Zehra Fazal
{{short description|American voice actress}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Zehra Fazal
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date =
| birth_place =
| nationality = American
| occupation = Voice actress
| years_active = 2004–present
| known_for =
}}
Zehra Fazal is an American voice actress, known for voicing Nadia Rizavi in Voltron: Legendary Defender and Halo and Bluebird in Young Justice.{{cite tweet |number=1027948046141685760 |user=ZehraFazal |title=IT'S FINALLY HERE!! Season 7 of Voltron: Legendary Defender is now streaming on @netflix and I'm thrilled to announce I've joined the cast! Excited for y'all to meet my gal Rizavi. #voltron #VoltronLegendaryDefender #VoltronSeason7 https://t.co/TRlYPPYWWY |first=Zehra |last=Fazal |author-link=Zehra Fazal |date=August 10, 2018 |access-date=June 14, 2021 |language=en}}{{cite web |last=Nickolai |first=Nate |date=November 12, 2018 |title=TV News Roundup: 'SMILF' Season 2 Premiere Date Set at Showtime |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/tv-news-roundup-e2-80-98smilf-e2-80-99-season-2-premiere-date-set-at-showtime/ar-BBPN4w9 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181120095702/https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/tv-news-roundup-e2-80-98smilf-e2-80-99-season-2-premiere-date-set-at-showtime/ar-BBPN4w9 |archive-date=November 20, 2018 |access-date=November 20, 2018 |website=MSN}}
Career
Prior to her voice acting career, Fazal, who is of Pakistani descent, was known for her irreverent comedy often poking fun at Muslim identity.{{cite web |last=Diana |date=July 6, 2011 |title=Headscarf and the Angry Bitch: A Review of Zehra Fazal's Play |url=https://www.patheos.com/blogs/mmw/2011/07/headscarf-and-the-angry-bitch-a-review-of-zehra-fazals-play/ |access-date=November 20, 2018 |website=Muslimah Media Watch}} Her one-woman musical comedy show Headscarf and the Angry Bitch, which she described as partly fictional and partly autobiographical, created Muslim parodies of holiday comedy songs - for instance, "The Ramadan Song" instead of "The Chanukah Song" - and discussed living in America with a "hyphenated identity."{{cite web |last=Rampell |first=Catherine |date=September 21, 2017 |title=Fringe Festival Journal: A Muslim Woman in America, With Stand-Up |url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/20/fringe-festival-journal-a-muslim-woman-in-america-with-standup/ |access-date=November 20, 2018 |website=ArtsBeat}}{{cite web |date=April 14, 2011 |title=Zehra Fazal's Shock-n-Schtick ‹ Muslimah Media Watch |url=http://www.muslimahmediawatch.org/2011/04/14/zehra-afzals-shock-n-schtick/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181120135720/http://www.muslimahmediawatch.org/2011/04/14/zehra-afzals-shock-n-schtick/ |archive-date=November 20, 2018 |access-date=November 20, 2018 |website=Muslimah Media Watch}} Fazal, who describes herself as "the Muslim Weird Al", explains that the show explores the fact that "the definition of what it is to be Muslim is expanding and it's okay to be vocal about it."{{cite web |last=S.D. |first=Trav |date=September 1, 2010 |title=The "Muslim Weird Al" Offers More Than Parodies |url=http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_383/themuslim.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215033015/http://downtownexpress.com/de_383/themuslim.html |archive-date=December 15, 2010 |access-date=November 20, 2018 |website=DOWNTOWN EXPRESS | The Newspaper of Lower Manhattan}}{{cite web |date=July 20, 2009 |title=Fringe Preview: Headscarf and the Angry Bitch |url=https://dcist.com/story/09/07/09/fringe-preview-headscarf-and-the-an/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181120135817/https://dcist.com/story/09/07/09/fringe-preview-headscarf-and-the-an/ |archive-date=November 20, 2018 |access-date=November 20, 2018 |website=DCist}} She created the show's character, Zed Headscarf, as "her tougher, bolder, prouder side", partly in response to post-9/11 Islamophobia she encountered.{{cite news |date=June 12, 2011 |title=Under suspicion: American Muslims search for identity 10 years after Sept. 11 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/under-suspicion-american-muslims-search-for-identity-10-years-after-sept-11/2011/06/10/AGPiqpQH_story.html |access-date=November 20, 2018 |newspaper=Washington Post}} Fazal's performance won the "best solo performance award" at the Capital Fringe Festival in 2009 and was sold out throughout its New York International Fringe Festival run in 2010.{{cite news |date=October 10, 2009 |title=From the Fringe to Center Stage |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/09/AR2009100904382.html |access-date=November 20, 2018 |newspaper=Washington Post}}{{cite web |last=Borkar |first=Sonia |date=July 11, 2011 |title=Headscarf and the Angry Bitch (Zehra Fazal) 2011 Toronto Fringe Review |url=https://www.mooneyontheatre.com/2011/07/11/headscarf-and-the-angry-bitch-zehra-fazal-2011-toronto-fringe-review/ |access-date=November 20, 2018 |website=Mooney on Theatre}}
Fazal has also portrayed Adolf Hitler in an adaptation of Yukio Mishima’s play, My Friend Hitler.{{cite web |date=April 8, 2015 |title=Zehra Fazal Shines @ The Fringe Festival |url=https://dcist.com/story/07/07/24/zehra-fazal-shi/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181120135751/https://dcist.com/story/07/07/24/zehra-fazal-shi/ |archive-date=November 20, 2018 |access-date=November 20, 2018 |website=DCist}} She studied with Japan’s Takarazuka Revue Company as a research intern in 2004. After returning to the United States, Fazal translated and staged Takarazuka Revue's The Rose of Versailles at Wellesley College, where she was a student.{{cite web |last=Sands |first=Ryan |title=Electric Ant Zine #2: Interview with Zehra Fazal |url=http://www.youthindecline.com/electric-ant-zine-2-interview-with-zehra-fazal |access-date=November 20, 2018 |website=Youth in Decline}} Fazal explains "I have a knack for taking something that already exists and making it fit into a new mold." Fazal also portrayed doctor Amanda Jain in the video comedy series F#@K I Love U.
