Amita Dhiri Explained

Amita Dhiri
Birth Date: [1]
Birth Place:Brighton, England
Occupation:Actress
Spouse:Bradley Carroll[2]
Children:2

Amita Emmanuelle Dhiri (born 1965 in Brighton, England) is a British actress.

Personal life

Dhiri was born to a French mother, Antonia and Ugandan-Indian accountant father, Vinod Dhiri.[3] She has two younger brothers and speaks fluent French and Hindi.[4]

She married Bradley Carroll in 1994 and has two daughters.[3]

Career

Dhiri has said that she was very shy when she was little and that this led her into acting. Her first experience of acting came about when a friend of hers who was at film school had a friend who was doing a film for their degree, and asked Dhiri to be in it.[5]

Before going to drama school, Dhiri sang in a touring cabaret group for about 18 months, doing Tina Turner and Janet Jackson impressions[6] [7]

Television

In 1996 she played the role of Djamila "Milly" Nassim in the acclaimed BBC Two drama series This Life, three years after leaving drama college. Milly was a sensible legal high-flyer who had been in a relationship with Egg (played by Andrew Lincoln), since university.[8] One of her notable scenes was in the last episode, when her character punched her colleague Rachel in the jaw.[9]

She has subsequently had many other appearances on British television, including roles in Absolute Power, The Last Train, Dalziel and Pascoe, Holby City wherein she undertook the role of the raging former partner of General Surgical Consultant Daniel Clifford (played by Peter Wingfield), Silent Witness, Being April[10] and McCallum. More recently, she had a recurring role as Rachel Crawchek in Judge John Deed.

In early 2007, she reunited with original cast members of This Life in a reunion special called This Life +10.[11]

On 14 June 2007, Dhiri joined the long-running British police drama The Bill as DC Grace Dasari. In preparation for the role, she spent time with Kennington police in South London, and had a lesson in driving a police patrol car. She remained in the show until its final episode, broadcast on 31 August 2010.

In 2013 she played Mrs Rattigan in Sky TV's Talking To The Dead[12]

Film

She appeared in the film 24 Hours in London, released in 2000.[13]

Credits

Television

Year Title Role class=unsortable Notes !Production Company
1996 Casualty Julia Kaash Episode: "Vital Signs" BBC Television
1996–97 This Life Milly Naseem 32 episodes. BBC Television
1998 McCallum Delia Vine Two episodes. STV Productions
1998 Jandra Nixon 6 episodes. Granada Television
1998 Macbeth - Shakespeare Shorts First Witch BBC Television
1999 Dalziel And Pascoe Shaz Kendall Episode: "A Sweeter Lazarus" BBC Television
2000 Helen Galloway ITV
2002 Yumna Malik Episode: "Deception on His Mind" BBC Television
2002 Holby City Jenny Stephens Episode: "Time to Kill". BBC Television
2002 Happiness Neela BBC Television
2002 Grease Monkeys Mina BBC Television
2002 Being April Nikshita[14] 6 episodes. BBC Television
2002 2nd Generation Rina Channel 4
2003–05 Judge John Deed Rachel Crawcheck Episodes: "Judicial Review", "Conspiracy", "Economic Imperative" and "In Defence of Others" BBC Television
2004 Silent Witness Diana Baker Episode: "Body 21"BBC Television
2006 This Life + 10 Milly Naseem BBC Television
2006 Holby City Camilla Two episodes: "The Bitterest Pill"; "It's Been a Long Day" BBC Television.
2010 Grace Dasari 95 episodes.[15] Talkback Thames
2013 Talking to the Dead Mrs Rattigan Sky TV

Stage

Year Title Role class=unsortable Notes
2000 The Crucible Elizabeth Leicester Haymarket Theatre
2001 Feelgood Aasha Hampstead/Garrick Theatre[16]
2002 After the Gods Sandi Hampstead Theatre[17]
2005 Whose Life Is It Anyway Helen Hill Comedy Theatre
2012 Pack Nasreen Finborough Theatre - Papatango Festival[18]

