Archie Panjabi

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Archie Panjabi
Archie Panjabi 2015.jpg
Panjabi at the 2015 British Academy Television Awards, May 2015
Born
Archana Panjabi

(1972-05-31) 31 May 1972 (age 49)
Edgware, London, England
Alma materBrunel University
OccupationActress
Years active1995–present
Spouse(s)Rajesh Nihalani
Websitewww.archiepanjabi.com

Archana "Archie" Panjabi (born 31 May 1972) is an English actress. She has had various roles in both UK and US television including as Maya Roy in Life on Mars and Kalinda Sharma in The Good Wife. Her work in the latter earned her a Primetime Emmy Award in 2010 and an NAACP Image Award in 2012, as well as two further Emmy nominations, one Golden Globe nomination, and three Screen Actors Guild Award nominations shared with the cast. Panjabi is the first Asian actor to win a Primetime Emmy for acting. Additional notable roles include Meenah Khan in East Is East (1999), Pinky Bhamra in Bend It Like Beckham (2002), Yasmin Husseini in Yasmin (2004), and Asra Nomani in A Mighty Heart (2007).

Early life[]

Panjabi was born in Edgware, London[1] to Govind and Padma Panjabi, both Sindhi Hindu immigrants from India.[2] Her ancestry belongs to Sindh, now in Pakistan; her parents settled in India after the Partition of India.[3][4][5] She graduated from Brunel University with a degree in management studies in 1994.[6][7][8] She is also classically trained in ballet.[8]

Panjabi won an Emmy in 2010 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for playing Kalinda Sharma in The Good Wife.

Career[]

Panjabi has appeared in film and television, from early appearances in the 1999 comedy film East is East to the BBC television series Life on Mars. Her first Hollywood role, as a British diplomat, was in the Oscar-winning The Constant Gardener, released in 2005. One of her highest profile film roles was in the 2002 comedy release Bend It Like Beckham. Panjabi then landed the role of witty and wisecracking office colleague Gemma in the 2006 Ridley Scott-directed romantic comedy A Good Year, alongside Russell Crowe and Marion Cotillard.

Panjabi next appeared in 2007 with Angelina Jolie in the film adaptation of A Mighty Heart, a book by Mariane Pearl, wife of the journalist Daniel Pearl. Panjabi played the role of former Wall Street Journal reporter Asra Nomani. In 2008, she played the role of Chandra Dawkin in Traitor.

She provided the voices for several characters in the British children's television animation Postman Pat.[9] She lent her voice to the video game Dead Space: Extraction. Panjabi appeared on the BBC Four World Cinema Award show in February 2008, arguing the merits of five international hits such as The Lives of Others and Pan's Labyrinth with Jonathan Ross and Christopher Eccleston. In 2009 she portrayed an MI5 agent in the French movie Espion(s), and in the same year she joined the cast of the new CBS television series The Good Wife as Kalinda Sharma, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award. Panjabi was the first actor of Asian descent to win an Emmy award.[10][11][12][13]

In 2010, she played Saamiya Nasir in the British comedy The Infidel. On 28 May 2012, she was cast as pathologist Tanya Reed Smith in BBC Two drama series The Fall.[14] Panjabi appeared as Blaise in the BBC World Service radio series Westway. After leaving The Good Wife in 2015, she guest starred in Fox comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. She joined the cast of Shetland series 3.[15]

In 2016, it was announced that she will star in ABC anthology drama series The Jury as the show's protagonist, Kim Dempsey.[16] She also joined the cast of NBC drama Blindspot.[17]

In December 2017 Panjabi commented in The Daily Telegraph on the improvement for offers of parts for actors from ethnic groups "I think there's definitely been an acknowledgement of there being a lack of diversity..."[18] In an interview with The Guardian in February 2018, subsequent to her The Good Wife success, Panjabi ruefully recalled "An agent told me an Indian woman could never have a Hollywood career."[19] She also starred as Reece Shearsmith's third love interest, in the ITV drama The Widower, first aired in August 2019.

