Meryl Fernandes  | |
|---|---|
|   Fernandes in 2012  | |
| Born | Meryl Glynis Fernandes 1983 (age 41–42)  Tower Hamlets, London, England [1]   | 
| Nationality | British | 
| Occupation(s) | Actress and presenter | 
| Years active | 1993–present | 
| Known for | |
Meryl Glynis Fernandes (born 1983) [1] is an English actress and presenter. She played Afia Masood, a love interest for Tamwar Masood (Himesh Patel) in the BBC soap opera EastEnders , originally making a guest appearance between 29 December 2009 [2] and 5 January 2010. [3] She returned to the role of Afia, on 18 November 2010, this time as a regular character. [4] She departed EastEnders on 7 June 2012. [5] [6]
Born in 1983 to Harold and Ghislaine Fernandes, Meryl was brought up in London and went to Trinity Catholic High School, Woodford Green. [7] Her parents, of Indian Goan ancestry, were originally from Nairobi. [7] Fernandes trained at Millennium Performing Arts in 2000. She is skilled in several types of dance and has kissed Tom Hardy in a play. [8]
Other than appearing in EastEnders , Fernandes has appeared Doctor Who , Demons , Minder alongside fellow EastEnders actor, Shane Richie, [9] It's Now or Never , Clone and Dis/Connected . [8] She has also appeared in the highly criticised YouTube series, Living With the Infidels playing 'Jot'. [8] [10] In stage she has appeared in The Lion of Punjab in 2006 and A Small Town Anywhere directed in 2007. [8] In musicals she has appeared in Oliver! as a 'Workhouse Girl', in 1996 and sung in Il mondo della luna at the Royal Academy of Music in 2003. [8] She has also appeared in a film, Ashes where she appeared as the lead role, Amisha, in 2012. [8]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | EastEnders | Schoolgirl | 1 episode | 
| 1995 | A Small Addition | ||
| 2006 | It's Now or Never | Flower Girl | |
| 2007 | Dis/Connected | Sara | |
| 2008 | Doctor Who | Head Girl | |
| 2009 | Demons | Amber Selway | |
| 2008 | Clone | Jasmine | |
| 2009 | Minder | Roxy | |
| 2009–2012 | EastEnders | Afia Masood | 110 episodes | 
| 2016 | World of Weird | Presenter | |
| 2018 | Ackley Bridge | Maryam Quereshi | 2 episodes | 
| 2019–present | The Dengineers | Presenter | 
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Living with the Infidels | Jot | Main Role | 
| 2010 | Ashes | Amisha | 
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Oliver! | Workhouse Girl | Musical | 
| 2003 | Sleeping Beauty | Sleeping Beauty | Stage | 
| 2003 | Il Mondo Della Luna | Moon Dancer | Opera | 
| 2005 | The Far Pavilions | Anjuli | Musical | 
| 2006 | The Lion of Punjab | Jindan | Stage | 
| 2007 | Who Asked You? | Deborah Smith | |
| 2007 | A Small Town Anywhere | The Samaritan | |
| 2007 | A Matter of Life and Death | Clerk/Nurse | |
| 2007 | The Man of Mode | Harriet |