Radio

Year Title Role class=unsortable Notes
1997 Devices And Desires Caroline Amphlette BBC Radio
2013 When Greed Becomes Hunger Sunita[19] BBC Radio 4 Drama
2013 The Aeneid Anna[20] BBC Radio 4 Drama
2013 Skios Annuka Vos[21] BBC Radio 4 Drama
2013 Invasion - Dangerous Visions Jenna[22] BBC Radio 4 Drama

Film

Year Title Role class=unsortable Notes
1994 Indian Tales Lead Student film written and directed by Asif Kapadia, Oscar winning director of Amy (2015)[23]
1998 24 Hours in London Helen Lucas
2006 Acts of God DI Mansfield

Voiceover

Year Title Role class=unsortable Notes
1999 The Canterbury Tales/The Squire’s Tale Canacee Animated film
2001 Dream Sarah
2002 John Adams: A Portrait and a Concert of American Music Narrator[24]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Index entry. 19 July 2019. FreeBMD. ONS.
  2. News: Davidson . Laura . 2007-06-17 . I Love Putting Handcuffs On … It's Worrying . Sunday Mail (Glasgow, Scotland) . Record: 464d658c4f8e3dad801a5d156e62f1f3. 2019-07-19.
  3. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/mum-was-so-strict--when-i-started-in-acting-484161 Mum was so strict .. When I started in acting she was convinced it was the first step to porn!
  4. News: Davidson . Laura . 2007-06-17 . I Love Putting Handcuffs On … It's Worrying . Sunday Mail (Glasgow, Scotland) . Record: 464d658c4f8e3dad801a5d156e62f1f3. 2019-07-19.
  5. News: Brain . Lizz . 2000-10-13 . Life Times . Leicester Mercury (England)) . 2019-07-16.
  6. News: 2002-06-08 . CV - Profile . The Times . 51 . 2019-07-19 .
  7. News: Ogle . Tine . 1998-01-28 . Amita Dhiri . Radio Times. 3860 . 2019-07-19 .
  8. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/television-interview-amita-dhiri-life-affirming-1084947.html Television: Interview - Amita Dhiri: Life Affirming
  9. News: Randall . Tim . 1999-04-03 . Television - Far from run of the Milly. The Daily Record . 21 . 2019-07-19 .
  10. http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2002/06_june/17/being_april.pdf Being April
  11. http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/12_december/28/life.shtml This Life + 10 - interviews with the cast
  12. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/tv-review-drama-matters-talking-to-the-dead-sky-living-8882288.html TV Review: Drama Matters: Talking to the Dead, Sky Living
  13. https://bbfc.co.uk/releases/24-hours-london-2000-2 24 Hours in London
  14. http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2002/06_june/17/being_april.pdf Being April
  15. News: Hughes . Sarah . 2012-02-28 . A new life for some old TV favourites. https://web.archive.org/web/20120228215658/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/a-new-life-for-some-old-tv-favourites-7447149.html . 2012-02-28 . limited . live . The Independent . 2019-07-19.
  16. News: White . Michael . 2001-04-27 . It looks like bad timing for Blair . The Guardian . 2019-07-19 .
  17. News: Billington . Michael . 2002-06-19 . After The Gods . The Guardian . 2019-07-19 .
  18. News: Billington . Michael . 2012-12-02 . Pack: Review . The Guardian . 2019-07-19 .
  19. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b038hk0k The Pen - DJ Britton - When Greed Becomes Hunger
  20. https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2013/34/r4-w34-the-aeneid-sun The Aenid
  21. https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2017/42/skios Skios
  22. https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2013/25/wk25-r4-afternoon-drama-tues Invasion - Dangerous Visions
  23. https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-indian-tales-1994-online Indian Tales
  24. Richardson . John . 2005 . John Adams: A Portrait and a Concert of American Musicby Amita Dhiri, David Jeffcock . American Music . 23. 1. 131–133. 10.2307/4153052 . 4153052 .