington DC from Miami to marry Bahadur in a modest civil ceremony.<ref name="saeed_bbc_2015-11-16">{{cite news | title = Saeed Jaffrey obituary: Indian star who enjoyed global fame | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-34830895 | work = BBC News | date = 16 November 2015 | access-date = 16 November 2015}}</ref><ref name="saeed autobio"/>{{rp|93}} The next day, they travelled to [[New York City]] where Bahadur was taken on as a tour guide at the [[United Nations]] while Jaffrey undertook public relations work for the Government of India Tourist Office. They lived on West 27th Street, between [[Sixth Avenue (Manhattan)|Sixth]] and [[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]]. Between 1959 and 1962 Bahadur and Jaffrey had three daughters, Meera, Zia and [[Sakina Jaffery|Sakina]].<ref name="saeed_rediff_2015-11-16"/>

In 1961 when ''The Sword and the Flute'' was shown in New York City, the Jaffreys encouraged Ismail Merchant to attend the screening, where he met Ivory for the first time.<ref name="madhur_sfc_2006-01-15">{{cite news | title = 'White' Ivory's Last Film With Merchant | url = http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/White-Ivory-s-Last-Film-With-Merchant-2506048.php | author = Tommy Nguyen |work= San Francisco Chronicle | date= 15 January 2006 | access-date = 15 October 2015}}</ref><ref name="madhur_mif_3">{{cite book | author = Ismail Merchant, Laurence Raw | date = 9 April 2012 | title = Merchant-Ivory: Interviews | chapter = James Ivory and Ismail Merchant: An Interview by Jag Mohan, Basu Chatterji and Arun Kaul, 1968 | publisher = University Press of Mississippi | isbn = 9781617032370 | page = 3 | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=mq-L3tAqFuwC&q=jaffrey&pg=PA3 }}</ref> They subsequently met regularly at the Jaffreys' dinners and cemented their relationship into a lifetime partnership, both personal and professional.<ref name="saeed_ti_1994-06-06"/> The Jaffreys planned to go back to India, start a travelling company and tour with it.<ref name="madhur_jw_1"/> They would often discuss this idea with James Ivory and started writing a script in his [[brownstone]] on East 64th Street.<ref name="saeed autobio"/>{{rp|147|quote=Jim used to talk to me and write down notes about a film which would feature a Shakespeare company touring America, obviously inspired by own experiences with Players Inc.}}

In 1961 Jaffrey was forced to give up his job as Publicity Officer with the Government of India Tourist Office. He went back to radio and joined [[The New York Times Company]]'s radio station [[WQXR-FM]] where his first broadcast program was ''Reflections of India with Saeed Jaffrey''.<ref name="saeed autobio"/>{{rp|115–117}} Saeed also took up acting on stage. The pay for such roles was generally $10/hour.<ref name="madhur_ap_2015-10-20"/>

Within a year of Jaffrey's joining the Actor's Studio in 1958, he was able to get Madhur admitted there too. However, they left by 1962 because they felt the criticism offered by [[Lee Strasberg]] was too much for their sensitivity.<ref name="saeed autobio"/>{{rp|106–108}} He played the role of the Wigmaker in a three-week run of a theatre version of [[Akira Kurosawa]]'s ''[[Rashomon]]'' at Fort Lee Playhouse in [[New Jersey]]. He appeared briefly in [[Rabindranath Tagore]]'s ''[[Raja (play)|The King of the Dark Chamber]]'' along with Madhur. From January to May 1962, Jaffrey appeared at [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]]'s [[Ambassador Theatre (New York City)|Ambassador Theatre]] in a stage adaption of [[E. M. Forster]]'s novel ''[[A Passage to India]]'' in the role of Professor Godbole.<ref name="saeed autobio"/>{{rp|126–130}} In November 1962 Madhur and Saeed appeared in [[Rolf Forsberg]]'s [[Off-Broadway]] production of ''A Tenth of an Inch Makes The Difference''. Their performance was described by ''[[The New York Times]]'' drama critic, [[Milton Esterow]], as "sensitive acting" that made up "the brightest part of the evening".<ref name="madhur_nyt_1962-11-13">{{cite news | title = Theater: Zen Buddhism; Plays by Rolf Forsberg Open at the East End | url = https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9A02E2DF113EE43BBC4B52DFB7678389679EDE | author = Milton Esterow |work= The New York Times | date = 13 November 1962 | access-date = 15 October 2015 | quote = The brightest part of the evening is the sensitive acting of Saeed Jaffrey and Madhur Jaffrey. Some of their colleagues, however, are not so skillful. }}</ref>

