Denzil Leonard Smith (born 6 November 1960) is an Indian film and stage actor and producer. Born to Anglo-Indian parents in Mumbai, he is known for his stage and screen roles as a character actor. Smith has acted in over 50 plays and 60 films. His film credits include ''

Tenet A tenet is a synonym for axiom, one of the principles on which a belief or theory is based. Tenet may also refer to: Media * Tenet (band), a heavy metal band * TENET (ensemble), an American early music vocal and instrumental group * ''Tenet'' ( ...

'' (2020), '' Viceroy's House'' (2017), ''

Brahman Naman ''Brahman Naman'' is a 2016 English-language Indian sex comedy film directed by Qaushiq Mukherjee. It was shown in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition section at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. It was released on Netflix worldwide on 7 July ...

'' (2016), '' The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'' (2015), '' The Lunchbox'' (2013), '' The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'' (2011), '' Frozen'' (2007) and '' Paap'' (2003). His notable television roles include Netflix's ''

Delhi Crime ''Delhi Crime'' is an Indian crime drama streaming television series written and directed by Richie Mehta. casting director Radhesh More and produced by Golden Karaven, Ivanhoe Productions, Film Karavan and Poor Man's Productions. The series s ...

'' (2019), ITV's '' Beecham House'' (2019), Amazon Prime's sitcom '' Mind the Malhotras'' (2019) and ''P.O.W.- Bandi Yuddh Ke'' (2016-2017) on Star Plus. He has a long-standing association with both Motley Productions for '' Waiting for Godot'' and ''

The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial ''The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial'' is a two-act play, of the courtroom drama type, that was dramatized for the stage by Herman Wouk, which he adapted from his own 1951 novel, '' The Caine Mutiny''. Wouk's novel covered a long stretch of time ...

'', and PrimeTime Theatre for ''Guahar'', '' August: Osage County'' and ''Sammy.'' Notable international productions include ''Merchants of Bollywood'' (2007-2010) and ''Life of Buddha'' (2014).

Early life

Smith was born into an Anglo-Indian family in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdi ...

to Benjamin John Smith and Kathleen (Katsy) Maude Shepherd. He has an older sister Cheryl Roy-Smith, and younger brother Lionel Smith. Smith’s father was a civil servant with the

Government of India The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

, and possessed a deep love for music and the arts. It was through him that Denzil was first exposed to music and theatre. Smith's father played the

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a ree ...

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

and

ukulele The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings. The tone and volume of the instrumen ...

. A talented singer, Benjamin was granted a leave of absence to represent India as part of the classical cappella Paranjoti Academy Choir for an extended tour of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

in the 1960s. His father died suddenly when Smith was 11. Smith completed his schooling at

St Andrews St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fourt ...

Bandra Bandra ( æːɳɖɾa also known as Vandre ( �aːn̪d̪ɾe is an upscale coastal suburb located in Mumbai (Bombay) area of the Konkan division, Maharashtra, India. The suburb is located to the immediate north of River Mithi, which separates B ...

, and studied English literature at the

University of Mumbai The University of Mumbai is a collegiate, state-owned, public research university in Mumbai. The University of Mumbai is one of the largest universities in the world. , the university had 711 affiliated colleges. Ratan Tata is the appointed h ...

Career

Smith began his professional career as a film executive under Indian adman and actor,

Alyque Padamsee Alyque Padamsee (5 March 1928 – 17 November 2018) was an Indian theatre personality and ad film maker. He played Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the 1982 British period film '' Gandhi''. Besides being involved in Indian theatre as an actor and produc ...

, who was then CEO of the advertising agency Lintas. In 1988, Smith quit his corporate career to focus on stage acting. He trained in voice at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai, and was guided by Dr. Ashok Ranade and Pratap Sharma.

