Qasim Akhtar
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Qasim Akhtar (born 8 June 1991) is an English actor, known for his roles as Chesney Karib in the Channel 4 comedy drama Shameless and Zeedan Nazir in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street.
Early life
[edit]Akhtar was born and raised in Burnage, Manchester to a British Pakistani family. [1] Since childhood, Akhtar had an interest in acting. He trained at the Manchester School of Acting.[2]
Career
[edit]Prior to making his breakthrough appearance in Shameless, Akhtar had his first acting experience through the 2006-released Mischief Night, written and directed by Penny Woolcock, and in the film, he stars as Asif Khan.[3]
Akhtar gained prominence through his role as Chesney Khan in Shameless, appearing in 85 episodes between 2007 and 2013. This was followed by two different roles in Waterloo Road: Aron in 2007 and Wayne Bodley in 2011.[4]
In 2014, Akhtar joined the cast of the long-running soap opera Coronation Street as Zeedan Nazir, a son of Kal Nazir (played by Jimi Mistry).[5] Upon his first exit of the show in 2018, Akhtar began another stint within the show in 2021 but exited again in February 2023.[6]
Personal life
[edit]Akhtar was injured in a quad bike accident in 2018 and took up fitness.[7] He leads a relatively private life but he has expressed his platform being used to discuss the state of representation of British Asian actors in television and film.[8]
Accolades
[edit]He was nominated as Best Newcomer at British Soap Awards for his work on the role of Zeedan Nazir in Coronation Street.[9] The depiction of the complex characters from cultures similar to his has been applauded for bringing authenticity to the British TV.[10]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Mischief Night | Asif Khans | Movie |
| 2007–2013 | Shameless | Chesney Karib | Regular, 85 episodes |
| 2007 | Waterloo Road | Aron | 1 episode |
| 2007 | How Life Happens | Qas | Short Film |
| 2011 | Young Dracula | Vicious Vampire | 1 episode |
| 2011 | Waterloo Road | Wayne Bodley | 1 episode |
| 2012 | Doctors | Bhavin Hassan | 1 episode |
| 2014–2018, 2021–2023 | Coronation Street | Zeedan Nazir[broken anchor] | Regular, 397 episodes |
References
[edit]- ^ Smith, John (2020). "Rising Stars of British Television". Entertainment Weekly UK, pp. 45-47
- ^ Alumni Success Stories". Manchester School of Acting Official Website, accessed March 2025
- ^ Wilson, Emma (2015). "From Mischief Night to Primetime: Qasim Akhtar's Journey". British Film Institute Quarterly, Vol. 23, pp. 112-115
- ^ Davies, Charlotte (2018). "Actors Who Returned to Waterloo Road". Television and Film Review, Issue 42, pp. 28-32
- ^ Johnson, Robert (2016). "New Faces on the Street: How Zeedan Nazir Changed Coronation Street". Soap Opera Digest UK, Vol. 8, pp. 15-18
- ^ Brown, Sarah (2023). "Qasim Akhtar's Final Scenes: An Analysis". Television Drama Review, Issue 67, pp. 89-93
- ^ Thompson, Mark (2018). "Coronation Street Star Recovers From Accident". The Guardian, 24 April 2018
- ^ Akhtar, Qasim (2022). Interview with British Asian Network. BBC Radio, 12 June 2022
- ^ British Soap Awards 2015: Full List of Nominees". Radio Times, May 2015
- ^ Khan, Aisha (2021). "Representation Matters: British Asian Actors in Mainstream Media". Cultural Studies Journal, Vol. 14(2), pp. 156-172
External links
[edit]- Qasim Akhtar at IMDb
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