Talat Hüseyin

Talat Hüseyin — Biography

Talat Hussain was one of the best-known actors of Pakistani television and cinema. His range, and the way he later guided younger performers, earned him the nickname "the Pakistani Laurence Olivier". He grew up in a broadcasting family as the son of Shaista Begum, among the pioneering voices of Radio Pakistan, and he died in Karachi on 26 May 2024.

His career began in cinema with a supporting part in Chiragh Jalta Raha (1962), and in 1967 he joined Radio Pakistan as a voiceover artist. Ishara (1969) and Insaan Aur Admi (1970) put him on screen with names such as Waheed Murad and Mohammad Ali. As PTV serials rose in the 1970s and 1980s he moved into lead roles, Bandish (1976) being a prominent example, and in later years he was seen in mature character parts such as Kashkol (1993). After studying at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art he also worked abroad: he played Polat in the Turkish production Malkoçoğlu Ölüm Fedaileri, appeared in Channel Four's serials Traffik and Family Pride and in the Indian film Souten Ki Beti, and made a guest appearance in Jinnah (1998).

He won the Amanda Award for best supporting actor in 2006 for the Norwegian film Import-Eksport (2005), and at home received the Pride of Performance in 1982, a Nigar Award in 1986 for Miss Bangkok, and the Sitara-i-Imtiaz in 2021. He taught acting at the National Academy of Performing Arts in Karachi, wrote short stories, and in the 1980s recorded a narration of an Urdu translation of the Qur'an.