Actor Saeed Jaffrey, who was in more than 150 films, has died at the age of 86.Jaffrey passed away at a London hospital. He had collapsed at his London home with a brain hemorrhage and he did not regain consciousness, according to a statement by Jaffrey Associates. He leaves his wife, Jennifer, who was at his side.Jaffrey was born in Punjab, and after university he formed a Delhi theater company. He then went to America as a Fulbright scholar to study drama.He came to fame on Broadway, playing Professor Godbolt in “A Passage to India” opposite Dame Gladys Cooper.On television Saeed had key roles in “Jewel in the Crown” (as the Nawaz of Marat), “Tandoori Nights,” “Staying On,” with Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson, and “Far Pavilions,” with Omar Sharif and Sir John Gielgud.His interpretation of Rafi in “Gangsters” for the BBC TV gave him more recognition. He even had a role in long-running ITV soap drama series “Coronation Street.”Saeed’s first big role in an international film was as Billy Fish in “The Man Who Would Be King” with Michael Caine and Sean Connery.He won a BAFTA nomination for his role as Nasser in “My Beautiful Laundrette.”Sir Richard Attenborough loved his Patel in “Gandhi,” and Sir David Lean cast him as Hamidullah in “A Passage to India.”His Hindi films are many and various. Saeed’s first film in India was Satyajit Ray’s “The Chessplayers” in which his co-star was Lord Attenborough. Since that film, Saeed starred in more than 100 Bollywood movies, making him a household name.In 1995 he was awarded the O.B.E. for his services to drama. His autobiography “Saeed: An Actor’s Journey” was published in 1998.
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