Zia Mohyeddin

Early life and career

Zia Mohiuddin was born in Lyallpur, now called Faisalabad, British India (now in Pakistan), in a family originally from Rohtak, East Punjab (now in Haryana), British India. He spent his early life in Kasur and Lahore. He was trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London from 1953-1956. After stage roles in Long Day's Journey Into Night and Julius Caesar, he made his West End debut in A Passage to India in 1960. He made his film debut in Lawrence of Arabia (1962), playing the role of Tafas (the Arab guide who is shot by Omar Sharif for drinking water from the wrong well). He then made numerous TV and film appearances.

His first wife was Sarwar Zemani with whom he had two sons, Minos Ameer and Risha Ameen.

Return to Pakistan and later career

Mohiuddin returned to Pakistan in the late 1960s. Between 1969 and 1973 he hosted the hugely popular television talk show, "The Zia Mohyeddin Show", best remembered for Mohyeddin's rap-style song segment, which he would introduce with his trademark phrase of "zara theka lagaiye" . He was appointed Director of the PIA Arts Academy in 1973, a role he held until 1977. Around this time, he met and subsequently married the renowned Kathak dancer Nahid Siddiqui. Together they had a son, the percussionist and music producer, Hassan "Moyo" Mohiuddin.

Following differences with the military regime of General Zia-ul-Haq, Mohiuddin returned to the U.K. in the late 1970s. During the 1980s Zia worked in Birmingham, Great Britain, where he produced Central Television's flagship multicultural programme Here and Now.

Mohyeddin then travelled the world giving Urdu poetry and prose recitations, and was considered the foremost reader of Urdu literature. In addition, he was also famed for his readings of English letters and literature. In the mid-1990s Mohiuddin married Azra, his third wife, with whom he has a daughter, Alia.

In February 2005 then President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf invited Mohiuddin to form the National Academy of Performing Arts in Karachi, of which he was President since its inception.

Though now in his 80s, Mohiuddin was active in the Pakistani media as a speaker and he regularly hosts television programmes for national and private channels. He was also involved in narrating short films and commercials.

Awards and recognition