Philanthropy[]

Panjabi in The Heart Truth's Red Dress Collection Fashion Show (2011)

Panjabi was appointed the first Pratham USA Ambassador, representing the largest educational movement in India.[20] She is a celebrity participant in the Rotary International's "This Close" public service campaign to end polio.[21] In support of women's rights, she has partnered with Amnesty International to head their Stop Violence Against Women campaign to change the "no recourse to public funds" rule that traps women in a cycle of violence.[22] On 9 February 2011, Panjabi walked in The Heart Truth's Red Dress Collection Fashion Show to increase awareness of the danger of heart disease, the number one killer of women.[23] The Harvard Foundation and Office for the Arts at Harvard University invited Panjabi to participate in their Artist in Residence Program in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to share her creative process as an actress.[24][25]

Awards[]

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Archie Panjabi

Panjabi was awarded the Chopard Trophy at the Cannes Film Festival in 2007. She was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for The Good Wife, winning in 2010. She won an NAACP Image Award in 2011 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for the same role. She was also nominated for three SAG Awards with her co-stars of The Good Wife for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

Personal life[]

Panjabi married Rajesh Nihalani, a bespoke tailor, at the age of 26.[26]

Filmography[]

Film[]

Year Title Role Notes
1995 Bideshi Joyoti Short film
1999 East is East Meenah Khan
2001 Delilah Adult Pim Short film
2002 Black Nor White Sangeeta Short film
2002 Bend It Like Beckham Pinky Bhamra
2002 Arranged Marriage Shashi Short film
2003 Code 46 Check In
2003 Cross My Heart Sumi
2004 Yasmin Yasmin
2005 Chromophobia Sarita
2005 The Constant Gardener Ghita Pearson
2006 A Good Year Gemma
2007 Flying Lessons Sharmila Italian title: Lezioni di volo
2007 I Could Never Be Your Woman Casting Girl
2007 A Mighty Heart Asra Nomani
2008 Traitor Chandra Dawkin
2008 My World Teacher Short film
2009 Espion(s) Anna
2009 Be Good Animal Adoption Officer Short film
2010 The Infidel Saamiya Nasir
2010 The Happiness Salesman Karen Short film
2013 The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby Unknown Panjabi appears in sequels Him and Her.
2014 I Origins Priya Varma
2015 San Andreas Serena

Television[]

Year Title Role Notes
1994 Siren Spirits Joyoti Episode: "Bideshi"
1996 The Thin Blue Line Nazia Habib Episode: "Alternative Culture"
1997 Dad N/A Episode: "Dadmestic"
2000 Brand Spanking New Show Various 12 episodes
2001 A Mind to Kill Lamisa Khan Episode: "Colour Blind"
2001 Murder in Mind WPC Jill Evans Episode: "Vigilante"
2001 The Bill Shanaz Arad 2 episodes
2002 Single Voices N/A Episode: "Little Englander"
2002 Holby City Ali Safron Episode: "From This Moment On"
2002 My Family Dental Assistant Episode: "Of Mice and Ben"
2002 White Teeth Alsana 4 episodes
2003 The Canterbury Tales Clare Episode: "The Man of Law's Tale"
2003–2004 Grease Monkeys Rita Dhillon 20 episodes
2004 Sea of Souls Megan Sharma 6 episodes
2004–2006 Postman Pat Meera Bains 17 episodes
2006–2007 Life on Mars Maya Roy 2 episodes
2007 Silent Witness Amita Joshi 2 episodes
2009 Personal Affairs Jane Lesser 5 episodes
2009–2015 The Good Wife Kalinda Sharma Main role (season 1–6)
2013–2014 The Fall Professor Reed Smith Main role
2014 The Widower Simone Banerjee Miniseries
2015 Brooklyn Nine-Nine Lieutenant Singh Episode: "The Funeral"[27][28]
2016 Shetland Detective Sergeant Asha Israni Main role (series 3)
2016 The Jury Kim Dempsey Unsold TV pilot
2016 Power Monkeys Preeya Main role
2016–2018, 2020 Blindspot Nas Kamal Main role (season 2); guest role (seasons 3 & 5)
2017 Bull Arti Cander Episode: "The Devil, The Detail"
2017 BoJack Horseman Tilda Madison Voice role; episode: "Commence Fracking"
2018 Next of Kin Mona Harcourt 6 episodes, also executive producer
2019 Departure Kendra Main role, also executive producer
2019 Still Open All Hours Jasmin Recurring role (series 6), 4 episodes
2020 Run Fiona 3 episodes
2020 I Know This Much Is True Dr. Patel Miniseries
2021 Star Wars: The Bad Batch Depa Billaba Voice role; Episode: ‘’Aftermath’’