In theater

A pivotal play early in his theatrical career was Pearl Padamsee’s ''Les Liaisons Dangereuse'' where he first worked with

Naseeruddin Shah Naseeruddin Shah (born 20 July 1950) is an Indian actor. He is notable in Indian parallel cinema. He has also starred in international productions. He has won numerous awards in his career, including three National Film Awards, three Filmfare ...

and

Ratna Pathak Ratna Pathak Shah (born 18 March 1957) is an Indian actress and director known for her work in Hindi theatre, television, and films. Her extensive work in theatre includes a series of plays in both English and Hindi. She rose to prominence when ...

. Shortly after this play, he became a member of Shah’s Motley Productions – a theatre group formed by Naseeruddin Shah,

Tom Alter Thomas Beach Alter (22 June 1950 – 29 September 2017) was an Indian actor. He was best known for his works in Hindi cinema, and Indian theatre. In 2008, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India. Early life Born in Mussoorie ...

and

Benjamin Gilani Benjamin Gilani is an Indian film, television and stage actor who works in Hindi cinema. Early life and career Gilani was schooled at Bishop Cotton School, Shimla. He is a postgraduate from Delhi University having studied and taught English li ...

. Smith played the role of Lucky in Samuel Beckett's '' Waiting for Godot'' with Shah, Gilani, and Kenneth Desai. He then went on to do Herman Wouk's ''

'', Beckett’s '' Endgame'', ''The Odd Couple'' and several other productions. Smith then worked with

Satyadev Dubey Satyadev Dubey (13 July 1936 – 25 December 2011) was an Indian theatre director, actor, playwright, screenwriter & film director. He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1971. He won the 1978 National Film Award for Best Scr ...

in Hindi productions such as ''Sambogh Se Sanyas Tak''. By 1998, he also began working extensively with Lilette Dubey’s PrimeTime Theatre in productions such as ''On a Muggy Night in Mumbai'', ''Zenkatha'', ''Sammy'', ''August: Osage County'' and "Gauhar" about the life of Gauhar Jaan. These plays toured both

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

and various cities in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

, UK and Europe, South-East

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

. Smith also played key roles in numerous other productions such as

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian Anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India du ...

in ''Letters to a Daughter from Prison'' (directed by

Vijaya Mehta Vijaya Mehta (born 4 November 1934), is a noted Indian Marathi film and theatre director and also an actor in many films from the Parallel Cinema. She is a founder member of Mumbai-based theatre group, Rangayan with playwright Vijay Tendulkar ...

and based on the 1984 publication of Nehru's letters), Jesus in ''

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...

'' in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

, Vali and Vibishan in ''The Legend of Ram'', Judge Brack in ''

Hedda Gabler ''Hedda Gabler'' () is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The world premiere was staged on 31 January 1891 at the Residenztheater in Munich. Ibsen himself was in attendance, although he remained back-stage. The play has been ca ...

'', and the solo performer in four monologues written and directed by Zubin Driver in ''Mumbai vs Mumbai''. In 2007, Smith joined All Star Artists for the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

style musical production ''

The Merchants of Bollywood The Merchants of Bollywood is an Australian musical written and directed by Toby Gough. The show is about the history of the Bollywood film industry, and it is named after Hiralalji Merchant and his grand daughter Vaibhavi Merchant, two notable I ...

'' – written and directed by Toby Gough and choreographed by

Vaibhavi Merchant Vaibhavi Merchant (born 17 December 1975) is an Indian dance choreographer working in Bollywood films. She won National Film Award for Best Choreography for the song ''Dholi Taaro Dhol Baaje'' from ''Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam'' in 1999. Career ...

– in the lead role of the grandfather, Shantilal, and then later a double role that of "a splendidly-mustachioed narrator" and the sleazy Bollywood director Tony Bakshi. There were 600 shows between 2007 and 2009 in the UK, Europe and

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

. and he reprised his role for a run in the UK and Lebanon in 2016. In 2017, Smith re-joined director Toby Gough, choreographer Shruti Merchant and team as the voice of Raj Pakoda in the light-hearted dance musical

Taj Express The Taj Express was started in 1964 to serve tourists traveling from Delhi to Agra. It reduced the traveling time from over three hours to around two and a half hours. Taj Express was started along the lines of Deccan Queen- which ran as a hig ...

