Art Malik

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Art Malik
Born
Athar ul-Haque Malik

(1952-11-13) 13 November 1952 (age 72)
OccupationActor
Years active1978–present
Spouse
Gina Rowe
(m. 1980)
Children2

Athar ul-Haque Malik (born 13 November 1952), known professionally as Art Malik, is a British-Pakistani actor. He achieved international fame in the 1980s through his starring and supporting roles in assorted British television serials and films. He is best known for his portrayal of the out-of-place Hari Kumar in The Jewel in the Crown (1984) at the outset of his career. He is also well known for his roles in the James Bond film The Living Daylights (1987) and the action comedy film True Lies (1994).

Contents

Early life

Malik was born Athar ul-Haque Malik on 13 November 1952 in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, the son of Zaibunisa and Mazhar ul-Haque Malik, a doctor who worked as an ophthalmic surgeon in Britain. [1] When his father got a job as a surgeon in Moorfields Eye Hospital, Malik was brought to London in 1956, aged three. From the age of eleven, he attended Bec Grammar School in Tooting. [2]

After an unsatisfactory stint of business studies and a term studying acting at the Questors Theatre, he won a scholarship to Guildhall School of Music and Drama. [2] [3] Before long, he was working with the Old Vic and Royal Shakespeare companies. [2]

Career

In 1982, five years after leaving Guildhall, Malik was cast as Hari Kumar in the Granada Television production of The Jewel in the Crown , based on Paul Scott's Raj Quartet . [2]

In 1987, he played Kamran Shah, an Afghan Mujahideen leader who allies with James Bond and leads a raid against Soviet invaders in the 007 film The Living Daylights .

Malik played the role of the son of an Indian mobster in the 1992 film City of Joy and, in 1993, narrated Salman Rushdie's Haroun and the Sea of Stories on BBC television's Jackanory . [4]

In 1994, Malik played his first big screen villain, Salim Abu Aziz, a stereotypical Islamist, opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in True Lies . Malik accepted the role, which he described as "a hoot", at a time when he had been 14 months without work and was being pursued by the Inland Revenue for £32,000. [2] Following his appearance in True Lies, Malik was offered several roles in other action films, but turned them down, later explaining, "I didn't want to do action movies that weren't as good." [2] He instead accepted a role in the film Clockwork Mice . [2] Malik took the lead role in the West End production of Tom Stoppard's 1995 play Indian Ink . [2]

In 1999, Malik played the supporting role of Olympos, the court doctor to Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, in the ABC miniseries Cleopatra. [5]

In 2001, he narrated the television documentary Hajj: The Journey of a Lifetime for broadcast on BBC Two [6] and in 2002 he narrated the three part television mini-series The British Empire in Colour for TWI/Carlton Television. [7] [8]

He also played Milkha Singh's father in the 2013 Hindi language film Bhaag Milkha Bhaag , his first appearance in a film produced in India. [9]

Malik had a starring role in Tom Fontana's historical television series Borgia , which ran from 2011 to 2014. [10]

In 2014, Malik played Bunran "Bunny" Latif, a retired Pakistani general in season four of Homeland , [11] returning in the same role in season eight in 2020.

In 2017 he appeared in the first series of Bancroft .

Malik appeared in the second episodes of both series 8 of the show Doc Martin in 2017 and series 11 of Doctor Who , "The Ghost Monument" in 2018. [12]

Personal life

By Malik's own account, the sudden success he enjoyed in 1984 resulted in his excessive drinking. "I was surrounded by people who admired me and I took all of that home with me," he said when interviewed in 2003. "I paid lots of attention to my ego, and not enough to my spirit. It was totally unhealthy, like an illness." [3] The result was a strain on his marriage, leading to his wife leaving him. He also ran up high bills on his credit card, and by 1993 he owed £55,000 to the bank and £32,000 to the Inland Revenue, and was on the verge of being declared bankrupt when he got the lucrative part of Salim Abu Aziz, a terrorist, in James Cameron's True Lies. [3] He and his wife reunited. [13]

Malik took a major role in fundraising for relief work for victims of the Gujarat earthquake in 2001, and also appeared on the DEC Pakistan Floods Appeal advertisement in 2010.

