Hamza Haq (born October 27, 1990) is a Canadian actor, best known for his leading role of Bashir Hamed in the medical drama television series Transplant,[1] which earned him three consecutive Canadian Screen Awards (2021, 2022, 2023).[2][3][4]
Hamza Haq | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 27, 1990 |
| Citizenship | Canadian |
| Education | Carleton University (BA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
Early life
editHamza Haq was born to Pakistani parents in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, before immigrating to Canada when he was nine years old, where he became a Canadian citizen. His father worked for an airline while his mother was an organic chemist.[5] He learned English from a school in the Filipino embassy in Saudi Arabia before switching to an American school. He later attended Bell High School in Ottawa, Ontario.[6] Haq graduated from Carleton University with a Bachelor of Arts in film studies with a minor in Law.[5]
Career
editHaq started his career with roles on various television series, before taking on roles in feature films. As an actor, his work has included the television series Quantico and limited series The Indian Detective.[7] He was also the host for the children's television series Look Kool.[5]
At the 6th Canadian Screen Awards in 2018, he received a nomination for Best Performance in a Guest Role in a Drama Series for an appearance on This Life,[5] and in 2019 he received the Star award from the Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival.[8]
In 2020, he assumed the lead role in the television series Transplant, and had a supporting role in Philippe Falardeau's film My Salinger Year.
In his year-end review of television in 2020, critic John Doyle of The Globe and Mail named Haq as having given one of the year's best performances in Canadian television.[9] The industry trade magazine Playback also named Haq as Canadian television's breakout star of 2020.[10]
Haq won the award for Best Actor in a Drama Series for Transplant at the 9th Canadian Screen Awards in 2021[4] and at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards in 2022.[11] In 2023, he won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Lead Performer in Drama Series.[2]
Following the end of Transplant, Haq was announced as playing Tommy Hawley, a man suspected of involvement in a criminal smuggling ring, in the forthcoming Crave crime drama series Underbelly.[12]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Rulers of Darkness | Heyman | |
| 2014 | Girl House | Techie #1 | |
| 2017 | Bon Cop, Bad Cop 2 | Khalid | |
| The Glass Castle | Intern | Uncredited | |
| Mother! | Refugee | ||
| 2018 | The Death & Life of John F. Donovan | Journalist #2 | |
| 2019 | Run This Town | Detective Sharma | |
| Long Shot | MSNBC Anchor | Uncredited | |
| 2020 | My Salinger Year | Karl | |
| 2021 | Crisis | Supermarket Manager | |
| 2022 | Delia's Gone | Larry | |
| Viking | Gary | ||
| 2023 | The Queen of My Dreams | Hassan | |
| With Love and a Major Organ | George |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | A Sister's Revenge | Restaurant Worker | Television film |
| 2014 | The Best Laid Plans | Raj | Episode: "Going Brogue" |
| Being Human | Vampire #1 | Episode: "Ramona the Pest" | |
| 19-2 | Orderly | Episode: "Winter" | |
| 2015, 2016 | Quantico | Tech / Analyst | 2 episodes |
| 2015–2016 | The Art of More | Uzay Almasi | 14 episodes |
| 2015–2016 | Look Kool | Hamza | 24 episodes |
| 2015, 2017 | At Your Feet | Hamza / Sweet Guy | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | This Life | Raza Ali | 10 episodes |
| The Perfect Stalker | Amir | Television film | |
| 2017 | Mistakes Were Made | John | 4 episodes |
| The Bold Type | Trevor | Episode: "The End of the Beginning" | |
| Designated Survivor | Peter Jan | Episode: "Family Ties" | |
| The Indian Detective | Gopal / Amal Chandekar | 4 episodes | |
| 2018 | The Detectives | Al Lalani Jr. | Episode: "Burning Season" |
| In Contempt | Hakeem | 5 episodes | |
| No Escape Room | Tyler | Television film | |
| 2019 | The 410 | Jass | 3 episodes |
| Jett | Fred Mooney | ||
| 2020–2024 | Transplant | Dr. Bashir Hamed | Series lead |
| 2023–present | Crashing Eid | Sameer | Series lead |
References
edit- ^ Aparita Bhandari (February 24, 2020). "Canadian actor Hamza Haq, star of CTV's Transplant, on his immigrant parents, studying neuroscience and playing a doctor on TV". The Globe and Mail.
- ^ a b Dowling, Amber (2023-04-15). "'The Porter,' 'Sort Of' and Clement Virgo's 'Brother' Lead 2023 Canadian Screen Awards". Variety. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
- ^ Vlessing, Etan (2022-04-11). "Medical Drama 'Transplant' Wins Top Prizes at Canadian Screen Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
- ^ a b Ramachandran, Naman (2021-05-21). "'Schitt's Creek,' 'Blood Quantum' Triumph at Canadian Screen Awards". Variety. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
- ^ a b c d Hatzitolios, Chloe (26 February 2020). "What you need to know about 'Transplant' star Hamza Haq". etalk.
- ^ Etan Vlessing (September 8, 2017). "Canada's Rising Stars: 15 Breakouts Making an Impact in Hollywood". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ "Russell Peters talks 'The Indian Detective' and why he'll never host the Junos again". Toronto Sun. November 22, 2017.
- ^ Ashley Newport (August 1, 2019). "Major Film Festival Officially Kicking Off in Mississauga". InSauga.
- ^ John Doyle, "Great Canadian TV performances of 2020". The Globe and Mail, December 15, 2020.
- ^ Jordan Pinto, "Breakout Star of the Year 2020: Hamza Haq; The star of CTV's Transplant has emerged as one of Canadian television's leading lights, garnering international acclaim and shifting the way Muslims have historically been portrayed on screen.". Playback, December 17, 2020.
- ^ Adina Bresge, "'Scarborough' top film winner at Canadian Screen Awards". CP24, April 10, 2022.
- ^ Stewart Clarke, "Stephen Amell, Minnie Driver, Hamza Haq To Star In Crime Series ‘Underbelly’ For Canadian Streamer Crave; Shaftesbury Producing & Fifth Season Across Sales". Deadline Hollywood, October 22, 2024.