Assad Zaman

{{Infobox person

| image =

| caption =

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1990|5|9|df=y}}{{Cite web|url=https://filmfreeway.com/assadzaman|title=Assad Zaman|website=FilmFreeway}}

| birth_place =

| othername = Assad Zaman Choudhury{{Cite web|url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/steerage-247-festival_8173|title=Steerage (24:7 Festival)|website=WhatsOnStage|date=25 July 2011}}

| alma_mater = Manchester School of Theatre

| occupation = Actor, writer

| years_active = 2013–present

}}

Assad Zaman ({{IPAc-en|æ|ˈ|s|æ|d}} {{respell|A|ssad}};{{Cite tweet |author=Autumn Brown |user=SmokieMoonpie |number=1795538831871180892 |title=Straight form maitre's mouth: how to pronounce Assad |date=28 May 2024}} born 9 May 1990) is an English actor. He is known for his stage work and his roles in the BBC thriller Apple Tree Yard (2017), the period drama Hotel Portofino (2022–2023), and the AMC adaptation of Interview with the Vampire (2022–).

Early life

Assad Zaman was born and grew up in the west end of Newcastle upon Tyne.{{Cite web|url=https://www.spreaker.com/user/alphabettitheatre/laundry-by-assad-zaman|title=Laundry by Assad Zaman|website=Spreaker|accessdate=8 August 2022}} His parents immigrated to England from Bangladesh in the 1980s.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsc.org.uk/blogs/the-othello-project/dadabhai-naoroji-by-assad-zaman|title=Thank You Mr Speaker by Assad Zaman|website=Royal Shakespeare Company|accessdate=8 August 2022}}{{Cite web|url=https://lovelondonloveculture.com/2019/03/06/interview-with-assad-zaman/|title=Interview With… Assad Zaman|website=Love London Love Culture|first=Emma|last=Clarendon|date=6 March 2019|accessdate=8 August 2022}} Zaman trained at the Manchester School of Theatre, graduating in 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts in Acting.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theatre.mmu.ac.uk/profile/assad-zaman/|title=Assad Zaman|website=Manchester School of Theatre|accessdate=8 August 2022}}

Career

Zaman made his London stage debut in the 2014 National Theatre production of Behind the Beautiful Forevers.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/people/12141|title=Assad Zaman|website=National Theatre|date=October 2021|accessdate=8 August 2022}} This was followed by his onscreen debut in an episode of Russell T Davies' Cucumber on Channel 4. He went on tour with Ayub Khan Din's play East is East that same year.

In 2017, Zaman played Sathnam in the BBC One adaptation of Apple Tree Yard. He had theatre roles in the stage adaptation of Zadie Smith's White Teeth at the Kiln Theatre in 2018,{{Cite web|url=https://theatreweekly.com/interview-assad-zaman-on-white-teeth-at-the-kiln-theatre/|title=Interview: Assad Zaman on White Teeth at the Kiln Theatre|website=Theatre Weekly|first=Greg|last=Stewart|date=18 October 2018|accessdate=8 August 2022}} The Funeral Director on tour,{{Cite web|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/uk-regional/article/Edward-Stone-Assad-Zaman-Francesca-Zoutewelle-and-More-Announced-For-UK-Tour-of-THE-FUNERAL-DIRECTOR-20190129|title=Edward Stone, Assad Zaman, Francesca Zoutewelle and More Announced For UK Tour of THE FUNERAL DIRECTOR|website=BroadwayWorld|first=Stephi|last=Wild|date=29 January 2019|accessdate=14 November 2022|language=en}}{{Cite web|url=https://theartiscapegallery.com/the-funeral-director-assad-zaman-interview|title=Assad Zaman on his role in 'The Funeral Director'|website=The Artscape|first=Fiona|last=Doyle|date=19 March 2019|accessdate=8 August 2022}} A Doll's House at the Lyric in Hammersmith in 2019,{{Cite web|url=https://lyric.co.uk/people/assad-zaman/|title=Assad Zaman|website=Lyric Hammersmith|accessdate=8 August 2022}} and The Winter's Tale in 2020. He also appeared in the Red, White and Blue installment of Steve McQueen's Small Axe anthology. In 2020, Zaman was one of the producers of the Othello Project, a group of Black, Asian, and biracial creatives within the Royal Shakespeare Company. Born in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement and initially conceived as an original series of standalone monologues, the project used art to challenge racism by creating a platform for Black and Asian voices and stories.{{Cite web| url=https://www.rsc.org.uk/blogs/the-othello-project|title=The Othello Project: Welcome to the Othello Project|website=Royal Shakespeare Company|date=2020}}{{Cite web| url=https://www.rsc.org.uk/blogs/the-othello-project/dadabhai-naoroji-by-assad-zaman|title=Thank You Mr Speaker by Assad Zaman|website=Royal Shakespeare Company|date=19 October 2020}} Zaman returned to East is East in 2021, this time in a different role. The show ran at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre before transferring to the National Theatre for additional dates.{{Cite web| url=https://www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/east-is-east-leaves-for-national-theatre/|title=East is East Leaves for National Theatre|website=Birmingham Rep|date=2021}} He expanded into writing with the short play "Laundry", which was produced in 2021 as part of Alphabetti Theatre's Listen Up project.{{Cite web|url= https://www.spreaker.com/episode/laundry-by-assad-zaman--43478355|title=Laundry By Assad Zaman|website=Spreaker from iHeart Radio|date=February 2021}}

