Jimi Mistry

JIMI MISTRY

Date of Birth: 1973

Jimi Mistry was born to an Indian father and an Irish mother, both of whom are in the medical profession. Growing up in Manchester, England, Mistry had no idea what he wanted to do after high school, so when he was 17, his father sat him down and together they decided Jimi would go to drama school. He enrolled at a drama school in Birmingham, but soon got restless and decided to make the trek to London to try his hand at auditioning.

One of his first jobs was a non-speaking role as a sailor in Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet (1996). However, he soon landed a job that would earn him some attention, as the rebellious son Tariq in the stage play East is East at The Royal Court Theatre. Jimi 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.

When East is East was made into a feature film, Jimi was asked to reprise the role he'd played in the stage production. Produced by FilmFour, East is East (1999) won a British Academy Award for Best British Film, as well as a British Comedy Award and British Independent Film Award. The following year, he played an incompetent petty thief in the British feature film, Born Romantic (2000), followed by a role in My Kingdom (2001), co-starring Richard Harris and Lynn Redgrave.

While filming The Mystic Masseur (2001), Jimi met with director Daisy von Scherler Mayer to discuss the starring role of Ramu in her new comedy, The Guru (2003). He landed the part, and on his one free day between jobs, he married casting director Meg Leonard. In The Guru, Jimi played an Indian dance teacher who wants to make it big in Hollywood and winds up becoming a famous spiritual sex guru to American women. Also starring in the film were Heather Graham and Marissa Tomei.

Also on the big screen, he played roles in Touch of Pink (2004), Blood Diamond (2006) with Leonardo DiCaprio and Partition (2007).

He was then cast by Guy Ritchie in his film RocknRolla (2008) starring Gerard Butler, then played Dr. Satnam Tsurutani in the feature film disaster 2012 (2009), directed by Roland Emmerich.

From 2013 to 2015, Jimi played Kal Nazir on nearly 150 episodes of the beloved Britis show Coronation Street.

Jimi's marriage in March 2000 to Meg Leonard produced a daughter, Elin, who was born May 13, 2001, but sadly the marriage ended in divorce in 2010. In December 2013, he married professional dancer Flavia Cacace.

Filmography:

Partition (2007)
Blood Diamond (2006)
Things to Do Before You're 30 (2004)
Touch of Pink (2004)
Ella Enchanted (2004)
The Guru (2003)
The Mystic Masseur (2001)
My Kingdom (2001)
Born Romantic (2000)
East is East (1999)
Hamlet (1996)