Television films[]

Year Title Role Notes
1995 Under the Moon Heena
2000 In The Beginning Basya
2001 Ivor the Invisible Leila
2002 The Secret Nadia's PO
2002 Tough Love Chandra
2003 This Little Life Niala
2003 Final Demand Farida
2005 A Very Social Secretary Ashley

References[]

  1. ^ Blake, Heidi (31 August 2010). "Emmy-Awards 2010 How Archie Panjabi was told not to pursue her dreams". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 3 September 2010. Retrieved 31 August 2010.
  2. ^ "Archie Panjabi ( British Actress) Bio, Wiki, Career, Net Worth, Husband, Wife, Net Worth, Parents". Bio gossipy. 24 November 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  3. ^ Kaufman, Joann (1 September 2010). "A Cultural Conversation with Archie Panjabi". The Wall Street Journal. New York City. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  4. ^ Paul, Nisha (October 2007). "Mighty Sensational". verveonline.com. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  5. ^ Ilahi, Khalid (2007). "Archie Panjabi, Exclusive chat for A Mighty Heart". eventcombo.com. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  6. ^ "The Good Wife Cast: Archie Panjabi". CBS. 2012. Archived from the original on 8 January 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  7. ^ "Honorary degree for acclaimed actress Archie Panjabi". Brunel University London. 20 July 2011.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b "It's Evening in America". Vanity Fair. May 2012. Page 152.
  9. ^ "Archie Panjabi". The Guardian.
  10. ^ Cheng, Susan (15 September 2017). "Only 1 Asian Actor Has Ever Won An Emmy". BuzzFeedNews. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  11. ^ Shanley, Patrick (12 July 2018). "Emmys: Sandra Oh Makes History as First Woman of Asian Descent Nominated for Lead Actress in Drama Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  12. ^ Bradley, Laura (12 July 2018). "With a Lead-Actress Emmy Nomination, Sandra Oh Just Made History". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  13. ^ "Indian Origin Actress Archie Panjabi Wins Her First Emmy". Outlook. 30 August 2010. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  14. ^ Munn, Patrick (28 May 2012). "The Good Wife Star Archie Panjabi Cast in BBC Two's 'The Fall'". TVWise. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
  15. ^ Nancy Tartaglione (9 April 2015). "Archie Panjabi, Ciaran Hinds Trek To 'Shetland' For BBC Drama's Third Season". Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  16. ^ Lesley Goldberg (29 January 2016). "Archie Panjabi to Star in ABC Anthology Drama 'The Jury'". Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  17. ^ Chavez, Danette (22 June 2016). "Archie Panjabi joins the cast of Blindspot for season two". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  18. ^ Telegraph Reporters, "Archie Panjabi: I hope 'Next of Kin' drama will spur debate on radicalisation", "The Daily Telegraph", 30 December 2017
  19. ^ Rosanna Greenstreet, "Archie Panjabi Interview", The Guardian, 3 February 2018
  20. ^ "Archie Panjabi Appointed as Pratham Ambassador" Archived 14 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine Pratham (25 August 2011). Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  21. ^ "Rotary shares Polio Eradication message". Archived from the original on 15 April 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  22. ^ AIUK : Violence against women: Movie star leads battle to overturn 'unjust' UK law Archived 4 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Amnesty International.uk (28 February 2008). Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  23. ^ The Heart Truth Event Photos, HHS, NIH, NHLBI Archived 30 June 2014 at the Wayback Machine. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  24. ^ Archie named 'Artist in Residence' at Harvard. Ikonzmag.co.uk. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  25. ^ TV star Panjabi spends two days at Harvard Archived 14 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Indianewengland.com. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  26. ^ Francis, Pam (8 March 2015). "Good Wife's Archie Panjabi: 'Risk is the vital ingredient that flavours success'". Daily Express. Retrieved 27 April 2016. Married at 26 to bespoke tailor Rajesh Nihalani. Archie left him at home in England for her first nine months to work on the role [in TV show The Good Wife]
  27. ^ Ferguson, LaToya (5 October 2015). "Brooklyn Nine-Nine subverts expectations to keep the laughs going". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  28. ^ "(BRK-302) "The Funeral"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 14 September 2015.

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