Jassa Singh Ahluwalia (born 12 September 1990) is a British actor, director and radio presenter. He acted in the BBC television series Some Girls, the film The Whale and presented the Disney Junior TV show Art Attack.
Jassa Ahluwalia | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jassa Singh Ahluwalia 12 September 1990 Coventry, England |
| Occupation(s) | Actor and presenter |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Website | www |
Early life
editAhluwalia was born in Coventry, England. He is of British and Indian descent, and speaks fluent Punjabi.[citation needed] His grandfather was the architect James A Roberts,[1] and his sister Ramanique also acts.[2]
Ahluwalia grew up in Oadby, Leicester, where he attended first Launde Primary School, and later Beauchamp College, where he achieved 10 A* grades at GCSE and straight As at A Level (at a time when an A* grade was not available at A level).[2] While at school, he had a number of small roles, including a speaking role in the film My Angel.[2] Aged 19, he attained a place on the Prime Minister's Global Fellowship programme, spending six weeks in China. He later attended University College London for one year, studying Spanish and Russian, before dropping out to pursue a television career.[2]
Career
editIn 2010, Ahluwalia got his big break when he successfully auditioned for the role of host in the children's television series Art Attack.[3] He presented the show for one series in 2011, filming in Argentina, before being replaced by Lloyd Warbey.
In 2011, Ahluwalia begun work on his debut music album All Your Letters.[4]
Ahluwalia's next big break was securing the recurring part of lovable badboy Rocky in BBC Three's Some Girls. He plays the love interest of the main character Viva (Adelayo Adedayo). The first season aired in 2012, with the second season being aired in 2013. He also features in the show's third series, which aired in late 2014.[5] He has to date featured in eight episodes.
A role in BBC One's Casualty was next, as he performed in an episode entitled "Seeing in the Dark", which aired on 27 October 2012. Ahluwalia had a small part in The Bible, where he played young David, slayer of Goliath.[3] Filmed in Morocco, this miniseries screened on the History Channel in 2013.
Perhaps his best received performance to date was an appearance in the BBC drama Ripper Street, in which he played Vincent Featherwell, a gay prostitute posing as a telegraph boy, in the episode "Threads of Silk and Gold", which was the fifth episode of the second series.[6]
Ahluwalia featured again on BBC One in December 2013, in the film The Whale which tells the true story of the sinking of the whaleship Essex.[6] He plays Owen Coffin, one of the sailors and a cousin of the ship's captain, George Pollard, Jr.[7]
In 2013, Ahluwalia produced a short film entitled Modern Man with director Sebastian Solberg. The film tells the story of an accidental time-travelling cave-woman and her chance encounter with Rupert on the day he plans to propose to his girlfriend.[8]
He has also filmed an as yet unreleased project for NBC Universal.[5]
Ahluwalia has presented programmes on the BBC Asian Network.[9]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Art Attack | Himself |
| 2012 | Casualty | Bart Nowak |
| 2013 | The Bible | Young David |
| 2012–2014 | Some Girls | Rocky |
| 2013 | Ripper Street | Vincent Featherwell |
| 2015–2021 | Unforgotten | Adam Stuart |
| 2016 | Peaky Blinders | Dimitri |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | My Angel | Phil |
| 2011 | Resistance | Russian Partisan |
| 2013 | El amor y otras desgracias | Mark |
| 2013 | The Whale | Owen Coffin |
| 2015 | Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer's Curse | Lorne |
| 2015 | The Rezort | Jack |
| 2018 | Slaughterhouse Rulez | Yuri |
References
edit- ^ @OfficialJassa (10 December 2021). "Very special day out shooting in Birmingham with my mum @SaalDesign for an upcoming BBC documentary, exploring identity and our Midlands history. My grandpa (James Roberts) was the architect behind the iconic Rotunda" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c d Jassa's joy at his biggest role yet Archived 24 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 December 2013
- ^ a b Rise and rise of Jassa the giant killer Archived 24 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 December 2013
- ^ Exclusive Interview with Jassa Ahluwalia previewing tonight's RIPPER STREET. Retrieved 21 December 2013
- ^ a b Some Girls – Exclusive interview with 'Rocky' Jassa Ahluwalia. Retrieved 21 December 2013
- ^ a b Ripper Street Series 2 – Interview with Jassa Ahluwalia. Retrieved 21 December 2013
- ^ Screen Terrier – The Whale Archived 24 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 December 2013
- ^ Jassa Ahluwalia talks Modern Man: A comedy 102,014 years in the making.... Retrieved 21 December 2013
- ^ BBC Asian Network – Preeya Kalidas, Jassa Ahluwalia Diwali Party. Retrieved 28 January 2021