Atta Yaqub

{{Infobox person

| name = Atta Yaqub

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1979}}

| birth_place = Glasgow, Scotland

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nationality =British

| other_names =

| education = IT management

| alma_mater = University of Strathclyde

| occupation = Actor, model

| years_active = 2004– present

| known_for = Ae Fond Kiss...

}}

Atta Yaqub (born 1979) is a Scottish model and actor of Pakistani/Punjabi descent. He played the lead role in the 2004 film Ae Fond Kiss....

Career

Yaqub was born in Glasgow to Pakistani parents in 1979. Yaqub began modelling as a young adult. He appeared in ads for The Royal Bank of Scotland and Cruise.{{Cite news |date=9 November 2003 |title=25 Atta Yaqub |work=The Scotsman |url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/25_atta_yaqub_1_1295942 |access-date=7 May 2012}} He made his acting debut in Ken Loach's film Ae Fond Kiss where he played a Pakistani Muslim man who falls in love with an Irish Catholic woman.{{Cite web |date=30 April 2017 |title=Ae Fond Kiss ... - Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_fond_kiss |website=RottenTomatoes.com}} For his role he was nominated for a British Independent Film Award for Best Newcomer.{{Cite web |last=Dawtrey |first=Adam |date=November 30, 2004 |title='Drake' takes the cake |url=https://variety.com/2004/film/awards/drake-takes-the-cake-1117914175/ |access-date=October 10, 2021 |website=Variety}}

He featured in Running in Traffic and Nina's Heavenly Delights. In 2011 he entered international cinema with the German film Fernes Land (Junction Point) and Sabiha Sumar's Rafina.{{Cite news |last=Mahmood |first=Rafay |date=24 February 2011 |title=Sabiha's cinderella |work=The Express Tribune |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/123393/sabihas-cinderella/ |access-date=7 May 2012}} In 2012 he joined the cast of the BBC Three drama Lip Service.

Personal life

Yaqub has a degree in IT management and also works as a counselor, advising drug addicts. He is a representative for the Goethe-Institut. He goes to schools around Scotland to promote the Show Racism The Red Card programme.{{Cite news |last=Sandhu |first=Sukhdev |date=17 September 2004 |title=When sex meets sectarianism |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2004/09/17/bfloach17.xml&sSheet=/arts/2004/09/18/ixartleft.html |access-date=1 December 2008}}{{dead link|date=July 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} He was also involved in the "One Scotland, Many Cultures" anti-racism campaign.{{Cite news |date=10 February 2005 |title=Adverts used in anti-racism fight |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4252987.stm}} Yaqub speaks English and Punjabi fluently as well as some Urdu and German.{{Cite news |date=25 March 2012 |title=Screen star visits St Andrews school |work=Fife Today |url=http://www.fifetoday.co.uk/news/local-headlines/screen-star-visits-st-andrews-school-1-2190167 |access-date=7 May 2012}} Yaqub was educated at Shawlands Academy, Glasgow.{{Cite web |title=Eye For Film: Atta Yaqub on Ae Fond Kiss |url=https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/feature/2004-09-18-atta-yaqub-on-ae-fond-kiss-feature-story-by-brian-pendreigh |access-date=2021-07-21 |website=www.eyeforfilm.co.uk}}

In 2009, Yaqub criticised Prince Harry for making what he saw as prejudiced comments about Pakistanis and asked for a personal apology.{{Cite news |last=Larkin |first=Mike |date=11 January 2009 |title=Leading Asian Condemn Prince |work=Sunday Times}}

Filmography

class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%;"

! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year

! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film

! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role

! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes

rowspan="2"| 2004

| Ae Fond Kiss...

| Casim Khan

Doctors

| Madhav Verma

| "Party Games"

rowspan="4"| 2005

| The Camping Trip

| Sunny

Meet the Magoons

| Suky Riprah

| "Stairway to Havan"

Perfect Day

| Ash

Pakistani Actually

| Himself

| Documentary

rowspan="3"| 2006

| New Street Law

|Nadeem Rashid

| Season 1, Episode 5

Explosions

| Hassans

Nina's Heavenly Delights

| Kary Shah

rowspan="1"| 2007

| Karachi Uncovered

|Himself

| BBC documentary

rowspan="1"| 2009

| Running in Traffic

|Amman

rowspan="1"| 2011

| Fernes Land{{Cite news |date=5 April 2010 |title=Scots star heads to Germany |work=Evening Times |url=http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/scots-star-heads-to-germany-1.1018447 |access-date=29 May 2011}}

|Haroon

| German-language film

rowspan="1"| 2012

| Lip Service

| Season 2{{Cite news |last=Wilson |first=Caroline |date=25 May 2011 |title=Kiss star Atta joins gay drama |work=Evening Times |url=http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/kiss-star-atta-joins-gay-drama-1.1103409 |access-date=29 May 2011}}

rowspan="1"| 2015

| Good Morning Karachi

| Jamal

rowspan="1"| 2017

| T2 Trainspotting

| Medical student