Adeel Ahmed
Encyclopedia
Adeel Ahmed is an American
stage, television and film actor, whose career began following his first year at St. John's University when he made his television debut in an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent
.
of Cashmere Mafia
with Lucy Liu
. He has also worked with Academy Award nominee writer Charles Fuller
(A Soldier's Play
/A Soldier's Story
) in the stage production of The Woodpecker at the historic Cherry Lane Theatre
and recently received rave reviews for his performance in the play, Voices From Guantanamo, where he played an innocent amputated prisoner interned at Guantanamo Bay.
He recently completed a sixteen episode television series, Malaal with director Mehreen Jabbar
(Ramchand Pakistani
) which is currently airing in Pakistan
.
He also starred in the hit Off-Broadway play The Domestic Crusaders
that was covered by Emma Thompson
of The New York Times
,Time Magazine, Wall Street Journal, the BBC
, and NBC
. He was positively mentioned in The New York Times review of the play, and his work has been featured at the Sundance Film Festival
Of his role in The Domestic Crusaders, Laurie Godstein of The New York Times
wrote that just as does his character in the play, Ahmed "disappointed his parents when he abandoned premed in college. He wanted to study acting and, as a backup, sports management. When he told his parents, his mother took off her slipper and slapped him three times with it."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
stage, television and film actor, whose career began following his first year at St. John's University when he made his television debut in an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...
.
Career
After his debut on Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Ahmed starred in productions like the television pilotTelevision pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
of Cashmere Mafia
Cashmere Mafia
Cashmere Mafia is an American television dramedy which ran on ABC from January 6, 2008 to February 20, 2008. The series was created by Kevin Wade, who also served as executive producer alongside Darren Star, Gail Katz, Jeff Rake and Michael Pressman, with Susie Fitzgerald co-executive producing....
with Lucy Liu
Lucy Liu
Lucy Alexis Liu is an American actress and film producer. She became known for playing the role of the vicious and ill-mannered Ling Woo in the television series Ally McBeal , and has also appeared in several Hollywood films including Charlie's Angels, Chicago, Kill Bill, and Kung Fu Panda.-Early...
. He has also worked with Academy Award nominee writer Charles Fuller
Charles Fuller
Charles H. Fuller, Jr. is an American playwright, best known for his play, A Soldier's Play, for which he received the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.-Early years:...
(A Soldier's Play
A Soldier's Play
A Soldier's Play is a drama by Charles Fuller. The play uses a murder mystery to explore the complicated feelings of anger and resentment that some African Americans have toward one another, and the ways in which many black Americans have absorbed white racist attitudes.This play is loosely based...
/A Soldier's Story
A Soldier's Story
A Soldier's Story is a 1984 drama film directed by Norman Jewison, based upon Charles Fuller's Pulitzer Prize-winning Off Broadway production A Soldier's Play. A black officer is sent to investigate the murder of a black sergeant in Louisiana near the end of World War II...
) in the stage production of The Woodpecker at the historic Cherry Lane Theatre
Cherry Lane Theatre
The Cherry Lane Theatre , located at 38 Commerce Street in the borough of Manhattan, was New York City's oldest, continuously running off-Broadway theater...
and recently received rave reviews for his performance in the play, Voices From Guantanamo, where he played an innocent amputated prisoner interned at Guantanamo Bay.
He recently completed a sixteen episode television series, Malaal with director Mehreen Jabbar
Mehreen Jabbar
Mehreen Jabbar , is a noted Pakistani film-maker and television director/producer. Mehreen is the daughter of well known media-person and businessman Javed Jabbar, she was born in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan....
(Ramchand Pakistani
Ramchand Pakistani
Ramchand Pakistani is a Pakistani Urdu film that tells a true story about a boy who inadvertently crosses the border between Pakistan and India and the following ordeal that his family has to go through.-Synopsis:...
) which is currently airing in 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...
.
He also starred in the hit Off-Broadway play The Domestic Crusaders
The Domestic Crusaders
The Domestic Crusaders is a play by Wajahat Ali about a Pakistani-American Muslim family. The play made its Off Broadway premiere at the Nuyorican Poets Café on 9/11/09. The story is about the lives of a Pakistani-American family grappling with their own internal trials and tribulations, the...
that was covered by Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson is a British actress, comedian and screenwriter. Her first major film role was in the 1989 romantic comedy The Tall Guy. In 1992, Thompson won multiple acting awards, including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress, for her performance in the British drama Howards End...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
,Time Magazine, Wall Street Journal, 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...
, and NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
. He was positively mentioned in The New York Times review of the play, and his work has been featured at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
Television
- Law & Order: Criminal IntentLaw & Order: Criminal IntentLaw & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...
(1 episode, 2007) as Riot Starter - Comedy LabComedy LabComedy Lab is a British television series which showcases pilots of experimental comedy shows. Series have been aired irregularly on Channel 4 and E4 since 1998....
(1 episode, 2007) - Malal (16 episode, 2009-2010) as Sufiyan
- Off Madison (2009) as Amit
- Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
(1 episode, 2010)
Film
- Perhaps Tomorrow (2010) as Armagan
- Watching TV with the Red Chinese (2011) as Big Tree Guy
Recognition
Of Ahmed's work in the stageplay Voices From Guantanamo, Kelly Aliano of nytheatre.com wrote he was "passionate and compelling". In her review of the play, Elizabeth Bachner of theater review site offoffoff.com, wrote he was "poignantly understated", and brought "something unique to his role, evoking empathy, outrage, and the urge to rescue".Of his role in The Domestic Crusaders, Laurie Godstein of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
wrote that just as does his character in the play, Ahmed "disappointed his parents when he abandoned premed in college. He wanted to study acting and, as a backup, sports management. When he told his parents, his mother took off her slipper and slapped him three times with it."