. In 2020, along with Sonali Kulkarni and Shernaz Patel, he led the cast in the role of Superintendent Daniel D'Mello in the classic Whodunnit '' The Mirror Crack'd'' by

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fiction ...

, adapted by Rachel Wagstaff in an Indian version by Ayeesha Menon, directed by the British director Melly Still and produced by international theatre producer Pádraig Cusack, staged at the Jamshed Bhabha Theatre at the

National Centre for the Performing Arts (India) The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) is a multi-venue, multi-purpose cultural centre in Mumbai, India, which aims to promote and preserve India's heritage of music, dance, theatre, film, literature and photography. It also presents ...

in Mumbai. In addition to his acting career, Smith also regularly curates theatre programming at

Celebrate Bandra Celebrate Bandra is the biennial cultural festival of Bandra, Mumbai that showcases the best the suburb has to offer in heritage, music, sport, theatre, literature & poetry, food, art and film. It is an initiative of the Celebrate Bandra Trust a ...

In film

Smith has worked in a range of independent,

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" ...

and international film productions. One of Smith’s early films was ''

Mango Soufflé ''Mango Soufflé'' is a 2002 Indian film written and directed by Mahesh Dattani. The film stars Atul Kulnani and Rinkie Khanna. It was promoted as "first gay male film from India" and was adapted from Dattani's own successful English play ''On ...

'' (2002), an adaptation of Mahesh Dattani’s successful English stage play ''On a Muggy Night in Mumbai'', which was centered around the lives of gay men in Mumbai. The film starring Atul Kulkarni, Rinkie Khanna, Heeba Shah and Ankur Vikal, was promoted as "first gay male film from India." He is known for roles such as the Tibetan monk Lama Norbu in '' Paap'' (2003), directed by Pooja Bhatt and starring John Abraham, and as Tenzing in the film '' Frozen'' (2007), based in

Leh Leh () ( lbj, ) is the joint capital and largest city of Ladakh, a union territory of India. Leh, located in the Leh district, was also the historical capital of the Kingdom of Ladakh, the seat of which was in the Leh Palace, the former ...

and

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu a ...

. Among the many independent films he has worked in are ''Shobhayatra'' (2004), where he played

, ''The Memsahib'' (2006), ''

Mumbai Salsa ''Mumbai Salsa'' is a 2007 Bollywood film directed by Manoj Tyagi. Plot Four pairs who meet accidentally in a Mumbai bar called Mumbai Salsa and get hooked on each other for life. The film captures the urban qualities of life and love. Maya C ...

'' (2007), ''

Chase Chase or CHASE may refer to: Businesses * Chase Bank, a national bank based in New York City, New York * Chase Aircraft (1943–1954), a defunct American aircraft manufacturing company * Chase Coaches, a defunct bus operator in England * Chase C ...

'' (2010), '' Lamhaa'' (2010), ''

Impatient Vivek ''Impatient Vivek'' is a 2011 Hindi language romantic comedy film, directed by Rahat Kazmi and produced by Ashok Chauhan & Malvee S. It released under the Search Film banner. The film was the first Bollywood release of 2011, alongside No One K ...

'' (2011), ''Tripura'' (2011),

Ajita Suchitra Veera Ajita Suchitra Veera is an Indian film director, writer, illustrator, photographer, and film producer. Veera is best known for a highly visual, grand, epic, cinematic style, with unconventional narrative structures breaking form, blending realit ...

's ''Ballad of Rustom'' (2012), '' John Day'' (2013), and ''Dad... Hold My Hand!'' (2015). In 2017, Smith played the role of the Principal in the Marathi film ''

Manjha ''Manjha'' is a 2017 Indian Marathi-language psychological drama film, directed by Jatin Wagle and produced by Trilok Malhotra and KR Harish under the banner of India Stories Productions. It was released on 21 July 2017. Plot The story is set i ...

