Moin Akhtar was a Pakistani television

Television

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

, film

Film

A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

 and stage

Theatre

Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...

 actor

Actor

An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

, as well as a humorist, comedian

Comedian

A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...

, impersonator

Impersonator

An impersonator is someone who imitates or copies the behavior or actions of another. There are many reasons for someone to be an impersonator, some common ones being as follows:...

, and a host

Master of Ceremonies

A Master of Ceremonies , or compere, is the host of a staged event or similar performance.An MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving....

. He was also a play

Drama

Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...

 writer

Writer

A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....

, singer, film director

Film director

A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...

 and a producer

Film producer

A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...

.

Akhtar was born in Karachi

Karachi

Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...

 to Urdu speaking parents migrated from Mumbai

Mumbai

Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

 India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, was highly dynamic and versatile performer, he made his debut for television

Television

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 on 6 September 1966, in a variety show held on PTV to celebrate the first defense

Defense (military)

Defense has several uses in the sphere of military application.Personal defense implies measures taken by individual soldiers in protecting themselves whether by use of protective materials such as armor, or field construction of trenches or a bunker, or by using weapons that prevent the enemy...

 day of Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

‎. Since then, he has performed several roles in TV

Television

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 plays/shows, later making a team with Anwar Maqsood

Anwar Maqsood

Anwar Maqsood Hameedi commonly known as Anwar Maqsood Urdu: انور مقصود) is a Pakistani playwright, poet, television host, satirist, humorist, infrequent actor and painter. He has worked in the entertainment industry for over 35 years.-Life and career:Anwar Maqsood studied at the Gulbarga trust...

 and Bushra Ansari

Bushra Ansari

-Early Life, education and family:Born in Karachi, Ansari is the daughter of eminent journalist and writer Ahmad Bashir. Bushra studied in Lahore at Lady Griffin School and then she did intermediate from famous Lahore College for Women University, completed her BA in 1977 from Waqarunnisa College...

.

He was beloved for providing humor for people of all ages, and with an etiquette that remains unmatched. His attempts to avoid vulgarity in his humor rendered him a favorite amongst family audiences. Akhtar was fluent in several languages, including English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

, Bengali

Bengali language

Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...

, Sindhi

Sindhi language

Sindhi is the language of the Sindh region of Pakistan that is spoken by the Sindhi people. In India, it is among 22 constitutionally recognized languages, where Sindhis are a sizeable minority. It is spoken by 53,410,910 people in Pakistan, according to the national government's Statistics Division...

, Punjabi

Punjabi language

Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...

, Memon, Pashto

Pashto language

Pashto , known as Afghani in Persian and Pathani in Punjabi , is the native language of the indigenous Pashtun people or Afghan people who are found primarily between an area south of the Amu Darya in Afghanistan and...

, Gujarati

Gujarati language

Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...

 and Urdu

Urdu

Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...

. He performed not only in Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

 but played in several stage shows like Bakra Qiston Pe and Buddha Ghar Pe Hai with Umer Sharif

Umer Sharif

Umer Sharif, TI is a Pakistani stand-up comedian, stage, film and television actor, writer, director and producer...

 in India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 too.

Moin Akhtar rose to the national spotlight and gathered critical acclaim for his performance in the drama Rosy /Rozy (روذی), in which he played the role of a female TV artist. Rozy was an Urdu adaptation of Hollywood movie Tootsie

Tootsie

Tootsie is a 1982 American comedy film that tells the story of a talented but volatile actor whose reputation for being difficult forces him to go to extreme lengths to land a job. The movie stars Dustin Hoffman and Jessica Lange, with a supporting cast that includes Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman,...

 starring Dustin Hoffman

Dustin Hoffman

Dustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor with a career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He has been known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable characters....

. Moreover, in a talk-show namely Loose Talk, which began in 2005 on ARY Digital

ARY Digital

ARY Digital, a subsidiary of the ARY Group, is a popular Pakistani television network available in Pakistan, the Middle East, North America and Europe. The ARY Group of companies is a Dubai-based holding company founded by a Pakistani businessman, Abdul Razzak Yaqoob . The network caters to the...

, he appeared as a different character in each and every of over 400 episodes interviewed by Anwar Maqsood

Anwar Maqsood

Anwar Maqsood Hameedi commonly known as Anwar Maqsood Urdu: انور مقصود) is a Pakistani playwright, poet, television host, satirist, humorist, infrequent actor and painter. He has worked in the entertainment industry for over 35 years.-Life and career:Anwar Maqsood studied at the Gulbarga trust...

