Zia Mohyeddin

Acting

Zia Mohyeddin

Born June 20, 1931 · Lyallpur, Punjab, British India

Died February 13, 2023 · aged 91

Zia Mohyeddin (June 20, 1931 - February 13, 2023) was a British-Pakistani actor, producer, director, and television broadcaster known for his extensive work in both Pakistani cinema, television and stage, as well as British cinema, television and stage. Regarded as a polymath, he was awarded the Hilal-i-Imtiaz, the second-highest civilian honour in Pakistan, and the Sitara-i-Imtiaz, the third-high…

Known For

Lawrence of ArabiaLawrence of Arabia · 1962
Lawrence of Arabia
8.01962
MovieAdventureHistory
During World War I, English officer Thomas Edward 'T.E.' Lawrence sets out to unite and lead the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes to fight the Turks.
Doomsday GunDoomsday Gun · 1994
Doomsday Gun
5.61994
MovieHistoryDrama
Dr Gerald Bull was a genius at designing and building superguns (very large long range guns capable of shooting at ranges more than 100 miles). When an operational plan by the CIA to export sanctioned arms to apartheid-South Africa through him was exposed, the CIA denied all knowledge and he went to jail. He was later released, and moved to Belgium to start a subsidiary, of which a major project was to help Saddam Hussein build a new supergun capable of firing over 500 miles.
KhartoumKhartoum · 1966
Khartoum
6.31966
MovieHistoryWar
English General Charles George Gordon is appointed military governor of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan by the Prime Minister. Ordered to evacuate Egyptians from the Sudan, Gordon stays on to protect the people of Khartoum, who are under threat of being conquered by a Muslim army.
Ghazi ShaheedGhazi Shaheed · 1996
Ghazi Shaheed
10.01996
Movie
The film covers a story of mysterious loss of Pakistani submarine PNS Ghazi. She has participated in second and third Indo-Pakistani wars (1965 and 1971) and has been sunk in December 1971 nearby Indian coast.
The Colour of My HeartThe Colour of My Heart · 2026
The Colour of My Heart
2026
MovieDocumentary
Zia Mohyeddin, Pakistan's most venerated actor, devotes his final years to resurrecting interest in Urdu poetry and passing it on to a new generation of South Asians.
The Assam GardenThe Assam Garden · 1985
The Assam Garden
7.31985
MovieDrama
An insecure, aggressive widow of a tea garden manager reluctantly develops an affectionate relationship with an Indian housewife and her family.
Behold a Pale HorseBehold a Pale Horse · 1964
Behold a Pale Horse
6.01964
MovieDramaWar
Manuel Artiguez, a famous bandit during the Spanish civil war, has lived in French exile for 20 years. When his mother is dying he considers visiting her secretly in his Spanish home town. But his biggest enemy, the Spanish police officer Vinolas, prepared a trap at the hospital as a chance to finally catch Artiguez.
We Are the ChildrenWe Are the Children · 1987
We Are the Children
7.51987
MovieRomanceTV Movie
A doctor and a photo-journalist try to help famine victims in Africa.