'' (2017), directed by Jatin Wagle. Recent films include Ritesh Batra's ''Photograph'', which premiered at

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...

in February 2019. He's also been featured in many Bollywood films such as '' Ek Ajnabee'' (2005) with

Arjun Rampal Arjun Rampal (born 26 November 1972) is an Indian actor, model, film producer and television personality who works in Hindi films. He made his acting debut in Rajiv Rai's romance film '' Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat'' (2001) and has since gone on t ...

Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...

and Parizaad Zorabian, '' Zid'' (2014) and ''

Bombay Velvet ''Bombay Velvet'' is a 2015 Indian period crime thriller film directed and co-produced by Anurag Kashyap, based on historian Gyan Prakash's book '' Mumbai Fables''. It stars Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Karan Johar in lead roles, with Kay ...

'' (2015) directed by

Anurag Kashyap Anurag Kashyap (born 10 September 1972) is an Indian filmmaker and actor known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards. For his contributions to film, the Government of France awa ...

with

Anushka Sharma Anushka Sharma (; born 1 May 1988) is an Indian actress and former producer who works in Hindi films. She has received several awards, including a Filmfare Award. One of the highest-paid actresses in India as of 2018, she has appeared in '' F ...

and Ranbir Kapoor, Kabir Khan's ''

Phantom Phantom may refer to: * Spirit (animating force), the vital principle or animating force within all living things ** Ghost, the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear to the living Aircraft * Boeing Phantom Ray, a stealthy unm ...

'' (2015) with

Saif Ali Khan Saif Ali Khan (; born Sajid Ali Khan Pataudi; 16 August 1970) is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi films. Part of the Pataudi family, he is the son of actress Sharmila Tagore and cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. Khan ...

and

Katrina Kaif Katrina Kaif (; born Katrina Turquotte; 16 July 1983) is a British actress who works in Hindi-language films. One of the highest-paid actresses in India, she has received accolades, including four Screen Awards and four Zee Cine Awards, in a ...

. Smith appeared in the crime drama Baazaar (2018), as the Manipuri militant leader in Disney's ''

Jagga Jasoos ''Jagga Jasoos'' () is a 2017 Indian Hindi-language musical adventure comedy film written and directed by Anurag Basu, and produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur, Basu and Ranbir Kapoor. It stars Kapoor and Katrina Kaif, and tells the story of a tee ...

'' (2018), the emergency period action film '' Baadshaho'' (2017), comedy ''

Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi ''Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi'' (; ) is a 2018 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed by Mudassar Aziz and produced by Aanand L. Rai and Krishika Lulla. The film is a sequel to the 2016 film ''Happy Bhag Jayegi''. It stars Diana Penty as t ...

'' (2018) and as a detective in the mystery thriller ''Badla'' directed by Sujoy Ghosh and starring

and

Taapsee Pannu Taapsee Pannu (born 1 August 1987) is an Indian actress who works primarily in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil films. She is the recipient of three Filmfare Awards. After a brief modelling career, Pannu ventured into acting with the Telugu film ''J ...

. Upcoming work includes Bell Bottom (2021 film) with

Akshay Kumar Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia (born 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian-born naturalised Canadian Quote: "(Former prime minister Stephen) Harper campaigned in 2011 alongside one of Modi's biggest celebrity backer ...

, which was filmed in Scotland under COVID restrictions and Penthouse with

Bobby Deol Vijay Singh Deol (born 27 January 1967) popularly known as Bobby Deol, is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema and web series. A member of the Deol family, he is the younger son of veteran actor Dharmendra. His accolades include a Filmf ...

