Moin Akhter

Akhter was born in Karachi, Pakistan.

His father Muhammad Ibrahim Mehboob, who died at the age of 92, a few months following Akhter's death, was born in Muradabad, in the modern-day state of Uttar Pradesh in India, and, after the 1947 partition, settled in Karachi, where he "passed his life in his own printing press and as a contractor in the garments business."{{cite news|author=Sohail Khattak |date=23 December 2011 |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/310729/transitions-the-late-moin-akhtars-father-passes-away/ |title=Transitions: The late Moin Akhtar's father passes away |work=The Express Tribune |access-date=12 August 2018}}

Akhter was fluent in several languages, including English, Bengali, Sindhi, Punjabi, Memoni, Pashto, Gujarati and Urdu.{{cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/773675 |title=Moin Akhtar: in our hearts and minds |work=Dawn News |access-date=12 August 2018}}

Akhter started his acting career as child actor at the age of 13. He played the character of Shylock in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice in theatre.

Akhter's sense of humour was highly dynamic and versatile. He made his television debut on 6 September 1966, in a variety show on Pakistan Television (PTV) to celebrate the first Defence Day of Pakistan. He started as a comedian in 1966 by impersonating the Hollywood actor Anthony Quinn and mimicked one of the former USA's president John F Kennedy’s speeches. He has performed several roles in television stage shows, later teamed with Anwar Maqsood and Bushra Ansari.{{cite news|author=Rafay Mahmood|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/154444/moin-akhtar-a-legend-passes-away/ |title=Moin Akhtar: Greatest loss to laughter |work=The Express Tribune |date=23 April 2011 |access-date=4 December 2016}}

Akhter rose to the national spotlight and gathered critical acclaim for his performance in the drama Rozi (1990) in which he played the role of a female TV artist. Rozi was an Urdu adaptation of the Hollywood movie Tootsie starring Dustin Hoffman. He called it one of his favourite on-screen characters that he had played.{{cite news|url=https://www.thenewstribe.com/2016/04/22/interesting-facts-moin-akhter-5th-death-anniversary/ |title=Interesting facts about Moin Akhter on his 5th death anniversary |work=The News Tribe |date=22 April 2016 |access-date=4 December 2016}} Rozi was written by Imran Saleem and directed by Saira Kazmi.

• Bakra Qistoan Pay Part 01. (1988) Drama
• Buddha Ghar Pe Hai. (1989) Drama
• Rozi (1990) Drama
• Eid Train (2000) Drama
• Loose Talk (2005) Talk show
• Half Plate (1992) Drama
• Mr K2 (1995 Film)

• All Stage Dramas & Films Available in DVD.

In the talk-show Loose Talk, which began in 2002 on ARY Digital, he appeared as a different character in each episode with a total of over 400 episodes interviewed by the TV host Anwar Maqsood, who was also the writer of the programme. Akhter also briefly hosted the game show Kya Aap Banaingay Crorepati?, the Pakistani version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. He hosted shows involving major personalities and performed on stage alongside Indian legends including Dilip Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar and Madhuri Dixit.

Akhter acted in several films, sitcoms and dramas, and hosted many TV talk shows, including:

He hosted shows with invited dignitaries including King Husain of Jordan, Prime Minister of Gambia Dawoodi Al-Joza, Presidents Zia-ul-Haq, Ghulam Ishaq Khan, General Yahya Khan and Pervez Musharraf (Akhter mimicked the president in his presence), Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and the legendary Indian film actor Dilip Kumar.

;Album – Tera Dil Bhi Yun Hi Tadpe

• "Chhorr Ke Jaane Wale"
• "Choat Jigar Pe Khai Hai"
• "Ro-Ro Ke De Raha Hai"
• "Tera Dil Bhi Yun Hi Tadpe"
• "Dard Hi Sirf Dil Ko Mila"
• "Dil Ro Raha Hai"
• "Hoten Hai Bewafa"

Akhter died on 22 April 2011 at about 4:30 pm in Karachi after suffering a heart attack. He was survived by his wife, three daughters and two sons. Funeral prayers for Akhter were offered in Tauheed Masjid near his residence. Thousands of people attended the funeral prayer which was led by Junaid Jamshed.{{cite web |url=http://www.pakwatan.com/latest_news1.php?show_nolinks=1&id=1675 |title=Moin Akhtar laid to rest in Karachi |website=Pakwatan.com |access-date=4 November 2011}} Retrieved 4 December 2016 Many Bollywood actors paid tribute to Akhter including Johnny Lever, Javed Akhtar, Javed Jaffrey and Shatrughan Sinha.{{Cite web|url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=K_JVbPUSf_Y|title = Bollywood stars tribute to Moin Akhtar|website = YouTube| date=24 April 2011 }}

The world-famous wax museum Madame Tussauds has expressed a wish to include a waxwork of Moin Akhter in its London museum.{{cite web |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/273217/madame-tussauds-to-house-legendary-moin-akhtars-statue/2 |title=Moin Akhtar's family says no to Tussauds? |work=The Express Tribune|date=13 October 2011 |access-date=4 December 2016}} If the statue is made, it will be the first for any Pakistani entertainer at Madame Tussauds.

• Honorary Citizenship of Dallas in 1996 for his achievements.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqYCE0BhY-w |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211214/IqYCE0BhY-w |archive-date=2021-12-14 |url-status=live|title=Moin Akhtar Interview by Shiraz Mithani- Dallas, TX in April 1996 |via=YouTube |date=22 April 2011 |access-date=4 December 2016}}{{cbignore}}
• Special Award for Comedy in The 1st Indus Drama Awards 2005{{Cite web |title=Birthday Anniversary of the Multi-Talented Moin Akhter |url=https://www.bolnews.com/2020/12/24/pakistani-celebrity/birthday-anniversary-of-the-multi-talented-moin-akhter/index.html |website=Bol News|date=24 December 2020 }}
• Pride of Performance, awarded in 1996 by the Government of Pakistan
• In 2000 he won Best Actor Award at PTV Awards{{Citation |title=PTV World Awards|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKLsMNsLpYk|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/aKLsMNsLpYk|archive-date=2022-01-18 |url-status=live|website=PTV (News)| date=3 April 2021 |access-date=22 February 2022}}{{cbignore}}
• Sitara-i-Imtiaz, awarded in 2011

• List of Pakistani male actors

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{{Pride of Performance for Arts}}

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Category:1950 births

Category:2011 deaths

Category:Pakistani Muslims

Category:Muhajir people

Category:Pakistani male comedians

Category:Pakistani male film actors

Category:PTV Award winners

Category:Pakistani playback singers

Category:20th-century Pakistani male singers

Category:20th-century Pakistani singers

Category:Pakistani male stage actors

Category:Pakistani male television actors

Category:Pakistani game show hosts

Category:Pakistani impressionists (entertainers)

Category:Male actors from Karachi

Category:Muslim male comedians

Category:Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz

Category:Male actors in Urdu cinema

Category:Hum Award winners

Category:Recipients of the Pride of Performance

Category:Entertainers from Karachi