Shazad Latif, is a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 actor, who starred in the BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 TV series Spooks

Spooks

Spooks is a British television drama series that originally aired on BBC One from 13 May 2002 – 23 October 2011, consisting of 10 series. The title is a popular colloquialism for spies, as the series follows the work of a group of MI5 officers based at the service's Thames House headquarters, in a...

as the highly skilled technician and data analyst for Section D, Tariq Masood

Tariq Masood

Tariq Masood was a character from the BBC television series Spooks, played by Shazad Latif. Masood was the technical wizard who replaced Malcolm Wynn-Jones in Series 8...

 from series 8 to his death in series 10.

Early life

Born in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 of Indian descent, Latif grew up in Tufnell Park

Tufnell Park

Tufnell Park is an area of north London, England which straddles the border of the London Borough of Islington and the London Borough of Camden.-Origins:...

, North London

North London

North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...

. He studied at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School

The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, opened by Laurence Olivier in 1946, is an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama, an organisation securing the highest standards of training in the performing arts, and is an associate school of the Faculty of Creative Arts of the University of the...

 and performed in many stage productions including King Lear

King Lear

King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...

 playing Cornwall and Richard Sheridan's comedy, School for Scandal, as Joseph Surface.

Career

Latif's professional theatre credits include playing Ricky Roma in Glengarry Glen Ross

Glengarry Glen Ross

Glengarry Glen Ross is a 1984 play written by David Mamet. The play shows parts of two days in the lives of four desperate Chicago real estate agents who are prepared to engage in any number of unethical, illegal acts—from lies and flattery to bribery, threats, intimidation and burglary—to sell...

at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and 'Mumbai Tales' at the Blue Elephant Theatre in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

.

Spooks

Spooks

Spooks is a British television drama series that originally aired on BBC One from 13 May 2002 – 23 October 2011, consisting of 10 series. The title is a popular colloquialism for spies, as the series follows the work of a group of MI5 officers based at the service's Thames House headquarters, in a...

was his first major part on TV and followed his just missing out on the role of Jamal in Danny Boyle

Danny Boyle

Daniel "Danny" Boyle is an English filmmaker and producer. He is best known for his work on films such as Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, 28 Days Later, Sunshine and Trainspotting. For Slumdog Millionaire, Boyle won numerous awards in 2008, including the Academy Award for Best Director...

's film Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire is a 2008 British epic romantic drama adventure film directed by Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy, and co-directed in India by Loveleen Tandan. It is an adaptation of the novel Q & A by Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup...

.

Personal life

While his character on the show Spooks is a techno whiz, in real life Latif is a self-proclaimed technophobe.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role
Television
2009–2011	Spooks Spooks Spooks is a British television drama series that originally aired on BBC One from 13 May 2002 – 23 October 2011, consisting of 10 series. The title is a popular colloquialism for spies, as the series follows the work of a group of MI5 officers based at the service's Thames House headquarters, in a...	Tariq Masood Tariq Masood Tariq Masood was a character from the BBC television series Spooks, played by Shazad Latif. Masood was the technical wizard who replaced Malcolm Wynn-Jones in Series 8...
2010	The Silence The Silence (2010 drama) The Silence is a BBC One 4-part prime-time crime thriller/family drama about a deaf girl who witnesses a murder, first broadcast between 12–15 July 2010. The drama stars deaf actress Genevieve Barr , alongside Dervla Kirwan, Gina McKee, Hugh Bonneville and Douglas Henshall...	Yousef
2011	Fresh Meat	Riz