. Smith has featured in several international productions that have achieved both critical and commercial success – '' One Night with the King'' (2007) with

Omar Sharif Omar Sharif ( ar, عمر الشريف ; born Michel Yusef Dimitri Chalhoub , 10 April 193210 July 2015) was an Egyptian actor, generally regarded as one of his country's greatest male film stars. He began his career in his native country in the ...

and Peter O’Toole, '' The Lunchbox'' (2013) with Irrfan Khan, '' The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'' (2011) and '' The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'' (2015) with

Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Regarded as one of Britain's best actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her ...

Maggie Smith Dame Margaret Natalie Smith (born 28 December 1934) is an English actress. With an extensive career on screen and stage beginning in the mid-1950s, Smith has appeared in more than sixty films and seventy plays. She is one of the few performer ...

Dev Patel Dev Patel (; born 23 April 1990) is a British actor. His breakthrough came in 2008 with the leading role of Jamal Malik in Danny Boyle's drama ''Slumdog Millionaire'', for which Patel was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Lead ...

Bill Nighy William Francis Nighy (; born 12 December 1949) is an English actor. Nighy started his career with the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool and made his London debut with the Royal National Theatre starting with '' The Illuminatus!'' in 1977. There he ...

and directed by

John Madden John Earl Madden (April 10, 1936 – December 28, 2021) was an American football coach and sports commentator in the National Football League (NFL). He served as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 1969 to 1978, who he led to eight pl ...

and ''

'' (2016), a

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

original release sex comedy, directed by Qaushiq Mukherjee, written by Naman Ramachandran with

Shashank Arora Shashank Arora (born 21 February 1991) is an Indian actor and musician. He is known for his roles in '' Titli'' (2014), '' Brahman Naman'' (2016), Moothon (2019) and ''Made in Heaven'' (2019). He is the only Indian actor to have two films comp ...

. Smith's most prominent international films include

Christopher Nolan Christopher Edward Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British-American filmmaker. Known for his lucrative Hollywood blockbusters with complex storytelling, Nolan is considered a leading filmmaker of the 21st century. His films have grossed $5&nb ...

with

John David Washington John David Washington (born July 28, 1984) is an American actor and former professional football player. He played college football at Morehouse College and signed with the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2006. Professionally, Wash ...

and

Robert Pattinson Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson (born 13 May 1986) is an English actor. Known for starring in both big-budget and independent films, Pattinson has ranked among the world's highest-paid actors. In 2010, ''Time'' magazine named him one of the 10 ...

, where Smith plays Sanjay Singh husband of arms dealer played by

Dimple Kapadia Dimple Kapadia (born 8 June 1957) is an Indian actress predominantly appearing in Hindi films. Born and raised in Mumbai by wealthy parents, she aspired to become an actress from a young age and received her first opportunity through her fathe ...

and Gurinder Chadha's ''Viceroy's House'' on India's partition in 1947 in which he plays the role of

Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (, ; born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 1876 – 11 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the ...

On television, radio and voice

Smith has acted in many Indian television serials as well as international tele-series. Prominent ones include ITV's Beecham House which is Gurinder Chadha's Indian period piece, Netflix's "

" directed by Richie Mehta on the Nirbhaya gang rape tragedy, renewed for Season 2. Smith also played the therapist in Amazon Prime's sitcom '' Mind the Malhotras'' (2019) and "

P.O.W.- Bandi Yuddh Ke ''P.O.W. - Bandi Yuddh Ke'' is an Indian political thriller television series developed by Nikkhil Advani, and is loosely based on the Israeli drama ''Hatufim''. The series premiered 7 November 2016 on Star Plus. The show was featured at MAMI ...

" (2016-2017) on

Star Plus StarPlus is an Indian Hindi language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star (formerly ''Star India''), a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India. The network's programming consists of family dramas, comedi ...

for which he won 2017

Indian Television Academy Awards The Indian Television Academy Awards, also known as the ''ITA Awards'', is an annual award ceremony organised by the Indian Television Academy to honour excellence in Hindi-language television. Ceremonies Categories Popular Awards * ITA Aw ...

