Meera Syal

Training

Meera Syal is an actor and writer. She studied English and Drama at Manchester University.

Theatre

For the National Theatre: A Tupperware of Ashes, Behind the Beautiful Forevers, Rafta, Rafta… and Peer Gynt

In London’s West End: Romeo and Juliet at Garrick; Landscape / A Kind of Alaska at Harold Pinter; Miss Hannigan in Annie at the Piccadilly; Bombay Dreams at Apollo Victoria; and Vagina Monologues at the Ambassadors and in New York

Other theatre includes: Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing for the RSC; Noises Off at the Lyric Hammersmith and Garrick; The Great Celestial Cow, Blood, Minor Complications, a profoundly affectionate, passionate devotion to someone (-noun), If You Don’t Let Us Dream, We Won’t Let You Sleep, Echo and Serious Money (also West End and The Public, New York) at the Royal Court; and Shirley Valentine at Menier Chocolate Factory and Trafalgar Studios

TV

The Wheel of Time, We Are Lady Parts, Roar, The Devil’s Hour, The Sandman, Back to Life, Code 404, Doctor Who, The Split, The Musketeers, Broadchurch, The Brink, The Boy in the Dress and the multi-award-winning comedies, The Kumars at No. 42 and Goodness Gracious Me

Film

Yesterday, The Almond and the Seahorse, Paddington 2, Spin, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, Dr Strange, Alice Through the Looking Glass, Absolutely Anything, All in Good Time, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, Scoop and Anita and Me

Awards

Shirley Valentine – What’sOnStage Award for Best Actress

The Kumars at No. 42 – BAFTA nomination for Best Comedy Performance

Meera Syal received a CBE for her services to drama and literature in 2015 and the BAFTA Fellowship Award in 2023.

(Published September 2024. Photo: Simon Annand)