Bollywood actor Saeed Jaffrey passes away at 86

Veteran actor Saeed Jaffrey has passed away at the age of 86.

His niece, Shaheen Agarwal confirmed the news in a Facebook post, saying: “Today, a generation of Jaffreys has passed away. Saeed Jaffrey has joined his brothers and sister and is rejoicing in the lap of his Heavenly Father, eternally.”

The British-Indian actor has starred in several critically acclaimed films including the 1978, Satyajit Ray-directed ‘Shatranj Ke Khiladi’, which won Jaffrey a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.

The actor has also starred in Sai Paranjpye’s ‘Chashme Baddoor’, along with starring in several international film and television projects including ‘Gandhi’ (1982), ‘The Far Pavilions’ (1984) and ‘A Passage to India’ (1984).

He appeared in several international movies including Gandhi and A Passage to India as well as on the TV shows Tandoori Nights, The Far Pavilions and The Jewel in The Crown; he also appeared as Ravi Desai on Coronation Street.

Jaffrey was born in Malerkotla, Punjab and studied at Aligarh Muslim University, the Wynberg Allen School and Allahabad University.

He was earlier married to actress-author Madhur Jaffrey with whom he had three children.

Jaffrey is survived by his wife, Jennifer Jaffrey.