During the development of Young Justice: Outsiders, co-creator Greg Weisman wrote the role for Halo with Fazal in mind; she would also play about a dozen other characters featured on the show.{{cite web |last=Kelly |first=Autumn Noel |date=July 31, 2018 |title='Young Justice' creators talk Jack Kirby "Fourth World" influence, more from SDCC |url=https://www.newsweek.com/young-justice-season-3-outsiders-release-date-trailer-dc-universe-streaming-1049130 |access-date=November 20, 2018 |website=Newsweek}}
Personal life
Fazal has a B.A. from Wellesley College.{{cite web |last=Slattery |first=Chris |date=July 16, 2008 |title=Thinking outside the barn |url=http://www.gazette.net/stories/071608/entenew161846_32358.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303204014/http://www.gazette.net/stories/071608/entenew161846_32358.shtml |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |access-date=November 20, 2018 |website=Maryland Community News in Montgomery County and Prince George's County -- Gazette.Net}} She speaks Japanese, French, and Urdu.{{cite web|url=https://www.zehrafazal.com/resume|title=Resume|website=Zehra Fazal|access-date=20 November 2018}} Fazal is a passionate supporter of Paani Project, a nonprofit that works with community partners and institutions in the United States and Pakistan to help alleviate clean water inaccessibility, advocate for gender equity, and address a variety of pressing health disparities in rural South Asian communities.{{cite tweet |number=1314582735034281984 |user=ZehraFazal |title=UPDATE: Back in August, you helped me raise funds for @paaniproject to build wells in water-stressed areas in rural Pakistan. Thanks to your generosity, their incredible team was able to build deep water wells in 3 villages. These are some photos from those wells. https://t.co/zt2zRLLcEh |first=Zehra |last=Fazal |author-link=Zehra Fazal |date=October 9, 2020 |access-date=June 14, 2021 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517024922/https://twitter.com/zehrafazal/status/1314582735034281984 |archive-date=May 17, 2021 |url-status=live}}
As a child, she was a fan of the Disney animated show Darkwing Duck; she drew on inspiration on the titular character for her performance as General Yunan on Disney's Amphibia.{{Cite web|url=https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1030926497?t=00h34m50s|title=AMPHIBIA PRE SHOW BABY (34:50)|date=May 21, 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010194426/https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1030926497?t=00h34m50s|archivedate=October 10, 2021|access-date=October 10, 2021|url-status=dead}}
Filmography
=Animation=
=Web series=
class="wikitable sortable"
|+List of appearances in web shows and series !Year !Title !Role !Notes !Source |
2018–2019
|Kuroba |Mari (voice) |Animation; 1st Voice |{{Cite web|url=https://vimeo.com/282763675|title=Zehra Fazal - Animation Reel|date=August 2018}} |
2023
| Dr. Jinnah Basar | Actual play; 3 episodes | {{cite news |last1=Hoffer |first1=Christian |date=July 23, 2023 |title=Critical Role Announces Candela Obscura Chapter 2 Cast |language=en |work=ComicBook.com |url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/critical-role-candela-obscura-chapter-2-cast-announcement/ |access-date=July 23, 2023}}{{Cite web |date=August 28, 2023 |title=Candela Obscura: Chapter 2 Q&A with Zehra Fazal |url=https://critrole.com/candela-obscura-chapter-2-qa-with-zehra-fazal/ |access-date=September 13, 2023 |website=Critical Role |language=en-US}} |
=Film=
=Video games=
Awards and nominations
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|https://www.zehrafazal.com/}}
- {{IMDb name|3469812}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fazal, Zehra}}
Category:20th-century American actresses
Category:21st-century American actresses
Category:20th-century American comedians
Category:21st-century American comedians
Category:American people of Pakistani descent
Category:American stage actresses
Category:American television actresses
Category:American video game actresses
Category:American voice actresses
Category:American women comedians