Dino Shafeek (born Gholam D. Shafeek, 21 March 1930 – 10 March 1984) was a

British Bangladeshi British Bangladeshis () are citizens or residents of the United Kingdom whose ancestral roots are from Bangladesh. Bengali Muslims have prominently been migrating to the UK since World War II. Migration reached its peak during the 1970s, with ...

actor specialising in comedy films. Born and raised in

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

, he moved to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in 1958 and appeared in several

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

s during the 1970s and early 1980s. He is best remembered for playing the part of Chai Wallah Muhammed in the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

sitcom ''

It Ain't Half Hot Mum ''It Ain't Half Hot Mum'' is a British television sitcom about a Royal Artillery concert party based in Deolali in British India and the fictional village of Tin Min in Burma, during the final months of the Second World War. It was written by ...

'' and the role of Ali Nadim in ITV sitcom ''

Mind Your Language ''Mind Your Language'' was a British sitcom that premiered on ITV in 1977. It was produced by London Weekend Television and directed by Stuart Allen. Three series were made by London Weekend Television between 1977 and 1979, and it was briefly ...

''.

Career

Shafeek was involved with amateur theatre in

, then East Pakistan and, after emigrating to England in 1958, enrolled at the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a music school, music and drama school located in the City of London, England. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz al ...

. His first film role was as 'Akbar' in the film ''

The Long Duel ''The Long Duel'' is a 1967 British adventure film directed by Ken Annakin and starring Yul Brynner, Trevor Howard, Charlotte Rampling and Harry Andrews. It is set in British-ruled India of the 1920s but was filmed in Spain. Plot Superintende ...

'' (1967), starring

Yul Brynner Yuliy Borisovich Briner (; July 11, 1920 – October 10, 1985), known professionally as Yul Brynner (), was a Russian-born actor. He was known for his portrayal of King Mongkut in the Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical ''The King and I'' (19 ...

''It Ain't Half Hot Mum''

'' is a

comedy series written by

Jimmy Perry James Perry (20 September 1923 – 23 October 2016) was an English scriptwriter and actor. He devised and co-wrote the BBC sitcoms ''Dad's Army'' (1968–1977), '' It Ain't Half Hot Mum'' (1974–1981), '' Hi-de-Hi!'' (1980–1988) and '' You R ...

and David Croft, the writers of ''

Dad's Army ''Dad's Army'' is a British television British sitcom, sitcom about the United Kingdom's Home Guard (United Kingdom), Home Guard during the World War II, Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft (TV producer), David Crof ...

''. Set in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

, it follows the fortunes and activities of a concert party troop attached to the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

. The series was broadcast by the BBC from 1974 to 1981 and starred

Windsor Davies Windsor Davies (28 August 1930 – 17 January 2019) was a British actor. He is best remembered for playing Battery Sergeant Major Williams in the sitcom '' It Ain't Half Hot Mum'' (1974–1981) over its entire run. The show's popularity resulted ...

as the Battery sergeant-major of the troop's barracks in

Deolali Deolali, or Devlali (), is a small hill station and a census town in Nashik district of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Now it is part of Nashik Metropolitan Region. Deolali has an important army base. Deolali Camp, one of the oldest Indian mi ...

, Bombay Presidency. Shafeek plays " Chaiwallah Muhammad", selling tea from his ever-ready urn with his catchphrase " chai garam chai (Eng. 'tea, hot tea')." He also sings the musical interludes between the scenes, which are mostly World War II-era hits accompanied by a sitar. At the end of the final credits, he starts to sing "

Land of Hope and Glory "Land of Hope and Glory" is a British patriotic song, with music by Edward Elgar, written in 1901 and with lyrics by A. C. Benson added in 1902. Composition The music to which the words of the refrain 'Land of Hope and Glory, &c' below ...

" only to be interrupted by the Sergeant-major shouting his ubiquitous ear-shattering "SHUTUPPP!!!." Muhammad was later promoted to bearer when the actor who played Rangi Ram ( Michael Bates) died after Series 5 was recorded.

''Mind Your Language''

During the run of ''It Ain't Half Hot Mum'', Shafeek played the part of student Ali Nadim in the ITV/

London Weekend Television London Weekend Television (LWT; now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV (TV network), ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm (7:00&nbs ...

sitcom ''

'' (1977–1979). Along with Barry Evans as their teacher, Ali was one of a group of people from diverse backgrounds in an

English as a Foreign Language English as a second or foreign language refers to the use of English by individuals whose native language is different, commonly among students learning to speak and write English. Variably known as English as a foreign language (EFL), Engli ...

class at a London night-school. Ali was a

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

Pakistani who had emigrated to the United Kingdom, and was frequently seen bickering with Ranjeet Singh (

Albert Moses Albert Moses KStJ (19 December 1937 – 15 September 2017) was a Sri Lankan actor based in the United Kingdom. He is best known for playing the role of Ranjeet Singh, a student in Jeremy Brown's EFL class in the British sitcom ''Mind Your Langua ...

), a

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

from

India India, officially the Republic of India, 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 by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Ali told Ranjeet he will "kick imup the Khyber" ("Khyber Pass" being

rhyming slang Rhyming slang is a form of slang word construction in the English language. It is especially prevalent among Cockneys in England, and was first used in the early 19th century in the East End of London; hence its alternative name, Cockney rhymin ...

for "arse"). As the series progresses, their relationship mellows into one of friendly and mutual supportiveness.

Other roles

Shafeek played character parts in films and TV, such as: ''

Carry On Emmannuelle ''Carry On Emmannuelle'' is a 1978 British comedy film, the 30th release in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). The film was to be the final ''Carry On'' for many regulars, including Kenneth Williams (in his 26th ''Carry On''), ...

'', ''

Minder A minder is the person assigned to guide or escort a visitor, or to provide protection to somebody, or to otherwise assist or take care of something, i.e. a person who " minds". Government-appointed persons to accompany foreign visitors are of ...

Special Branch Special Branch is a label customarily used to identify units responsible for matters of national security and Intelligence (information gathering), intelligence in Policing in the United Kingdom, British, Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, ...

'' and ''

The Onedin Line ''The Onedin Line'' is a BBC television drama series that ran from 1971 to 1980. The series was created by Cyril Abraham. The series is set in Liverpool from 1860 to 1886 and covers the rise of a fictional shipping company, the Onedin Line, nam ...

''. His last role was in '' High Road to China'' starring

Tom Selleck Thomas William Selleck (; born January 29, 1945) is an American actor. His breakout role was playing private investigator Thomas Magnum in the television series ''Magnum, P.I.'' (1980–1988), for which he received five Emmy Award nominations fo ...

Death

Shafeek died suddenly from a heart attack whilst at home, in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, with his fiancée, Leslie Didcock, on 10 March 1984, eleven days before his 54th birthday.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Discography

Albums

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shafeek, Dino 1930 births 1984 deaths Bangladeshi Biharis British Muslims Bangladeshi emigrants to England British people of Bangladeshi descent Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom Bangladeshi male television actors Bangladeshi male film actors Bangladeshi male stage actors British male television actors British male film actors British male stage actors 20th-century Bangladeshi male actors 20th-century British male actors British male comedians Muslim male comedians Male actors from Dhaka University of Dhaka alumni Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama 20th-century British comedians Urdu-speaking Bangladeshi