He lives with his wife Gina Rowe, a fellow student at the Guildhall, whom he married in 1980. They have two daughters, Jessica and Keira. Although from a Muslim background, and having insisted that his character on Holby City should be a Muslim, Malik describes himself as "not a practising Muslim. I'm probably an apostate, and liable for any right-minded Muslim fundamentalist to put me on a list of people to stamp out". [3]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1979 Arabian Adventure Mamhoud
1980 Richard's Things Dr. Mustag
1984 A Passage to India Ali
1985 Underworld Fluke
1987 The Living Daylights Kamran Shah
1992 Turtle Beach Kanan
City of Joy Ashok Ghatak
Year of the Comet Nico
HostageKhalim
1994 Uncovered Alvaro
True Lies Salim Abu Aziz
1995 Clockwork Mice Laney
1995 A Kid in King Arthur's Court Lord Belasco
1997 Booty Call AkmedUncredited
1998 Side Streets Bipin Raj
2001TabloidPhilip Radcliffe
2002Out DoneInspector Harrison
2003 Tempo George Maldonado
2004 Fakers Foster Wright
2006 Nina's Heavenly Delights Raj Khanna
2008 Dean Spanley Swami Nala Prash
Franklyn Tarrant
2010 The Wolfman Singh
Sex and the City 2 Shiekh Khalid
2011 Everywhere and Nowhere Uncle Mirza
Ghosted Ahmed
2012 John Carter Zodangan General
2013 Bhaag Milkha Bhaag Sampuran Singh
Diana Samundar
2016 The Infiltrator Akbar Bilgrami
Mirzya Suchitra's father
2017 Halal Daddy Amir Aziz
2023 The Little Mermaid Grimsby [14]
2024 The Glassworker Tomas Oliver
TBA The Woman in Cabin 10 Filming
TBA Hamlet King ClaudiusUpcoming film