Best Actor in a Negative Role. In 2019,

and BBC cast Smith to play the father of serial killer Charles Sobhraj in their eight-part series ''The Serpent''. Smith is also in an episode of " Made in Heaven (TV Series)" (2019) on

Amazon Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service of Amazon offered as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Prime subscription. The service pr ...

, '' C.I.D.'' (1997-2013) on

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

, '' Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin'' (2012-2014), ''Hansa: A Love Story'', '' Rishtey'' and ''

Time Bomb 9/11 ''Time Bomb 9/11'' or just ''Time Bomb'' was a Hindi political thriller that aired on Zee TV from 20 June 2005 to 28 November 2005. It used to air every Monday at 10:00pm, and the show had a similar format to " 24". The story focuses on Osama ...

'' on

Zee TV Zee TV (stylised as ZEE TV) is a Hindi general entertainment pay television Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to subscription-ba ...

, The Sword of Tipu Sultan (1990) on

Doordarshan Doordarshan (abbreviated as DD; Hindi: , ) is an Indian public service broadcaster founded by the Government of India, owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and one of Prasar Bharati's two divisions. One of India's largest b ...

, '' The Return of Sandokan'' on Italian National TV, and '' Samvidhaan: The Making of the Constitution of India'' (2014) produced by Rajya Sabha TV and directed by

Shyam Benegal Shyam Benegal (born 14 December 1934) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and documentary filmmaker. Often regarded as the pioneer of parallel cinema, he is widely considered as one of the greatest filmmakers post 1970s. He has received ...

. Smith regularly lends his voice for various radio dramas, documentaries and advertisements. His voice has been featured in ''Tiger's Eye'' and ''The Mrichhakatikaa'' for BBC Radio, and on Personality Hour for Times FM. Has also dubbed in Hindi feature films like ''

Hanuman Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and on ...

'', ''

House of Flying Daggers ''House of Flying Daggers'' (Chinese: 十面埋伏) is a 2004 ''wuxia'' romance film directed by Zhang Yimou and starring Andy Lau, Zhang Ziyi and Takeshi Kaneshiro. Unlike other ''wuxia'' films, it is more of a love story than purely a mar ...

'', ''The Boolean Conspiracy'', '' Up'', '' Bolt'', '' James and the Giant Peach'', ''

Amar Chitra Katha Amar Chitra Katha (ACK Comics) is an Indian publisher of Indian comics and graphic novels. Most of its comics are based on religious legends and epics, historical figures and biographies, folktales and cultural stories. The company was founded ...

'', '' A Bugs Life'', ''Shoot at Sight'', ''Making of The Mahatma'', ''

Kung Fu Hustle ''Kung Fu Hustle'' ( zh, c=功夫, l=Kung Fu) is a 2004 Cantonese-language action comedy film directed, produced, co-written by, and starring Stephen Chow. The film tells the story of a murderous neighbourhood gang, a poor village with unlik ...

'' and ''Red Cliff''. He has done and several voiceovers for commercials, corporate films and documentaries.

Media and events

Smith’s love of music –

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

in particular – has translated into being a regular host of jazz festivals, music and other events. He regularly hosts Jazz tribute concerts on

International Jazz Day International Jazz Day is an International Day declared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 2011 "to highlight jazz and its diplomatic role of uniting people in all corners of the globe." It is celebrated ...

at the National Centre for the Performing Arts and Blue Frog in Mumbai. He also co-hosted the META awards in 2014 with

Perizaad Zorabian Perizaad Zorabian is an Indian actress. Her film debut was with Nagesh Kukunoor's '' Bollywood Calling'' and she gained international recognition for her role as Jenny in Subhash Ghai's '' Joggers' Park'' (2003). Early life Zorabian was born t ...

. Smith has been involved in charities such as Avehi Abacus. He also conducts voice workshops in theatre institutes and colleges in India.