Zaman played series regular Dr Anish Sengupta in the first two seasons of the period drama Hotel Portofino and currently stars as Armand in the AMC series Interview with the Vampire.{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2022/03/interview-with-the-vampire-assad-zaman-rashid-amc-series-anne-rice-book-1234971262/|title=Interview with the Vampire: Assad Zaman to Play Rashid in AMC Series Based on Anne Rice's Book|last=Petski|first=Denise|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=4 March 2022|access-date=4 March 2022|archive-date=4 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220304220740/https://deadline.com/2022/03/interview-with-the-vampire-assad-zaman-rashid-amc-series-anne-rice-book-1234971262/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.amc.com/blogs/interview-with-the-vampire-q-and-a-assad-zaman-s-rashid-is-revealed-to-be-much-more-than-audiences-expected--1060698|title=Interview With The Vampire Q&A — Assad Zaman's 'Rashid' Is Revealed To Be Much More Than Audiences Expected|website=AMC|first=Laura E.|last=Marcus|date=15 November 2022|accessdate=25 November 2022}} Zaman was not initially aware he was auditioning for the role of Armand, whose true identity is not revealed until the season 1 finale. After a call with showrunner Rolin Jones in which Jones explained the twist (wherein minor character Rashid, one of the household staff, is the vampire Armand in disguise), Zaman underwent several additional rounds of auditions before being cast.{{Cite web|url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/post-finale-raging-sea-of-vampire-melodrama/id1645109815?i=1000586848976|title=Post-Finale: "Raging Sea of Vampire Melodrama"|website=Apple Podcasts|date=20 November 2022}}

Roxana Hadadi of Vulture praised Zaman's performance, calling it "a master of control," while Ro Rusak of Nerdist highlighted Zaman's "incredible performance" in the show’s second season, as one of their Best TV and Film Moments of 2024.{{Cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/article/assad-zaman-interview-playing-vampire-armand|title= Interview with the Vampire Finale Thoughts With Assad Zaman: It Tastes Different Playing Armand|last=Hadadi|first=Roxana|work=Vulture|date=2 July 2024|access-date=26 December 2024|archive-date=2 July 2024|archive-url=https://www.vulture.com/article/assad-zaman-interview-playing-vampire-armand.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url= https://nerdist.com/article/nerdist-best-tv-movie-moments-2024/|title= Nerdist's Best TV and Movie Moments of 2024|last=Rusack|first=Ro|work=Nerdist|date=17 December 2024|access-date=26 December 2024|archive-date=19 December 2024|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20241219200041/https://nerdist.com/article/nerdist-best-tv-movie-moments-2024/ |url-status=live}}

