Dalip Tahil

30 Oct, 1952 |

Actor

Biography

Dalip Tahil is an Indian film, television and theatre actor. He did his schooling from the elite Sherwood College in Nainital, India and later graduated from Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh. Films Dalip Tahil made his acting debut playing a minor role in the 1974 film Ankur. He got his first major role in the 1980 Ramesh Sippy film Shaan. He appeared in over 100 Bollywood films throughout the 1980s and 1990s, mostly playing character and villain roles. His roles ranged from the main villain, henchman, father, relative and police officer. He has also notably starred multiple times alongside Bollywood icon Shahrukh Khan in Deewana (1992), Baazigar (1993), Darr (1993) and Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (2000). He also briefly appeared in the highly acclaimed 1982 international award-winning film Gandhi and two Merchant-Ivory English language films: The Deceivers and The Perfect Murder (both released in 1988). He made a comeback to Bollywood after a hiatus appearing in the films Shakalaka Boom Boom, Partner (2007) and recently Race (2008). In 1984, he acted as a father to Baby Sonia in Navodaya Appachan's My Dear Kuttichathan (3D Malayalam). Television On television, Tahil played roles in Sanjay Khan's television serial The Sword of Tipu Sultan and Ramesh Sippy's Buniyaad. He got international recognition when he got the role of Dan Ferreira in the popular British BBC television soap opera EastEnders in 2003. After less than year playing the role, however, he was forced to leave the soap in December after it was discovered his work permit documents were not in order and the Home Office threatened to have him deported from the country. Due to his departure many scripts that were written for his character on EastEnders had to be re-written to explain his absence. Originally his character was to have been killed off by his on-screen children but after his sudden exit, the scriptwriters struggled to find storylines for his on-screen family so the family was later axed by the producers in 2005. Dalip later won the right to stay in the UK. In 2007, he appeared in the BBC2 mini-series Nuclear Secrets in the episode Terror Traders playing Pakistani scientist A.Q Khan. Theatre He has appeared in many Indian stage plays and internationally he is known for starring in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals Bombay Dreams and Evita in the London West End.