Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
Qasim Akhtar
English/Pakistani actor From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
Remove ads
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.
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
Early Life and Background
The birth of Qasim Akhtar is on June 8, 1991, in Manchester England. He was born and raised in Burnage in Manchester, British Pakistani family. [1] Since childhood, Akhtar had an interest in acting, but it was in the Manchester School of Acting that he got his first training before proceeding for his professional career.[2]
Career Expansion
Prior to making his breakthrough appearance in Shameless, Akhtar had his very 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] This position provided him with his first experience of the British entertainment industry.
Upon his success on Shameless where he played the Chesney Karib role for 85 episodes between 2007 and 2013, Akhtar played several roles in the British television. His roles in Waterloo Road in 2007 and 2011 were his demonstrations of his acting talent where he played the two different characters: Aron in 2007 and Wayne Bodley in 2011.[4]
In 2014, Akhtar entered the cast of the long-standing soap opera ‘Coronation Street’ as Zeedan Nazir, a son of Kal Nazir (played by Jimi Mistry). His performance as Zeedan gained him a lot of praises and increased his following.[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 and Interests
Apart from acting Akhtar is said to be a keen fitness fanatic. His recovery after getting injured in a quad bike accident in 2018 was full.[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]
Awards and Recognition
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]
Remove ads
Career
Qasim first acting credit in on Mischief Night as Asif Kahn in 2006.
Qasim also appeared in Shameless and portrayed the role of Chesney Karib as a series regular.
Qasim also appears in two separate stints on Waterloo Road in 2007 and 2011.
In 2014, Qasim was cast in Coronation Street as Zeedan Nazir, the son of existing character Kal Nazir (Jimi Mistry). In March 2018, it was confirmed that he would depart the soap opera. In August 2021, it was announced he would be returning to Coronation Street and once again departed in February 2023.
Remove ads
Filmography
Remove ads
References
External links
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads