Manjinder Virk

Manjinder Virk was born in Coventry, England. Her mother's name is Jasvir, who is of Indian origin. She comes from a family of three children.

She began acting at the Belgrade Youth Theatre in Coventry and went on to become artistic director of Pangram Dance Theatre with her brother, Hardish.{{cite web|title=TV recreation of tense chapter in social history|url=http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/2006/04/27/tv-recreation-of-tense-chapter-in-social-history-92746-17001578/|work=Coventry Telegraph|accessdate=19 October 2012|date=27 April 2006}}

She went on to earn a degree in contemporary dance at De Montfort University in Leicester.{{cn|date=November 2024}}

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In 1999, Virk began her television career on the British TV series Holby City. She appeared in the soap opera Doctors, as Karen Slater in 2000. In 2003, she wrote a play for a show for touring company Theatre Centre titled Glow.{{cite web|title=Glow :: Shows :: Theatre Centre|url=http://www.theatre-centre.co.uk/shows/2003/glow/|publisher=Theatre Centre|accessdate=19 October 2012|year=2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202232305/http://www.theatre-centre.co.uk/shows/2003/glow/|archive-date=2 December 2013|url-status=dead}} In 2004, she again appeared on the soap opera Doctors to play Laila Khalid, and returned to the show in 2007 as Harpit Jindal. Also in 2007, Virk appeared in Britz as Nasima Wahid.

In 2008, Virk wrote and directed the short film Forgive starring Sacha Dhawan and Abdi Gouhad.{{cite web|title=Britz – Pushing The Boundaries|url=http://www.theasiantoday.com/article.aspx?articleId=569|publisher=The Asian Today|accessdate=19 October 2012|date=8 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203005224/http://www.theasiantoday.com/article.aspx?articleId=569|archive-date=3 December 2013|url-status=dead}} She portrayed Lorraine Dunbar in the 2010 documentary The Arbor. For the latter, she earned three nominations: Best Newcomer at the BFI London Film Festival Awards and Best Actress and Newcomer at the British Independent Film Awards. She later had recurring roles on the British medical drama show Monroe in 2011, and the BBC One spy drama series Hunted in 2012. Also in 2012, she wrote and directed another short film, Out of Darkness, starring Tom Hiddleston, Monica Dolan, Andrew Gower, Jimmy Akingbola, Christine Bottomley and Riz Ahmed.

Virk had a recurring role as the coroner the popular detective series Midsomer Murders, from 2016 to 2018. In 2022, Virk appeared as DI Samira Desai in the thriller series Trigger Point alongside Vicky McClure. The following year, she played a grieving mother in an episode of Shetland.

She met husband Neil Biswas on the set of the TV drama Bradford riots in 2007. In 2013, they were living in Brixton, South London.{{cite web|author1=Tom Seymour|title=LFF 2013 Spotlight: Out Of Darkness|url=http://www.littlewhitelies.co.uk/features/articles/out-of-darkness-tom-hiddleston-25118|publisher=Little White Lies|accessdate=4 March 2015|date=16 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402101422/http://www.littlewhitelies.co.uk/features/articles/out-of-darkness-tom-hiddleston-25118|archive-date=2 April 2015|url-status=dead}}

Virk was nominated in 2010 for Best Newcomer at the BFI London Film Festival Awards and Best Actress and Newcomer at the British Independent Film Awards,{{cite web|title=Ones To Watch – Manjinder Virk|url=http://www.clashmusic.com/feature/ones-to-watch-manjinder-virk|publisher=Clash Music|accessdate=18 October 2012|date=4 June 2011}}{{cite web|title=The Moet British Independent Film Awards|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturepicturegalleries/8183608/The-Moet-British-Independent-Film-Awards.html?image=5|work=The Daily Telegraph}} both for her role in The Arbor. She was one of the UK Stars of Tomorrow in Screen International in 2007.{{cite web|last=McMullen|first=Marion|title=Coventry's head girl Manjinder Virk in TV's Monroe|url=http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/entertainment/cinema-film/2011/03/14/coventry-s-head-girl-manjinder-virk-in-tv-s-monroe-92746-28331321/3/|work=Coventry Telegraph|accessdate=19 October 2012|date=14 March 2011}} She was also nominated for Asian Woman of Achievement Award in 2008.{{cite web|title=Asian Women of Achievement Award Winners 2008|url=http://www.redhotcurry.com/news/2008/awa2008_winners.htm|publisher=Red Hot Curry|accessdate=19 October 2012|date=20 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081108065402/http://www.redhotcurry.com/news/2008/awa2008_winners.htm|archive-date=8 November 2008|url-status=dead}}

In 2013, for her short film Out of Darkness, Virk won Best of Fest award at the Aesthetica Short Film Festival.{{cite web|author1=Charles Hutchinson|title=Aesthetica Short Film Festival chalks up a record year|url=http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/leisure/film/10825344.Aesthetica_Short_Film_Festival_chalks_up_a_record_year/|accessdate=4 March 2015|date=21 November 2013}}

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Category:Living people

Category:Actresses from Coventry

Category:Alumni of De Montfort University

Category:21st-century English actresses

Category:English people of Indian descent

Category:English Sikhs

Category:English television actresses

Category:English film actresses

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)