In June 2024, Zaman's directorial debut, The Fox and the Grapes, screened at Close-Up Cinema in London.{{Cite web|url=https://filmfreeway.com/thefoxandthegrapes2024|title=The Fox and the Grapes|website=FilmFreeway|access-date=1 July 2024}}

Filmography

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" \| Notes
rowspan="2" \| 2015 \| Cucumber \| Tony \| Episode 1.6
Behind the Beautiful Forevers \| Deepak Rai \| National Theatre Live
2017 \| Apple Tree Yard \| Sathnam \| Episodes 1.1, 1.3, 1.4
2019 \| Vera \| Lee Nadella \| Episode 9.2 ("Cuckoo")
rowspan="3" \| 2020 \| Our Girl \| Hasan \| Episode 4.3
Small Axe \| Asif \| Episode 1.3 (Red, White and Blue)
The Saint of Southall \| Rohit \| Short film
2021 \| East is East \| Abdul Khan \| National Theatre Live
2022–2023 \| Hotel Portofino \| Dr Anish Sengupta \| Series regular
2022–present \| Interview with the Vampire \| Armand \| Main role
rowspan="2" \| 2024 \| The Fox and the Grapes \| - \| Director, writer, producer
We Work for the Dead \| Lot \| Feature film

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

rowspan="2" | 2015

| Cucumber

| Tony

| Episode 1.6

Behind the Beautiful Forevers

| Deepak Rai

| National Theatre Live

2017

| Apple Tree Yard

| Sathnam

| Episodes 1.1, 1.3, 1.4

2019

| Vera

| Lee Nadella

| Episode 9.2 ("Cuckoo")

rowspan="3" | 2020

| Our Girl

| Hasan

| Episode 4.3

Small Axe

| Asif

| Episode 1.3 (Red, White and Blue)

The Saint of Southall

| Rohit

| Short film

2021

| East is East

| Abdul Khan

| National Theatre Live

2022–2023

| Hotel Portofino

| Dr Anish Sengupta

| Series regular

2022–present

| Interview with the Vampire

| Armand

| Main role

rowspan="2" | 2024

| The Fox and the Grapes

| -

| Director, writer, producer

We Work for the Dead

| Lot

| Feature film

Stage

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" \| Notes
rowspan="2" \| 2013 \| Tyne \| Various \| Live Theatre, Newcastle
Dark Woods, Deep Snow: A Grimm Tale \| Luka \| Northern Stage, Newcastle
rowspan="2" \| 2014 \| Beats North \| Al \| Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Behind the Beautiful Forevers \| Deepak Rai \| Royal National Theatre, London
2015 \| East is East \| Saleem Khan \| UK tour
rowspan="2" \| 2016 \| A Midsummer Night's Dream \| Demetrius \| New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich
Arms and the Man \| Sergius Saranoff \| Watford Palace Theatre, Watford
rowspan="2" \| 2017 \| Salomé \| Young Syrian \| Royal Shakespeare Company
Coriolanus \| Roman Citizen/Volscian Soldier/Roman Senator \| Royal Shakespeare Company
rowspan="3" \| 2018 \|Julius Caesar \| Calphurnia/Metellus Cimber/Messala \| Royal Shakespeare Company's First Encounters series
I Wanna Be Yours \| Haseeb \| Paines Plough
White Teeth \| Millat Iqbal \| Kiln Theatre, London
rowspan="2" \| 2019 \| The Funeral Director \| Zeyd \| UK tour
A Doll's House \| Kaushik Das \| Lyric Theatre, London
2020 \| The Winter's Tale \| Florizel \| Royal Shakespeare Company
2021 \| East is East \| Abdul Khan \| Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Birmingham; Royal National Theatre, London

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

rowspan="2" | 2013

| Tyne

| Various

| Live Theatre, Newcastle

Dark Woods, Deep Snow: A Grimm Tale

| Luka

| Northern Stage, Newcastle