In 1963, Jaffrey toured with [[Lotte Lenya]] and the [[American National Theater and Academy]] to perform ''[[Brecht on Brecht]]'', a [[revue]] which was seen in Boston, Chicago, Milwaukee and Detroit. In summer 1964, Jaffrey along with some actor friends, created a multi-racial touring company called Theater In The Street, giving free performances of Molière's ''[[The Doctor Despite Himself]]'' in [[Harlem]], [[Brooklyn]] and [[Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn|Bedford–Stuyvesant]].

By 1964, the Jaffreys' marriage had collapsed.<ref name="saeed autobio"/>{{rp|133|quote=M finally got me to confess about my affair with the dancer from the Indian dance troupe. She was deeply wounded by it and nothing I said or did – my making passionate love, my crying, and kissing her feet begging her forgiveness – nothing, healed her wound.[...] I started drinking fairly heavily out of a sense of guilt, and the children were often frightened and distressed by the quarrels between the parents. The whole calm, loving atmosphere of warmth and caring started to crack up and our older daughters, Zia and Chubby, were deeply affected by this change.}} Madhur arranged for their children to live with her parents and sister in [[Delhi]] while she went to [[Mexico]] for the formal divorce proceedings.<ref name="madhur_ti_1999-01-25"/> The divorce was finalized in 1966.

In 1965 Jaffrey was offered the role of the Hindu God [[Brahma]] in ''Kindly Monkeys'' at the [[Arts Theatre]], [[London]]. Favourable reviews of the play brought an offer from the BBC World Service to write, act and narrate scripts in Urdu and Hindi.<ref name="saeed autobio"/>{{rp|145}} Jaffrey played the small part of barrister Hamidullah in the BBC Television adaptation of ''A Passage to India''.<ref name="saeed autobio"/>{{rp|150}} In order to pay the rent on his one bedroom flat in [[Chelsea, London|Chelsea]], Jaffrey took a job as an assistant cashier at [[Liberty (department store)|Liberty's]], a department store selling luxury goods.<ref name="saeed autobio"/>{{rp|147}}

Back in London, Jaffrey was given the opportunity to shoot in India for the next Merchant Ivory film, ''[[The Guru (1969 film)|The Guru]]'' (1969). He flew to Bombay in December 1967 and met his daughters after a gap of three years. He returned to London in the summer of 1968. He became the first Indian in a starring role in London's [[West End theatre]] when he played a Pakistani photographer in ''On A Foggy Day''. In 1975 he appeared as Billy Fish in John Huston's classic film ''[[The Man Who Would Be King (film)|The Man Who Would Be King]]''.

He was the subject of ''[[This Is Your Life (UK TV series)|This Is Your Life]]''<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Kaye-Smith |first1=Sean |title=Partition |url=https://www.closeupfilmcentre.com/vertigo_magazine/issue-13-november-2007/partition/ |magazine=Vertigo Magazine |via=www.closeupfilmcentre.com |issue=13 |date=November 2007 |quote=...he [Jaffrey] was the subject of the popular television programme ''This Is Your Life''...}}</ref> in 2001 when he was surprised by [[Michael Aspel]] during the curtain call of the musical ''[[The King and I]]'' at the [[London Palladium]].

The veteran actor died in the early hours of 14 November 2015 at a [[London]] hospital. He was 86 years old. He had collapsed at his London residence from a brain [[haemorrhage]] and never regained consciousness.<ref name="saeed_bbc_2015-11-16_2"/><ref name="saeed_ja_2015-11-16"/> His funeral was held in London on 7 December.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Roy |first1=Amit |title=Church farewell for Saeed Jaffrey |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/church-farewell-for-saeed-jaffrey/cid/1509917 |access-date=17 February 2022 |work=www.telegraphindia.com |date=9 December 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Bhuchar |first1=Suman |title=Saeed Jaffrey: Friendship, love and warmth remembered at funeral |url=http://asianculturevulture.com/portfolios/saeed-jaffrey-friendship-love-and-warmth-remembered-at-funeral/ |access-date=17 February 2022 |work=Asian Culture Vulture |date=12 December 2015}}</ref>

