Bilal Baig | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1995 (age 29–30) [1] |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2018–present |
Bilal Baig is a Canadian writer and actor. They are best known for their play Acha Bacha and CBC series Sort Of (2021–2023). [3]
Acha Bacha, a play which centers on a non-binary Pakistani-Canadian person struggling to reconcile their gender with their Muslim upbringing, [4] was staged in a joint production by Theatre Passe Muraille and Buddies in Bad Times in 2018, and presented at Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace. [5] [6]
Baig is the co-creator, a co-writer, and star of Sort Of, a CBC Television comedy series centering on a genderfluid character. [3] Baig is the first queer South Asian Muslim actor to lead a Canadian primetime television series. [7] The series premiered on CBC in 2021. [7]
Sort Of was the top winner overall in television categories at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards in 2022 and Baig shared the award for Best Writing in a Comedy Series with writing partner Fab Filippo. Baig had declined to submit their performance for 2022 award consideration due to the gendered categories of Best Actor in a Comedy Series and Best Actress in a Comedy Series. [8] Subsequently, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television announced that beginning with the 11th Canadian Screen Awards in 2023, gender-neutral awards for Best Performance will be presented instead of gendered actor and actress categories [9] Baig was the winner of the inaugural Canadian Screen Award for Best Leading Performance in a Comedy Series at the 11th Canadian Screen Awards in 2023, in addition to their second award for Best Writing in a Comedy Series, again shared with Fab Fillipo. [10]
In June 2025 the Toronto theatre company Buddies in Bad Times announced the production of Begging Brown Bitch Plays, a show consisting of Baig's one-act plays Kainchee Lagaa and Jhooti, for the 2025-26 season. [11]
Baig was raised in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada by Pakistani immigrant parents. [2] [12] Baig identifies as queer and trans-feminine, and is Muslim. [13] [14] They do not have a close relationship with their parents and only revealed their identity and career to them through email a week before the premiere of Sort Of. Though their parents' reactions were more positive than expected, Baig found it upsetting, stating "No one was really trying to make a deep connection." [12]
Baig mentors emerging queer and trans writers, particularly young women and transfeminine people of colour, and holds writing workshops for youth in underserved Toronto communities. Baig also leads anti-Islamophobia workshops for high schools and founded an online platform for queer and trans South Asians to connect. [13] [12]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2021–2023 | Sort Of | 11 episodes; co-creator |
| Year | Title | Director(s) | Theatre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Acha Bacha [15] | Brendan Healy | Theatre Passe Muraille |
| 2026 | Kainchee Lagaa [11] | Tawiah M'carthy | Buddies in Bad Times |
| Jhooti [11] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–2023 | Sort Of | Sabi Mehboob | Lead |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Gotham Independent Film Awards | Outstanding Performance in a New Series | Nominated | [16] [17] | |
| Peabody Awards | Entertainment | Sort Of | Nominated | [18] | |
| Dayne Ogilvie Prize | LGBTQ2S+ Emerging Writers | Bilal Baig, Acha Bacha | Nominated | [14] [19] | |
| 10th Canadian Screen Awards | Best Writing, Comedy | Bilal Baig, Fab Filippo | Won | [20] | |
| 2023 | 11th Canadian Screen Awards | Best Lead Performer, Comedy | Bilal Baig | Won | [21] |
| Best Writing, Comedy | Bilal Baig, Fab Filippo | Won | [22] |