Producer

Bombay Jazz - A play by StageSmith Productions

Smith founded Stagesmith Productions in 2006 with an aim to produce Indian English Theatre rooted in homegrown narratives. Its first production, titled ''Jazz'', starred actor Bhargava Krishna, saxophonist Rhys D’souza, and featured musical compositions by Merlin D’Souza. The play opened to a full-house at the

Prithvi Theatre Prithvi Theatre is one of Mumbai's best known theatres. It was built by Shashi Kapoor and his wife Jennifer Kapoor in memory of Prithviraj Kapoor, Shashi's father, who had dreamt of having a "home" for his repertory theatre company, Prithvi ...

Festival in 2007, and won a 'Best Actor' award for Krishna at the Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards in 2008. The play has also been credited with laying the seed for Fernandes' now-iconic book on the history of

music in

and

Goan Goans ( kok, गोंयकार, Romi Konkani: , pt, Goeses) is the demonym used to describe the people native to Goa, India, who form an ethno-linguistic group resulting from the assimilation of Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Indo-Portuguese, and ...

musicians in Bombay’s film industry – ''Taj Mahal Foxtrot: The Story of Bombay’s Jazz Age''. In 2015, StageSmith revived ''Jazz'', and renamed it ''Bombay Jazz'' with Smith himself playing the mentor – an amalgamation of jazz musicians Sebastian D’Souza, Chris Perry, Micky Correa,

Chic Chocolate Chic Chocolate (1916 – May 1967) born Antonio Xavier Vaz, was a Goan trumpeter who led a Jazz band at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Bombay and was one of Bombay's best known jazz musicians. He was also a Hindi film music composer and played trumpet in ...

(also known as

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and Singing, vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and se ...

of India) Frank Fernand and

Anthony Gonsalves Anthony Prabhu Gonsalves (12 June 1927 – 18 January 2012) was an Indian musical composer, music arranger and teacher born in the village of Majorda (near Margao in Portuguese Goa), His father, Jose Antonio Gonsalves, was a choirmaster at ...

– with saxophonist Rhys Sebastian D’Souza playing the mentee. In 2016, StageSmith created a new production "Poetrification" dubbed as "Your moment to get smashed by some poetry & music." In the performance, Denzil Smith, Danish Husain, and a musician craft a performance of poetry, music, and banter. Denzil performs pieces by English poets from the sub-continent -

Dom Moraes Dominic Francis Moraes (19 July 1938 – 2 June 2004) was an Indian writer and poet who published nearly 30 books in English. He is widely seen as a foundational figure in Indian English literature. His poems are a meaningful and substantial ...

, AK Ramanujan,

Jeet Thayil Jeet Thayil (born 1959) is an Indian poet, novelist, librettist and musician. He is the author of several poetry collections, including ''These Errors Are Correct'' (2008), which won the Sahitya Akademi Award. His first novel, '' Narcopolis,'' ( ...

, Arundhathi Subramaniam - while Danish recites Urdu poets -

Ghalib ) , birth_date = , birth_place = Kala Mahal, Agra, Maratha Confederacy , death_date = , death_place = Gali Qasim Jaan, Ballimaran, Chandni Chowk, Delhi, British India , occupation = Poet , language ...

, Noon Meem Rashed, Faiz,

Zehra Nigah Zehra Nigah ( ur, ) is an Urdu poet and scriptwriter from Pakistan. She was one of two female poets to gain prominence in the 1950s when the scene was dominated by men. She has written several television drama serials. She has also received vario ...

Afzal Ahmed Syed Afzal Ahmed Syed (افضال احمد سيد) is a contemporary Urdu poet and translator, known for his mastery of both classical and modern Urdu poetic expression. Born in Ghazipur, India, in 1946, Afzal Ahmed Syed has lived since 1976 in Karachi ...

. Through this, Adil Manuel or Beven Fonesca weave words with music.

Filmography

Dubbing roles

Animated series

Live action films

References

External links

Denzil Smith's Official Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Denzil Indian male film actors Living people 1960 births