Afshan Azad

Afshan Azad
Born 12 February 1988
Longsight, Manchester, England
Nationality British
Ethnicity Bengali
Alma mater Xaverian College
Occupation Actress, model
Years active 2005–present
Known for Padma Patil in the Harry Potter film series
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Parent(s) Abdul Azad (father)
Relatives Ashraf Azad (brother)

Afshan Azad (born 12 February 1988) is a British actress and model of Bangladeshi descent. She is best known for playing the role of Padma Patil in the Harry Potter film series.

Education

Azad was born in Longsight, Manchester, England. Her parents came from Bangladesh. She attended Whalley Range High School, and then studied AS-level Chemistry, Biology, English and Business Studies at Xaverian College in Rusholme.[1]

Career

Azad is known for her performances as Padma Patil in five of the Harry Potter films, starting with 2005's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. She acquired the role when casting agents visited her school and after having attended several auditions, chose her for the part. Azad had stated that she had auditioned "just for the fun of it" and surprisingly got the part. She has also told the press that her best friends on set of Harry Potter were Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley), Katie Leung (Cho Chang), Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood), and Scarlett Byrne (Pansy Parkinson). Azad and Shefali Chowdhury (who played the character of Azad's twin sister Parvati Patil) were also good friends.[2]

Assault court case

On 29 June 2010, Azad's father, Abdul Azad, and brother, Ashraf Azad, appeared in Manchester Magistrates' Court, charged with threatening to kill her.[3] Azad's father and brother attacked her because of her relationship with a non-Muslim man (who was Hindu).[4][5] They were released on bail. The brother of the actress was also charged with "assault occasioning actual bodily harm". Afshan is apparently staying with her friends in London.[4][6]

Azad did not attend court on 20 December 2010, when the prosecution accepted her brother's guilty plea to assault occasioning actual bodily harm. A judge ruled both men were not guilty of threatening to kill the actress.[7] On 21 January 2011, Azad's brother was imprisoned for six months.[8]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2005 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Padma Patil
2007 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Also provided voice for the video game
2009 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
2010 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1
2011 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2

See also

References

  1. ↑ Halle, Deborah (13 February 2006). "Student off to Hogwarts – again". Manchester: Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 24 June 2009.
  2. ↑ "NR chats to GOF's Patil twins". Newsroundlocation= (BBC). 17 November 2005. Retrieved 11 February 2007.
  3. ↑ "Harry Potter girl's family arrested over threats". ninemsn. 13 September 2009. Archived from the original on 4 July 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Family 'attack' on Harry girl". London: The Sun. 1 July 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
  5. ↑ Black, Caroline (2 July 2010). "Afshan Azad Allegedly Threatened and Assaulted by Family, Say Reports". Crimesider (London: CBS News). Archived from the original on 4 July 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
  6. ↑ "Afshan Azad Allegedly Threatened and Assaulted by Family, Say Reports". CNN. 2 July 2010. Archived from the original on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
  7. ↑ "Harry Potter actress's brother admits attacking her". BBC News. 20 December 2010. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  8. ↑ "Harry Potter actress's brother jailed for attacking her". BBC News. 2 July 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2010.

External links