Movies

Lawrence of ArabiaLawrence of Arabia · 1962
Lawrence of Arabia
8.01962
MovieAdventureHistory
During World War I, English officer Thomas Edward 'T.E.' Lawrence sets out to unite and lead the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes to fight the Turks.
Doomsday GunDoomsday Gun · 1994
Doomsday Gun
5.61994
MovieHistoryDrama
Dr Gerald Bull was a genius at designing and building superguns (very large long range guns capable of shooting at ranges more than 100 miles). When an operational plan by the CIA to export sanctioned arms to apartheid-South Africa through him was exposed, the CIA denied all knowledge and he went to jail. He was later released, and moved to Belgium to start a subsidiary, of which a major project was to help Saddam Hussein build a new supergun capable of firing over 500 miles.
KhartoumKhartoum · 1966
Khartoum
6.31966
MovieHistoryWar
English General Charles George Gordon is appointed military governor of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan by the Prime Minister. Ordered to evacuate Egyptians from the Sudan, Gordon stays on to protect the people of Khartoum, who are under threat of being conquered by a Muslim army.
Ghazi ShaheedGhazi Shaheed · 1996
Ghazi Shaheed
10.01996
Movie
The film covers a story of mysterious loss of Pakistani submarine PNS Ghazi. She has participated in second and third Indo-Pakistani wars (1965 and 1971) and has been sunk in December 1971 nearby Indian coast.
The Colour of My HeartThe Colour of My Heart · 2026
The Colour of My Heart
2026
MovieDocumentary
Zia Mohyeddin, Pakistan's most venerated actor, devotes his final years to resurrecting interest in Urdu poetry and passing it on to a new generation of South Asians.
The Assam GardenThe Assam Garden · 1985
The Assam Garden
7.31985
MovieDrama
An insecure, aggressive widow of a tea garden manager reluctantly develops an affectionate relationship with an Indian housewife and her family.
Behold a Pale HorseBehold a Pale Horse · 1964
Behold a Pale Horse
6.01964
MovieDramaWar
Manuel Artiguez, a famous bandit during the Spanish civil war, has lived in French exile for 20 years. When his mother is dying he considers visiting her secretly in his Spanish home town. But his biggest enemy, the Spanish police officer Vinolas, prepared a trap at the hospital as a chance to finally catch Artiguez.
We Are the ChildrenWe Are the Children · 1987
We Are the Children
7.51987
MovieRomanceTV Movie
A doctor and a photo-journalist try to help famine victims in Africa.
NiceNice · 1984
Nice
7.41984
MovieDrama
A naïve and "nice" West Indian's descent into postcolonial cynicism is depicted in a twenty minute monologue from writer Farrukh Dhondy.
AshantiAshanti · 1979
Ashanti
5.81979
MovieAdventureDrama
Dr. Anansa Linderby is kidnapped in a medical mission in Africa by a slave trader. From this moment, her husband will do anything to recover her and to punish the bad guys, but that will be not an easy task.
Deadlier Than the MaleDeadlier Than the Male · 1967
Deadlier Than the Male
5.91967
MovieActionComedy
British agent Bulldog Drummond is assigned to stop a master criminal who uses beautiful women to do his killings.
Sammy Going SouthSammy Going South · 1963
Sammy Going South
6.31963
MovieAdventure
After he is orphaned by an air raid on Port Said during the Suez Crisis, a young boy attempts to go by himself from the Suez Canal to Durban in South Africa where his nearest relative, Aunt Jane, lives. On the way he meets a variety of different people who help or hinder his journey - including an ageing diamond smuggler.
They Came from Beyond SpaceThey Came from Beyond Space · 1967
They Came from Beyond Space
5.21967
MovieScience FictionAdventure
When meteors in a curious V-formation crash on a Cornwall field, an alien force possesses several scientists and infects bystanders with a deadly disease. Shielded from the meteor's influence by a metal plate in his head, Dr Curtis Temple discovers that an alien race on the moon seeks to use the manipulated geniuses for seemingly nefarious purposes. But, as he learns more about the invaders, they may not be as evil as initially thought.
Immaculate ConceptionImmaculate Conception · 1992
Immaculate Conception
5.41992
MovieDrama
Alistair, a British representative for a wildlife conservation agency based in Karachi and his Jewish-American wife Hannah have been unsuccessful at conceiving a child. Over time, the desire to have a child begins to consume Hannah and she persuades a reluctant Alistair to go with her for three days to a fertility shrine. After a ceremony during which Hannah converts to Islam and coaxes Alistair to do the same, she becomes pregnant. But Hannah’s joy at the discovery of her pregnancy is overshadowed by worsening relations with Alistair who has started an affair with their friend Samira and tensions begin to mount when eunuchs from the shrine start to harass the couple.
King of the GhettoKing of the Ghetto · 1986
King of the Ghetto
8.01986
Movie
An idealistic former soldier helps unite and house ethnic minorities in a run down area of London's east end
Shalom SalaamShalom Salaam · 1989
Shalom Salaam
1989
Movie
Two disparate families become intertwined when a Jewish man and a Muslim woman fall in love while attending college.
Bombay TalkieBombay Talkie · 1970
Bombay Talkie
5.61970
MovieDramaRomance
An English novelist travels to Bombay to watch one of her novels translated to film. She chases after the movie's leading man while the screenwriter chases after her.
Work Is a 4-Letter WordWork Is a 4-Letter Word · 1968
Work Is a 4-Letter Word
6.01968
MovieComedy
Dreamlike satire about a young man who resists getting a job at the lone employing conglomerate in his dreary industrial town, but changes his mind when he discovers the plant's boiler room has the perfect climate to assist him with his pet horticultural (fungal) project.
The Sailor from GibraltarThe Sailor from Gibraltar · 1967
The Sailor from Gibraltar
5.81967
MovieDramaRomance
Alan, after quarreling with his girlfriend Sheila, becomes intrigued by Anna, a mysterious widow who's searching for a sailor she had known many years before. Alan and Anna begin the search on board a yacht bound for Greece, but they don't find the sailor. After a stop in Africa, Louis de Mozambique joins the party and suggests that the sailor may never have existed other than in Anna's mind.
A Passage to IndiaA Passage to India · 1965
A Passage to India
8.01965
Movie
The BBC's 1965 adaptation of E.M. Forster's novel, screened as part of their Play of the Month strand, adapted by Santha Ramu Rau and John Maynard, and directed by Waris Hussein.
Some Lover to Some BelovedSome Lover to Some Beloved · 2018
Some Lover to Some Beloved
2018
MovieDocumentary
Inspired by John Gielgud, veteran Pakistani actor Zia Mohyeddin ('Lawrence of Arabia', 'A Passage to India') recites readings from now fading Urdu literature every year. In 2010, he makes a deviation from his thirty-year tradition and reads solely from the work of one author - legendary revolutionary Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz. As contemporary Pakistan devolves into violence and instability, Zia's readings of Faiz's poetry find new resonance and leads Zia on an introspective journey into his extraordinary past and uncertain future.
PartitionPartition · 1987
Partition
5.51987
MovieDramaRomance
The tumultuous events surrounding the sub-continent's partition in 1947 into India and Pakistan are re-imagined in Ken McMullen's complex and visually striking film. A lunatic asylum in the city of Lahore becomes a mirror image of events in the outside political world, with the same actors playing both inmates and rulers. Adapted by Tariq Ali and McMullen from famous Urdu writer Saadat Hasan Manto's short story 'Toba Tek Singh', Partition speaks for the countless millions that the usual British Raj films sweep out of sight. Released to mark the 60th anniversary of the partition of the Indian sub-continent, this is the film's first-ever release on DVD.

