Art Malik
Encyclopedia
Art Malik is a Pakistani-born British actor who achieved international fame in the 1980s through his starring and subsidiary roles in assorted British and Merchant-Ivory
television serials and films. He is especially remembered as the doomed Hari Kumar in The Jewel in the Crown at the outset of his career.
, West Punjab
, Pakistan
, the son of Zaibunisa and Mazhar Ul-Haque Malik, a physician who would soon qualify as an ophthalmic surgeon in England
. Malik was thus brought to London
in 1956 with his four older brothers. At age 10 he was sent to school in Quetta
, Balochistan
for one year, and then Bec Grammar School, a selective state school in Upper Tooting
, London.
Malik is mildly dyslexic and found academic studies trying; after an unsatisfactory stint of business studies he won a scholarship to Guildhall School of Music and Drama
. Before long, he was working with the Old Vic
and Royal Shakespeare
companies, where he played the title role
in the Shakespeare play Othello
.
. During filming, David Lean cast him in his film production of A Passage to India
; the two high profile and successful productions assuring his professional future. He also appeared in a television serialisation of M. M. Kaye
's The Far Pavilions
. All three were released in 1984. In 1986 he played in the film The Harem with Omar Sharif
and Nancy Travis
.
Malik has been closely associated with Tom Stoppard
's play Indian Ink
, creating the role of Narid in the work's London premiere, and returning to the role for the 1999 American premiere at San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater
.
Malik appeared as Shamy, an Anglo-Indian petty criminal and con-man in "What Makes Shamy Run?", an episode of the UK television series Minder
.
He played the role of the son of an Indian mobster in the 1992 film City of Joy
. He played an art professor in the 1994 film Uncovered
. Malik also played the villain Salim Abu Aziz opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger
in True Lies
(1994). Additionally, he played the mythical Orpheus in the 25-minute long film of Orpheus and Eurydice
, originally a myth by Ovid
. The director was Jim Henson.
He made a move to American television in 1988 playing Dr. Ved Lahari on the ABC series Hothouse. He had a major role as an Afghani mujahadeen ally of James Bond
in the Timothy Dalton
007 film The Living Daylights
(1987). He also played the role of Ramzi Ahmed Yousef in Path to Paradise, a 1997 made-for-TV film about the 1993 World Trade Center bombing
.
In 2000, he appeared in the Mystery Theatre series Second Sight, starring Clive Owen as a detective who is losing his vision. Malik appears in the "Hide and Seek" episode as Dr. Faiz Ahmed, the accused murderer of his lover, a violinist named Vicky Inghams (Helen Hathorn).
In 2001, he narrated the television documentary Hajj: The Journey of a Lifetime for British television. He played Dr Zubin Khan in the BBC
hospital drama Holby City
from 2003-05. Also in 2005 he starred in a television adaptation of the novel The English Harem as Sam, a West London Muslim who owns a restaurant. Martine McCutcheon plays a young working class girl, Tracy, who - against the wishes of her parents and racist ex-boyfriend - becomes one of his three wives.
Malik has a supporting role in the 2010 film, The Wolfman. He also appears in the 2010 version of "Upstairs Downstairs" as Mr Amanjit, secretary to Lady Holland.
Pakistan Floods Appeal advertisement in 2010. He lives with his wife Gina Rowe, who was his fellow student at the Guildhall, and whom he married in 1980, in Surbiton
, London. They have two daughters, Jessica and Keira.
In 2002, Daniel Williams, Jessica's boyfriend, was found dead in the swimming pool of the Malik family home in Surbiton. He was 23 years old.
Merchant Ivory Productions
Merchant Ivory Productions is a film company founded in 1961 by producer Ismail Merchant and director James Ivory. Their films were for the most part produced by the former, directed by the latter, and scripted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, with the noted exception of a few films. The films were often...
television serials and films. He is especially remembered as the doomed Hari Kumar in The Jewel in the Crown at the outset of his career.
Early life
Malik was born Athar Ul-Haque Malik in BahawalpurBahawalpur
Bahawalpur , located in the province of Punjab, is the twelfth largest city in Pakistan. The city was once the capital of the former princely state of Bahawalpur. The city was home to various Nawabs and counted as part of the Rajputana states...
