Jimi Mistry

Biography: Jimi Mistry was born to a Hindu Indian father and an English Catholic mother, both of whom are in the medical profession. He was raised in Manchester, England. At 17, he enrolled at the Birmingham School of Speech and Dramatic Arts. He soon got restless and decided to go to London for an audition.

He first appeared in a non-speaking role as one of the sailors in Kenneth Branagh's full-text adaptation of Hamlet (1996). He soon landed into a role of a rebellious son 'Tariq' in the stage play East is East at The Royal Court Theatre. He then moved from the stage onto the small screen in 1999 when he landed a recurring role on the hit British TV series, EastEnders, playing Dr. Fred Fonseca. He has emerged as one of Britain's best acting talents.

When East is East was developed into a film, he was then asked to reprise the role of 'Tariq Khan'. Produced by FilmFour, East is East (1999) was screened at the Cannes Film Festival to great critical acclaim. It won several awards including the British Academy Award for Best British Film. The following year, he played the role of 'Eddie', an incompetent petty thief, in David Kane's Born Romantic (2000), followed by a role of 'Jug' in My Kingdom (2001).

He was filming The Mystic Masseur (2001) in Trinidad when he met Daisy von Scherler Mayer to discuss the starring role of Ramu Gupta in a comedy, The Guru (2003). He landed the part, and on his one free day between jobs, he was married. In The Guru, he plays a young Indian dance teacher who went to New York City in pursuit of fame and fortune only to find himself working as a waiter in an Indian restaurant.

Jimi lives with his wife, Meg, and their daughter, Elin, in London.… Expand