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{{Short description|Pakistani British actor (1939–2011)}}
{{more citations needed|date=September 2015}}
'''Mohammed Badi Uzzaman Azmi'''<ref name=guardian>{{cite news | first=Tania | last=Ahsan | title=Badi Uzzaman obituary, actor best known for his part in Potter's The Singing Detective | url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2011/jun/21/badi-uzzaman-obituary | work=[[The Guardian]] | date=21 June 2011 | accessdate=29 June 2011}}</ref> (8 March 1939 – 14 June 2011), better known as '''Badi Uzzaman''', was a [[Pakistan]]i-[[United Kingdom|British]] television and film actor. According to ''[[The Guardian]]'', Uzzaman was perhaps best known for his role as a hospital patient in the 1986 [[television series]], ''[[The Singing Detective]]'', opposite actor [[Michael Gambon]].<ref name=guardian/><ref name=newsintl>{{cite news | title=Islamabad: Actor best known for his part in Potter's 'The Singing Detective' | url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2011/jun/21/badi-uzzaman-obituary | work=[[The News International]] | date=27 June 2011}}</ref>  He later appeared in numerous television roles during his career, often as a supporting character, including ''[[Torchwood]]'', ''[[Inspector Morse (TV series)|Inspector Morse]]'', ''[[Coronation Street]]'', ''[[Cracker (UK TV series)|Cracker]]'', ''[[The Bill]]'' and ''[[Casualty (TV series)|Casualty]]''.<ref name=guardian/><ref name=newsintl/>
Uzzaman was born on 8 March 1939, in [[Phulpur, Azamgarh]], [[British India]].<ref name=guardian/> His father worked for the railway industry, so he moved to the city of [[Abbottabad]] in present-day [[Pakistan]].<ref name=guardian/> He continued to move with his family depending on his father's job transfers, which included time in both [[Quetta]] and [[Lahore]].<ref name=guardian/> Uzzaman graduated from Government College, Abbottabad, in 1959, where he studied [[English language|English]] and [[Urdu]].<ref name=guardian/><ref name=newsintl/>
Uzzaman began his career as a [[radio presenter]] in Pakistan.{{Citation needed|date= August 2022}} He switched to acting, appearing in roles of [[Pakistan Television Corporation]] (PTV) following the state-owned channel's launch in 1964.<ref name=guardian/>
In 1984, Uzzaman was cast in ''Malia'', a Pakistani film about a traveling [[fair]] with a strong, underlying theme against the martial law imposed by the government of General [[Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq]].<ref name=guardian/><ref name=newsintl/> In the film, Uzzaman played five different characters.<ref name=donnell>{{cite book|last=Donnell|first=Alison|title=Companion to contemporary Black British culture|year=2002|publisher=Taylor and Francis|pages=427|isbn=9780203194997 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Mx53zZLVM_8C}}</ref>  The film was sharply rebuked by Zia's government,<ref name=guardian/><ref name=newsintl/> and had to be completed in London.<ref name = donnell/> Uzzaman left Pakistan and was granted [[political asylum]] in the [[United Kingdom]] soon after ''Malia's'' release.<ref name=guardian/><ref name=newsintl/> He became a [[British citizen]].<ref name=guardian/><ref name=newsintl/>
At the age of 72, Uzzaman died of a lung infection on 14 June 2011.<ref name=guardian/><ref name=newsintl/>
==Partial filmography==
{{Div col}}
*''Intekhab'' (1978)
*''Mehman'' (1978)
*''[[Teesra Kinara (TV series)|Teesra Kinara]]'' (1980) - Haleem Hafazi
*''[[My Beautiful Laundrette]]'' (1985) - Dealer
*''Christmas Present'' (1985) - Mr. Amir Mehrban
*''[[Personal Services]]'' (1987) - Mr. Patel
*''[[Sammy and Rosie Get Laid]]'' (1987) - Ghost
*''[[Cry Freedom]]'' (1987) - Mortician's assistant
*''Bellman and True'' (1987) - Shopkeeper
*''Karachi'' (1989) - Family father
*''[[Lebewohl, Fremde]]'' (1991) - Badi
*''[[K2 (film)|K2]]'' (1991) - Ibrahim
*''[[Immaculate Conception (film)|Immaculate Conception]]'' (1992) - Dadaji's Retainer
*''[[Son of the Pink Panther]]'' (1993) - Wasim
*''[[Bhaji on the Beach]]'' (1993) - Uncle
*''Brothers in Trouble'' (1995) - Old Ram
*''[[My Son the Fanatic (film)|My Son the Fanatic]]'' (1997) - Man in mosque
*''[[You're Dead (film)|You're Dead]]'' (1999) - Dr. Chandra
*''Mad Cows'' (1999) - Indian shopkeeper
*''Kevin & Perry Go Large'' (2000) - Shopkeeper
*''[[The Fourth Angel]]'' (2001) - Dr. Mackay
*''[[All or Nothing (film)|All or Nothing]]'' (2002) - Passenger #1
*''Cross My Heart'' (2003) - Vikram
*''The Baby Juice Express'' (2004) - Singh
*''[[Yasmin (2004 film)|Yasmin]]'' (2004) - Hassan
*''[[Red Mercury (film)|Red Mercury]]'' (2005) - Mr. Mulley
*''[[Eastern Promises]]'' (2007) - Chemist
*''In Your Dreams'' (2008) - Kung fu waiter
*''Caught in the Act'' (2008) - Mr. Patel
*''[[Another Year (film)|Another Year]]'' (2010) - Mr. Gupta
*''[[Forget Me Not (2010 British film)|Forget Me Not]]'' (2010) - Shopkeeper
{{div col end}}
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*{{IMDb name|id=0882732|name=Badi Uzzaman}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Uzzaman, Badi}}
[[Category:1939 births]]
[[Category:2011 deaths]]
[[Category:British male television actors]]
[[Category:British male film actors]]
[[Category:English people of Pakistani descent]]
[[Category:Muhajir people]]
[[Category:Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Pakistani emigrants to the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:People from Abbottabad]]
[[Category:British actors of Pakistani descent]]
[[Category:People from Azamgarh district]]