, West Punjab
West Punjab
West Punjab was a province of Pakistan from 1947 to 1955. The province covered an area of 160,622 km², including much of the current Punjab province and the Islamabad Capital Territory, but excluding the former princely state of Bahawalpur. The capital was the city of Lahore and the province...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, the son of Zaibunisa and Mazhar Ul-Haque Malik, a physician who would soon qualify as an ophthalmic surgeon in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Malik was thus brought to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1956 with his four older brothers. At age 10 he was sent to school in Quetta
Quetta
is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...
, Balochistan
Balochistan (Pakistan)
Balochistan is one of the four provinces or federating units of Pakistan. With an area of 134,051 mi2 or , it is the largest province of Pakistan, constituting approximately 44% of the total land mass of Pakistan. According to the 1998 population census, Balochistan had a population of...
for one year, and then Bec Grammar School, a selective state school in Upper Tooting
Tooting
Tooting is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
, London.
Malik is mildly dyslexic and found academic studies trying; after an unsatisfactory stint of business studies he won a scholarship to Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama is an independent music and dramatic arts school which was founded in 1880 in London, England. Students can pursue courses in Music, Opera, Drama and Technical Theatre Arts.-History:...
. Before long, he was working with the Old Vic
Old Vic
The Old Vic is a theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, it was taken over by Emma Cons in 1880 when it was known formally as the Royal Victoria Hall. In 1898, a niece of Cons, Lilian...
and Royal Shakespeare
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
companies, where he played the title role
Othello (character)
Othello is a character in Shakespeare's Othello . The character's origin is traced to the tale, "Un Capitano Moro" in Gli Hecatommithi by Giovanni Battista Giraldi Cinthio. There, he is simply referred to as the Moor....
in the Shakespeare play Othello
Othello
The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...
.
Career
In 1982, five years after leaving the Guildhall, Malik was cast as the doomed young Indian Hari Kumar in the ITV production of The Jewel in the Crown, based on Paul Scott's Raj QuartetRaj Quartet
The Raj Quartet is a four-volume novel sequence, written by Paul Scott, about the concluding years of the British Raj in India. The series was written during the period 1965–75. The Times called it "one of the most important landmarks of post-war fiction."The story of The Raj Quartet begins...
. During filming, David Lean cast him in his film production of A Passage to India
A Passage to India (film)
A Passage to India is a 1984 drama film written and directed by David Lean. The screenplay is based on the 1924 novel of the same title by E. M. Forster and the 1960 play by Santha Rama Rau that was inspired by the novel....
; the two high profile and successful productions assuring his professional future. He also appeared in a television serialisation of M. M. Kaye
M. M. Kaye
Mary Margaret Kaye was a British writer. Her most famous book was The Far Pavilions .-Life:M. M. Kaye was born in Simla, India, and spent her early childhood and much of her early-married life there...
's The Far Pavilions
The Far Pavilions
The Far Pavilions is an epic novel of British-Indian history by M. M. Kaye, first published in 1978, which tells the story of an English officer during the Great Game. The novel, rooted deeply in the romantic epics of the 19th century, has been hailed as a masterpiece of storytelling...
. All three were released in 1984. In 1986 he played in the film The Harem with Omar Sharif
Omar Sharif
Omar Sharif is an Egyptian actor who has starred in Hollywood films including Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago and Funny Girl. He has been nominated for an Academy Award and has won two Golden Globe Awards.-Early life:...
and Nancy Travis
Nancy Travis
Nancy Ann Travis is an American actress. She is known for her roles in films Three Men and a Baby and its sequel, Three Men and a Little Lady , Married to the Mob , Air America , Internal Affairs , So I Married an Axe Murderer , Greedy , and Fluke...
.
Malik has been closely associated with Tom Stoppard
Tom Stoppard
Sir Tom Stoppard OM, CBE, FRSL is a British playwright, knighted in 1997. He has written prolifically for TV, radio, film and stage, finding prominence with plays such as Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Professional Foul, The Real Thing, and Rosencrantz and...
's play Indian Ink
Indian Ink (play)
Indian Ink is a 1995 play by Tom Stoppard , based on his 1991 radio play In the Native State. Indian Ink had its first performance at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, and opened at the Aldwych Theatre, London, on February 27, 1995. The production was directed by Peter Wood and designed by Carl...
, creating the role of Narid in the work's London premiere, and returning to the role for the 1999 American premiere at San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater
American Conservatory Theater
American Conservatory Theater is a large non-profit theater company in San Francisco, California, that offers both classical and contemporary theater productions. A.C.T. was founded in 1965 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Playhouse and Carnegie Tech by theatre and...
.
