| Atta Yaqub | |
| Birth Place: | Glasgow, Scotland |
| Nationality: | British |
| Education: | IT management |
| Alma Mater: | University of Strathclyde |
| Occupation: | Actor, model |
| Years Active: | 2004– present |
| Known For: | Ae Fond Kiss... |
Atta Yaqub (born 1979) is a Scottish model and actor of Pakistani/Punjabi descent. He played the lead role in the 2004 film Ae Fond Kiss....
Yaqub was born in Glasgow to Pakistani parents in 1979. Yaqub began modelling as a young adult. He appeared in ads for The Royal Bank of Scotland and Cruise.[1] He made his acting debut in Ken Loach's film Ae Fond Kiss where he played a Pakistani Muslim man who falls in love with an Irish Catholic woman.[2] For his role he was nominated for a British Independent Film Award for Best Newcomer.[3]
He featured in Running in Traffic and Nina's Heavenly Delights. In 2011 he entered international cinema with the German film Fernes Land (Junction Point) and Sabiha Sumar's Rafina.[4] In 2012 he joined the cast of the BBC Three drama Lip Service.
Yaqub has a degree in IT management and also works as a counselor, advising drug addicts. He is a representative for the Goethe-Institut. He goes to schools around Scotland to promote the Show Racism The Red Card programme.[5] He was also involved in the "One Scotland, Many Cultures" anti-racism campaign.[6] Yaqub speaks English and Punjabi fluently as well as some Urdu and German.[7] Yaqub was educated at Shawlands Academy, Glasgow.[8]
In 2009, Yaqub criticised Prince Harry for making what he saw as prejudiced comments about Pakistanis and asked for a personal apology.[9]
| Year | Film | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Ae Fond Kiss... | Casim Khan | ||
| Doctors | Madhav Verma | "Party Games" | ||
| 2005 | The Camping Trip | Sunny | ||
| Meet the Magoons | Suky Riprah | "Stairway to Havan" | ||
| Perfect Day | Ash | |||
| Pakistani Actually | Himself | Documentary | ||
| 2006 | New Street Law | Nadeem Rashid | Season 1, Episode 5 | |
| Explosions | Hassans | |||
| Nina's Heavenly Delights | Kary Shah | |||
| 2007 | Karachi Uncovered | Himself | BBC documentary | |
| 2009 | Running in Traffic | Amman | ||
| 2011 | Fernes Land[10] | Haroon | German-language film | |
| 2012 | Lip Service | Season 2[11] | ||
| 2015 | Good Morning Karachi | Jamal | ||
| 2017 | T2 Trainspotting | Medical student |