Leila Effat Farzad is a British actress. She is known for her role as Naomi Jones in the

Sky Atlantic Sky Atlantic is a British pay television channel owned by Sky Group, Sky Group Limited that launched in 2011 and broadcasts in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The channel airs original British-produced dramas like ''Fortitude (TV series), F ...

series ''

I Hate Suzie ''I Hate Suzie'' (stylised as ''I HATE SUZIE.'') is a British dark comedy, dark comedy-drama television series created by Lucy Prebble and Billie Piper. It was produced by Bad Wolf (production company), Bad Wolf in association with Sky Studios. ...

'' (2020–2022), which earned her a

British Academy Television Award The BAFTA TV Awards, or British Academy Television Awards, are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. They have been awarded annually since 1955. Background The first-ever Awards, given in 1 ...

nomination.

Early life and education

Leila Effat Farzad was born 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 ...

to Iranian parents. She was inspired to pursue acting by National Theatre productions her aunt took her to see; however, her parents insisted that she get a degree from

Oxbridge Oxbridge is a portmanteau of the University of Oxford, Universities of Oxford and University of Cambridge, Cambridge, the two oldest, wealthiest, and most prestigious universities in the United Kingdom. The term is used to refer to them collect ...

first. She first studied

modern languages A modern language is any human language that is currently in use as a native language. The term is used in language education to distinguish between languages which are used for day-to-day communication (such as French and German) and dead clas ...

Worcester College, Oxford Worcester College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in 1714 by the benefaction of Sir Thomas Cookes, 2nd Baronet (1648–1701) of Norgrove, Worcestershire, whose coat of arms was ad ...

, graduating with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in French and Italian Literature. She then went on to train 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 ...

, which she said "felt like home".

Career

Farzad began her career with a voice role in the third and fourth series of the Channel 5 animated children's series ''

Peppa Pig ''Peppa Pig'' is a British preschool animated television series created by Neville Astley and Mark Baker. Produced by Hasbro Entertainment and Karrot Animation and formerly produced by Astley Baker Davies, the show follows Peppa, an anthro ...

''. She made her live action television debut in an episode of the ITV police procedural '' Law & Order: UK'' and her professional stage debut as the titular role in ''Miriam. Gonzalez. Durantez.'' at Theatre503. This was followed by roles in ''Blue Remembered Hills'' at

Chichester Festival Theatre Chichester Festival Theatre is a theatre and Grade II* listed building situated in Oaklands Park in the city of Chichester, West Sussex, England. Designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, it was opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Mart ...

, the all-female ''

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

'' at the Bridge Theatre in London, ''

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward, Prince of Wales (later known as the Black Prince), and Joan, Countess of Kent. R ...

'' at

Shakespeare's Globe Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse first built in 1599 for which William Shakespeare wrote his plays. Like the original, it is located on the south bank of the River Thames, in Southwark, Lon ...

. She also appeared in the ITV anthology '' Innocent''. Farzad landed her first main role in ''

'' as Naomi Jones, Suzie's (

Billie Piper Billie Paul Piper (born Leian Paul Piper; 22 September 1982) is an English actress and former singer who is best known for her portrayal as Rose Tyler in ''Doctor Who'' (2005–2006, 2008, 2010). She initially gained recognition as a singer a ...

) manager and friend. The series was released in 2020 on

and

HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...

to critical acclaim, and Farzad was nominated for the

British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress This is a list of the British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress. The British Academy Television Awards (BAFTA TV Awards) were first presented in 1954. They are the UK equivalent to the Emmy Awards in the United States. From 195 ...

. Farzad reprised her role in ''I Hate Suzies second instalment titled ''I Hate Suzie Too'' in 2022.

nomination. Also in 2022, Farzad joined the cast of '' Avenue 5'' for its second season and appeared alongside

Josh Hartnett Joshua Daniel Hartnett (born July 21, 1978) is an American actor. He began his career on American Broadcasting Company, ABC's drama series ''Cracker (American TV series), Cracker'' (1997–1998), after which he became known as a teen idol thro ...

in '' The Fear Index'', also on Sky. In 2023, she starred in the BBC crime drama '' Better''.

Personal life

Farzad has a daughter (b. 2014) with James Maizels. In early 2023 it was reported that she was in a relationship with actor

Andrew Buchan Andrew Neil Buchan is an English actor and writer. He is known for his roles as DI James Marsh in the ITV drama '' Code of Silence'' (2025), ITV drama ''Broadchurch'' (2013–17), Scott Foster in the BBC political drama '' Party Animals'' (2 ...

Filmography

Stage

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Farzad, Leila Living people 1981 births Actresses from London People from Westminster Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama Alumni of Worcester College, Oxford 21st-century British actresses English people of Iranian descent English television actresses English voice actresses Actors from the City of Westminster