Raza Jaffrey, born 1975, studied English and Drama at Manchester University and took up acting at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Jaffrey had a considerable theater career prior to crossing over to television. Among his stage performances were in East is East, Romeo and Juliet, Cyrano de Bergerac and the award-winning Fourteen Songs, Two Weddings and a Funeral. He made his West End debut as Sky in Mamma Mia which led to his big break in 2002, when he landed the lead in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Bombay Dreams. He has since appeared on television in several programs like EastEnders, Casualty, and most notably, as Zafar Younis on the spy drama, MI-5. Jaffrey is also the creator of the dance show Red, which celebrates numerous forms of dance and movement.

Zafar Younis, played by Raza Jaffrey on MI-5, is an old friend of team leader, Adam Carter. He is unattached, gung-ho and reckless and often finds himself in potentially sticky situations. While he hasn’t easily learned from many of his past mistakes, he has been somewhat hardened by his experiences in the spy trade.



(Photo courtesy of A&E)