TV Shows

MinderMinder · 1979
Minder
7.21979
SeriesComedyDrama
Roguish comedy drama following the misadventures of small-time crook Arthur Daley.
The AvengersThe Avengers · 1961
The Avengers
7.81961
SeriesCrime
A quirky spy show of the adventures of eccentrically suave British Agent John Steed and his predominantly female partners. Jonathan Steed - an urbane, proper gentleman spy - teams with various assistants throughout the series' run, including Dr. David Keel, Cathy Gale, Emma Peel and Tara King, to repeatedly save the world from diabolical schemes plotted by equally diabolical evil-doers (among them robots and man-eating monsters).
BBC Play of the MonthBBC Play of the Month · 1965
BBC Play of the Month
5.31965
SeriesDrama
A BBC television anthology series featuring productions of classic and contemporary stage plays usually broadcast on BBC1. Each production featured a different work, often using prominent British stage actors in the leading roles. The series was transmitted from October 1965 to September 1983.
BergeracBergerac · 1981
Bergerac
6.71981
SeriesDrama
Jim Bergerac is a detective sergeant in The Foreigners Office who likes to do things his own way. While dealing with his own personal demons Bergerac has a knack of finding trouble, and sometimes causing it.
Danger ManDanger Man · 1960
Danger Man
7.41960
SeriesDrama
Danger Man is a British television series which was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again between 1964 and 1968. The series featured Patrick McGoohan as secret agent John Drake. Ralph Smart created the programme and wrote many of the scripts. Danger Man was financed by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment.
The ChampionsThe Champions · 1968
The Champions
6.51968
SeriesSci-Fi & Fantasy
After a plane carrying three Agents crashes in the Himalayas, they are rescued by an advanced civilisation secretly living in Tibet who grant them enhanced versions of the ordinary five senses, and intellectual and physical abilities.
The ExpertThe Expert · 1968
The Expert
9.01968
SeriesDrama
The Expert is a British television series produced by the BBC between 1968 and 1976. The series starred Marius Goring as Dr. John Hardy, a pathologist working for the Home Office and was essentially a police procedural drama, with Hardy bringing his forensic knowledge to solve various cases. The Expert was created and produced by Gerard Glaister. The series was also one of the first BBC dramas to be made in colour, and throughout its four series had numerous high quality guest appearances by actors such as John Carson, Peter Copley, Rachel Kempson, Peter Vaughan, Clive Swift, Geoffrey Palmer, Peter Barkworth, Jean Marsh, Ray Brooks, George Sewell, Anthony Valentine, Bernard Lee, Lee Montague, Geoffrey Bayldon, Mike Pratt, Edward Fox, André Morell, Brian Blessed, Nigel Stock, Philip Madoc and Warren Clarke.
Man in a SuitcaseMan in a Suitcase · 1967
Man in a Suitcase
7.21967
SeriesDrama
Accused of treason, a former U.S. intelligence officer based in London tries to clear his name, taking on freelance jobs around Europe as he searches for answers.
Sir Francis DrakeSir Francis Drake · 1961
Sir Francis Drake
5.11961
Series
Sir Francis Drake was a British adventure television series starring Terence Morgan as Sir Francis Drake, commander of the sailing ship the Golden Hind. As well as battles at sea, sword fights, the series also deals with intrigue at Elizabeth's court, often caused by Spaniard, Mendoza.
The Jewel in the CrownThe Jewel in the Crown · 1984
The Jewel in the Crown
6.51984
SeriesDrama
In India, during the final years of British rule in World War II, an unjust arrest for rape sets off questions of identity and personal responsibility being explored against a background of war and personal intrigue.
Armchair TheatreArmchair Theatre · 1956
Armchair Theatre
6.01956
SeriesDrama
Armchair Theatre is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by Associated British Corporation, and later by Thames Television from mid-1968.
King of the GhettoKing of the Ghetto · 1986
King of the Ghetto
1986
SeriesDrama
An idealistic former soldier helps unite and house ethnic minorities in a run-down area of London's east end.