Souad Faress
Encyclopedia
Souad Faress is a stage, radio, television and film actress. Born in Ghana
to Irish
and Syria
n parents, she is now best known within the United Kingdom for her portrayal of the solicitor Usha Gupta, in the long-running BBC Radio 4
serial The Archers
.
She appeared in two episodes of the BBC serial I, Claudius
(1976) as a slave girl (shouting fire) and as a dancer who at Messalina's (second and bigamous) marriage party realises troops are coming to arrest them. In another early BBC appearance, she played the character Selma in the Blake's 7
episode Horizon. Since then, she has had substantial roles in films such as My Beautiful Laundrette
(1985) and Sixth Happiness
(1997), as well as much stage work around the UK.
In October 2001 she appeared briefly in Coronation Street
as Dev Alahan
's mother Umila.
She has also been exploring playwrighting as a medium since before 2004.
Souad Faress also appeared as the 'Old Rani
' in The Sarah Jane Adventures
serial The Mad Woman in the Attic
in October 2009.
She currently plays Jay Faldren's grandmother Maryam Shakiba in Casualty (TV series)
.
Faress also appeared in an episode of popular nursing drama No Angels
as lead character, Anji Mittel's aunt Di.
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
to Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n parents, she is now best known within the United Kingdom for her portrayal of the solicitor Usha Gupta, in the long-running BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
serial The Archers
The Archers
The Archers is a long-running British soap opera broadcast on the BBC's main spoken-word channel, Radio 4. It was originally billed as "an everyday story of country folk", but is now described on its Radio 4 web site as "contemporary drama in a rural setting"...
.
She appeared in two episodes of the BBC serial I, Claudius
I, Claudius
I, Claudius is a novel by English writer Robert Graves, written in the form of an autobiography of the Roman Emperor Claudius. As such, it includes history of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty and Roman Empire, from Julius Caesar's assassination in 44 BC to Caligula's assassination in AD 41...
(1976) as a slave girl (shouting fire) and as a dancer who at Messalina's (second and bigamous) marriage party realises troops are coming to arrest them. In another early BBC appearance, she played the character Selma in the Blake's 7
Blake's 7
Blake's 7 is a British science fiction television series produced by the BBC for its BBC1 channel. The series was created by Terry Nation, a prolific television writer and creator of the Daleks for the television series Doctor Who. Four series of Blake's 7 were produced and broadcast between 1978...
episode Horizon. Since then, she has had substantial roles in films such as My Beautiful Laundrette
My Beautiful Laundrette
My Beautiful Laundrette is a 1985 British comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Frears from a screenplay by Hanif Kureishi. The story is set in London during the period when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, as shown through the complex—and often comical—relationships...
(1985) and Sixth Happiness
Sixth Happiness
Sixth Happiness is a 1997 film directed by Indian director Waris Hussein. It is based on the autobiography of Firdaus Kanga entitled Trying To Grow. Kanga played himself in this film about Britain, India, race and sex....
(1997), as well as much stage work around the UK.
In October 2001 she appeared briefly in Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
as Dev Alahan
Dev Alahan
Devendra 'Dev' Alahan is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Jimmi Harkishin, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 10 November 1999.-Character development:...
's mother Umila.
She has also been exploring playwrighting as a medium since before 2004.
Souad Faress also appeared as the 'Old Rani
Rani Chandra (The Sarah Jane Adventures)
Rani Chandra is a fictional character played by Anjli Mohindra in the British children's science fiction television programme The Sarah Jane Adventures, a spin-off from the long-running series Doctor Who...
' in The Sarah Jane Adventures
The Sarah Jane Adventures
The Sarah Jane Adventures is a British science fiction television series, produced by BBC Cymru Wales for CBBC, created by Russell T Davies and starring Elisabeth Sladen...
serial The Mad Woman in the Attic
The Mad Woman in the Attic
The Mad Woman in the Attic is a two-part story of The Sarah Jane Adventures. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 22 and 23 October 2009. It is the second serial of the third series.-Part 1:...
in October 2009.
She currently plays Jay Faldren's grandmother Maryam Shakiba in Casualty (TV series)
Casualty (TV series)
Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The...
.
Faress also appeared in an episode of popular nursing drama No Angels
No Angels (TV series)
No Angels is a critically acclaimed British television comedy drama series, produced by the independent production company World Productions for Channel 4, which ran for three seasons from 2004 to 2006. It was devised by Toby Whithouse.-Premise:...
as lead character, Anji Mittel's aunt Di.