Jaffrey appeared in many [[Bollywood]] and Hollywood movies, and appeared with actors including [[Sean Connery]], [[Michael Caine]] and [[Pierce Brosnan]]. He starred in cinema directed by [[Satyajit Ray]], [[James Ivory]] and [[Richard Attenborough]].<ref name="saeed_ht_2015-11-16"/>

 

He has also appeared in many Bollywood films in the 1980s and 1990s. For television he starred in ''[[The Protectors]]'' (1973), ''[[The Persuaders!]]'' ''[[Gangsters (TV series)|Gangsters]]'' (1975–1978), ''[[The Jewel in the Crown (TV series)|The Jewel in the Crown]]'' (1984), ''[[Tandoori Nights]]'' (1985–1987) and ''[[Little Napoleons]]'' (1994). He also appeared as [[Ravi Desai (Coronation Street)|Ravi Desai]] on ''[[Coronation Street]]'' and in ''[[Minder (TV series)|Minder]]'' as Mr Mukerjee in Series 1 episode ''[[The Bengal Tiger (Minder episode)|The Bengal Tiger]]''.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/336700.stm Hard Talk Interview of Saeed Jaffrey], BBC NEWS Thursday, 6 May 1999.</ref>

; Civilian Award

* '''[[List of Padma Shri award recipients (2010–2019)|2016]]''' – [[Padma Shri]] – India's fourth highest civilian honour from the [[Government of India]] (Posthumously)<ref name="padma 2016"/>

Saeed Jaffrey was born into an Indian Muslim family, the eldest of the four children of Hamid Hussain Jaffrey and his wife Hamida Begum. He has two brothers, Waheed and Hameed, and a sister, Shagufta. His father was a doctor in government service who was posted in many rural areas across the [[United Provinces of British India|United Provinces]], and the family invariably moved with him. Jaffrey's maternal grandfather was the [[Diwan (title)|diwan]] (first minister) of [[Malerkotla State]] at the time of Jaffrey's birth. Jaffrey was born in [[Malerkotla]] and grew up in the interior of [[Uttar Pradesh]].

Jaffrey married twice. His first wife, [[Madhur Jaffrey]], came from an old and affluent Hindu [[Kayastha]] business family of [[Old Delhi]]. She is a well-known character actress who appeared in a number of Indian and British films such as [[Saagar (film)|Saagar]], [[Heat and Dust]] and [[Cotton Mary]]. Madhur is also a connoisseur of cuisine who has written several books on the culinary arts. Jaffrey and Madhur were married in [[Washington DC]] in September 1958 and divorced in [[Mexico]] in 1966. They had meanwhile become the parents of three daughters: Zia, Meera and Sakina.<ref name="saeed_lat_2015-11-16"/> The couple's youngest daughter, [[Sakina Jaffrey]], is also an actress who made her debut acting alongside her mother in Merchant-Ivory's [[The Perfect Murder (1988 film)|The Perfect Murder]] (1988). After the divorce, the children were sent to India, to be cared for by Madhur's parents and sister in Delhi. Madhur married again, as early as in 1969, to [[Sanford Allen]], an American classical violinist, but she retained Jaffrey's surname for reasons of professional advancement and remains known to the public as "Madhur Jaffrey." Due to this, the fact of their early divorce was generally unknown to the public, and the two remained associated with each other in the public mind even to the end.

In 1980, Jaffrey married Jennifer Sorrell, an agent and freelance casting director.<ref name="saeed_jj">{{cite web | title = Jennifer Jaffrey | url = http://www.ashacentre.org/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=446:jennifer-jaffrey&Itemid=3 | publisher = The ASHA Centre | access-date = 16 November 2015 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151118070415/http://www.ashacentre.org/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=446:jennifer-jaffrey&Itemid=3 | archive-date = 18 November 2015 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> Their marriage of thirty-five years lasted until his death in 2015. There were no children from this marriage.<ref name="saeed_tg_2015-11-16" />

[[Category:20th-century British male actors]]

[[Category:21st-century British male actors]]

[[Category:Actors Studio alumni]]