Malik appeared as Shamy, an Anglo-Indian petty criminal and con-man in "What Makes Shamy Run?", an episode of the UK television series Minder
Minder (TV series)
Minder is a British comedy-drama about the London criminal underworld. Initially produced by Verity Lambert, it was made by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television and shown on ITV...
.
He played the role of the son of an Indian mobster in the 1992 film City of Joy
City of Joy (film)
City of Joy is a 1992 film directed by Roland Joffé, with a screenplay by Mark Medoff. It is based upon the novel of the same name by Dominique Lapierre.-Plot:...
. He played an art professor in the 1994 film Uncovered
Uncovered (film)
Uncovered is a 1994 film based on Arturo Perez-Reverte's The Flanders Panel. It was directed by Jim McBride. The leading actress was Kate Beckinsale as the main character Julia.-Plot:...
. Malik also played the villain Salim Abu Aziz opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
in True Lies
True Lies
True Lies is a 1994 American action-comedy film directed by James Cameron and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton, Tia Carrere, Charlton Heston, and Art Malik. Eliza Dushku also appears in the film in one of her first major film roles...
(1994). Additionally, he played the mythical Orpheus in the 25-minute long film of Orpheus and Eurydice
Orpheus and Eurydice
Orpheus and Eurydice is a tale from Greek legend. Works making holistic use of this legend include:-Literature:* The Death of Eurydice episode which occurs in Book X of Metamorphoses by Ovid * Sir Orfeo, anonymous narrative poem Orpheus and Eurydice is a tale from Greek legend. Works making...
, originally a myth by Ovid
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
. The director was Jim Henson.
He made a move to American television in 1988 playing Dr. Ved Lahari on the ABC series Hothouse. He had a major role as an Afghani mujahadeen ally of James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
in the Timothy Dalton
Timothy Dalton
Timothy Peter Dalton ) is a Welsh actor of film and television. He is known for portraying James Bond in The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill , as well as Rhett Butler in the television miniseries Scarlett , an original sequel to Gone with the Wind...
007 film The Living Daylights
The Living Daylights
The Living Daylights is the fifteenth entry in the James Bond series and the first to star Timothy Dalton as the fictional MI6 agent 007. The film's title is taken from Ian Fleming's short story, "The Living Daylights"...
(1987). He also played the role of Ramzi Ahmed Yousef in Path to Paradise, a 1997 made-for-TV film about the 1993 World Trade Center bombing
1993 World Trade Center bombing
The 1993 World Trade Center bombing occurred on February 26, 1993, when a truck bomb was detonated below the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. The 1,336 lb urea nitrate–hydrogen gas enhanced device was intended to knock the North Tower into the South Tower , bringing...
.
In 2000, he appeared in the Mystery Theatre series Second Sight, starring Clive Owen as a detective who is losing his vision. Malik appears in the "Hide and Seek" episode as Dr. Faiz Ahmed, the accused murderer of his lover, a violinist named Vicky Inghams (Helen Hathorn).
In 2001, he narrated the television documentary Hajj: The Journey of a Lifetime for British television. He played Dr Zubin Khan in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
hospital drama Holby City
Holby City
Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999...
from 2003-05. Also in 2005 he starred in a television adaptation of the novel The English Harem as Sam, a West London Muslim who owns a restaurant. Martine McCutcheon plays a young working class girl, Tracy, who - against the wishes of her parents and racist ex-boyfriend - becomes one of his three wives.
Malik has a supporting role in the 2010 film, The Wolfman. He also appears in the 2010 version of "Upstairs Downstairs" as Mr Amanjit, secretary to Lady Holland.
Personal life
Malik took a major role in fundraising for relief work for victims of the Gujarat earthquake in 2001, and also appeared on the DECDisasters Emergency Committee
The Disasters Emergency Committee is an umbrella group comprising fourteen UK charities. These charities are all associated with disaster related issues such as providing clean water, humanitarian aid and medical care....
Pakistan Floods Appeal advertisement in 2010. He lives with his wife Gina Rowe, who was his fellow student at the Guildhall, and whom he married in 1980, in Surbiton
Surbiton
Surbiton, a suburban area of London in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, is situated next to the River Thames, with a mixture of Art-Deco courts, more recent residential blocks and grand, spacious 19th century townhouses blending into a sea of semi-detached 20th century housing estates...
, London. They have two daughters, Jessica and Keira.
In 2002, Daniel Williams, Jessica's boyfriend, was found dead in the swimming pool of the Malik family home in Surbiton. He was 23 years old.