, the writer and the host of the program. Akhter also briefly hosted the game show Kya Aap Banaingay Crorepati?

Kya Aap Banaingay Crorepati?

Kya Aap Banaingay Crorepati? was a Pakistani game show based on the original British format of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. The show was hosted by Moin Akhtar. The main goal of the game was to win 10 million Pakistani rupees by answering 15 multiple-choice questions correctly...

, the Pakistani version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is a television game show which offers large cash prizes for correctly answering a series of multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty. The format is owned and licensed by Sony Pictures Television International. The maximum cash prize is one million pounds...

.

He was awarded honorary citizenship of Dallas in 1996 for his achievements. He is also listed among Amazing Pakistanis of all time.

Selected television serials

• Rozi
• Hello Hello
• Intezar Farmaye
• Dollar Man
• Makaan No 47
• Half Plate
• Family-93
• Eid Train
• Bandar Road Se Kemari
• Such Much
• Aangan Tehra
• Baby
• Rafta Rafta
• Loose Talk
• Guum
• Studio 2 1/2
• Studio 2 3/4
• Hariyale Banney
• Show Time
• Such Much
• Such Much Part 2
• Kuch Kuch Such Much
• Such Much Ki Eid
• Such Much Ka Election

Host

He was the host of the show in which

• King Husain of Jordan
  Jordan
  Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
  
   was invited.
• The Prime minister of Gambia, Dawoodi-Al-Joza, was invited.
• President
  President of Pakistan
  The President of Pakistan is the head of state, as well as figurehead, of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Recently passed an XVIII Amendment , Pakistan has a parliamentary democratic system of government. According to the Constitution, the President is chosen by the Electoral College to serve a...
  
   Zia-ul-Haq was invited.
• Prime Minister
  Prime Minister of Pakistan
  The Prime Minister of Pakistan , is the Head of Government of Pakistan who is designated to exercise as the country's Chief Executive. By the Constitution of Pakistan, Pakistan has the parliamentary democratic system of government...
  
   Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was invited.
• President General Yahya Khan was invited.
• President Ghulam Ishaq Khan
  Ghulam Ishaq Khan
  Ghulam Ishaq Khan , abbreviated as GIK, was the seventh President of Pakistan from August 17, 1988 until July 18, 1993 and a career statesman from the start to the end of cold war...
  
   was invited.
• President Pervez Musharaf was invited and he mimicked the president in his presence.
• Moin Akhtar Show
• Lagay raho Moin Bhai
• Legendary Indian film actor Dilip Kumar was invited.

Television shows

• Fifty Fifty
  Fifty Fifty
  Fifty Fifty is a popular Pakistan television series which was aired on the national television PTV during the early 1980s, based loosely on US comedy show Saturday Night Live. The programme was a sketch comedy considered by many critics as one of the best television shows to be produced in Pakistan...
  
   (comedy serial from PTV)
• Show Sha
• Showtime
• Studio Dhhaai (Studio 2.5)
• Studio Pone Teen (Studio 2.75)
• Loose Talk (From ARY Digital)

Songs and albums

Album - Tera Dil Bhi Yun Hi Tadpe

• "Chhorr Ke Jaane Wale"
• "Choat Jigar Pe Khai Hai"
• "Ro-Ro Ke De Raha Hai"
• "Tera Dil Bhi Yun Hi Tadpe"
• "Dard Hi Sirf Dil Ko Mila"
• "Dil Ro Raha Hai"
• "Hoten Hai Bewafa"

Death

He died on 22 April 2011 at about 6:15pm in Karachi after suffering from a heart attack. He is survived by his wife, three daughters and two sons.
The funeral prayers of Moin Akhtar were offered in Tauheed Masjid near his residence. Thousands of people attended the funeral prayer which was led by Junaid Jamshed

Junaid Jamshed

Junaid Jamshed is a Pakistani recording artist who gained fame as the frontman of the pop group, Vital Signs in 1987 with the hit song, "Dil Dil Pakistan", and remained in demand throughout the 1990s...

. The world famous wax museum Madame Tussauds has expressed its wish to include a statue of Moin Akhtar in their London museum. If made, it will be the first of its kind for any Pakistani entertainer.