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1978 Mixed Blessings FredEpisode: "The Loneliness of the Long Term Unemployed"
The Professionals Doctor2 episodes
1979 ITV Playhouse DaveEpisode: "The Reaper"
1981 Crown Court Aziz Ul HaqueEpisode: "Freedom to Incite: Part 1"
1982 The Gentle Touch TurkEpisode: "Be Lucky Uncle"
1983 Bergerac Ravi ChavanEpisode: "A Miracle Every Week"
Chessgame FaroukEpisode: "Digging Up the Future"
1984 The Far Pavilions Zarin2 episodes
The Jewel in the Crown Hari Kumar6 episodes
Minder ShamyEpisode: "What Makes Shamy Run?"
1985 The Black Tower Julius Court5 episodes
1986HaremTarik PashaTelevision film
West of ParadiseSam McBride
The Deadly RecruitsFarouk
Death Is Part of the ProcessIndres
1988 Hothouse Dr. Ved Lahari7 episodes
1989After the WarJerome LeBlanc2 episodes
Shadow of the Cobra Charles Sobhraj
1990StolenSalim6 episodes
Boon Alex CavendishEpisode: "The Tender Trap"
1991 The Storyteller: Greek Myths Orpheus Episode: "Orpheus & Eurydice"
1992 Covington Cross SalimEpisode: "Revenge"
1993 Jackanory ReaderEpisode: "Haroun and the Sea of Stories"
Age of TreasonPertinaxTelevision film
1994 The Wimbledon Poisoner Karim Jackson2 episodes
1996 Kavanagh QC Ashok Prasad QCEpisode: "Job Satisfaction"
Peak Practice Mr. HussainEpisode: "Heart and Soul"
1997Turning WorldShams3 episodes
Path to Paradise: The Untold Story of the World Trade Center Bombing Ramzi Yousef Television film
1998Big WomenJemalEpisode: "Well, I'm Sorry"
Colour BlindHassan2 episodes
1998, 2015 Goodness Gracious Me Various
1998–1999 Unfinished Business Tam7 episodes
1999 Vicious Circle HarrisonTelevision film
The Seventh Scroll Taita3 episodes
Life Support Dr. Kamran Blake6 episodes
Cleopatra Olympos2 episodes
2000 In the Beginning Ramesses II
Second Sight: Hide and SeekFaiz AhmedTelevision film
2001Hotel!Radochek Zeigler
Messiah D.C.S. Emerson2 episodes
The Real Shirley BasseyNarratorTelevision film
2002 Fun at the Funeral Parlour Duke of HypnotismEpisode: "A Pocket Full of Gravel"
Murder in Mind Paul AsherEpisode: "Flashback"
2003Messiah 2: Vengeance Is MineD.C.S. Emerson2 episodes
2003–2005 Holby City Zubin Khan 94 episodes
2005The English HaremSaaman "Sam" SaharTelevision film
2006 The Gil Mayo Mysteries Marcus IllingworthEpisode: "Late of This Parish"
Dalziel and Pascoe Aahil KhanEpisode: "A Death in the Family"
The Path to 9/11 Colonel Raymond Malik2 episodes
2008 10 Days to War Abdul Aziz al-Hakim Episode: "$100 Coffee"
Doctor Who: The Eighth Doctor Adventures Abbot AbsoluteEpisode: "The Skull of Sobek"
2009 Lewis Professor Hamid JassimEpisode: "Allegory of Love"
2010 Agatha Christie's Poirot Sir Bartholomew StrangeEpisode: "Three Act Tragedy"
Ben Hur Sheikh Ilderim2 episodes
The Nativity Nicolaus4 episodes
2010–2012 Upstairs Downstairs Mr. Amanjit Singh9 episodes
2011–2014 Borgia Francesc Gacet32 episodes
2012 Masterpiece Mystery Sir Bartholomew StrangeEpisode: "Poirot XI: Three Act Tragedy"
2013 New Tricks Jonathan EpsteinEpisode: "The Little Brother"
2014–2020 Homeland Bunny Latif7 episodes
2015 Arthur & George Rev Shapurji Edalji3 episodes
Undercover RaffiEpisode #1.6
2016 Indian Summers Maharajah2 episodes
Cold Feet Eddie Zubayr7 episodes
2017 Sherlock Prison GovernorEpisode: "The Final Problem"
Doc Martin John RahmanzaiEpisode: "Sons and Lovers"
Bancroft Alan Taheeri4 episodes
2018 The Woman in White Erasmus Nash5 episodes
Doctor Who IlinEpisode: "The Ghost Monument"
2019 Silent Witness Arthur PujariEpisode: "Betrayal"
The Feed President Quan3 episodes
2020-2023 Man Like Mobeen Khan6 episodes
2020 Penance Fr. Tom Hayesall 3 episodes
2024 Renegade Nell Henry Taplow1 episode
The Famous Five Sir Lincoln AubreyEpisode: "The Eye Of The Sunrise"

References

  1. "Art Malik Biography (1952-)". filmreference.com.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 James Rampton (24 January 1998). "The Artful dodger Interview: Art Malik". The Independent . Archived from the original on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Judith Woods (3 June 2003). "I try to be a better person. Every day". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  4. The Story of Jackanory, BBC Four on YouTube. Video from 51:24
  5. Ray Richmond (20 May 1999). "Cleopatra". Variety. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  6. "Hajj". Genome.BBC. 11 August 2001. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  7. The British Empire in Colour, imdb.com. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  8. Documentary: The British Empire in Colour, britishempire.co.uk. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  9. Priya Joshi (12 July 2013). "Art Malik interview: 'I would love to work in Indian film again'". Digital Spy . Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  10. Leffler, Rebecca (26 March 2012). "Tom Fontana's 'Borgia' Gets Second Season Order". The Hollywood Reporter.
  11. "Nimrat Kaur lands role in US series Homeland". India TV . 1 August 2014. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
    - Gilbert, Sophie (20 October 2014). "Homeland: Carrie Gets Even Worse". The Atlantic . Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  12. Jeffery, Morgan (18 September 2018). "Doctor Who reveals series 11, episode 2 title and guest stars". Digital Spy .
  13. Shazia Hasan (22 October 2017). "I've turned down many films because I thought they were exploitative, says Art Malik". Images. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  14. Eddy, Cheryl (9 September 2022). "Disney's Live-Action Little Mermaid Shares Its First Teaser".