| Meryl Fernandes | |
|---|---|
 Fernandes in 2012 | |
| Born | Meryl Glynis Fernandes 1983 (age 41–42) Tower Hamlets, London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation(s) | Actress and presenter |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Known for | |
Meryl Glynis Fernandes (born 1983) is an English actress and presenter. She played Afia Masood, a love interest for Tamwar Masood (Himesh Patel) in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, originally making a guest appearance between 29 December 2009 and 5 January 2010. She returned to the role of Afia, on 18 November 2010, this time as a regular character. She departed EastEnders on 7 June 2012.
Personal life
Born in 1983 to Harold and Ghislaine Fernandes, Meryl was brought up in London and went to Trinity Catholic High School, Woodford Green. Her parents, of Indian Goan ancestry, were originally from Nairobi. Fernandes trained at Millennium Performing Arts in 2000. She is skilled in several types of dance and has kissed Tom Hardy in a play.
Career
Other than appearing in EastEnders, Fernandes has appeared Doctor Who, Demons, Minder alongside fellow EastEnders actor, Shane Richie, It's Now or Never, Clone and Dis/Connected. She has also appeared in the highly criticised YouTube series, Living With the Infidels playing 'Jot'. In stage she has appeared in The Lion of Punjab in 2006 and A Small Town Anywhere directed in 2007. In musicals she has appeared in Oliver! as a 'Workhouse Girl', in 1996 and sung in Il mondo della luna at the Royal Academy of Music in 2003. She has also appeared in a film, Ashes where she appeared as the lead role, Amisha, in 2012.
Filmography
- Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | EastEnders | Schoolgirl | 1 episode |
| 1995 | A Small Addition | ||
| 2006 | It's Now or Never | Flower Girl | |
| 2007 | Dis/Connected | Sara | |
| 2008 | Doctor Who | Head Girl | |
| 2009 | Demons | Amber Selway | |
| 2008 | Clone | Jasmine | |
| 2009 | Minder | Roxy | |
| 2009–2012 | EastEnders | Afia Masood | 110 episodes |
| 2016 | World of Weird | Presenter | |
| 2018 | Ackley Bridge | Maryam Quereshi | 2 episodes |
| 2019–present | The Dengineers | Presenter |
- Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Living with the Infidels | Jot | Main Role |
| 2010 | Ashes | Amisha |
- Theatre
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Oliver! | Workhouse Girl | Musical |
| 2003 | Sleeping Beauty | Sleeping Beauty | Stage |
| 2003 | Il Mondo Della Luna | Moon Dancer | Opera |
| 2005 | The Far Pavilions | Anjuli | Musical |
| 2006 | The Lion of Punjab | Jindan | Stage |
| 2007 | Who Asked You? | Deborah Smith | |
| 2007 | A Small Town Anywhere | The Samaritan | |
| 2007 | A Matter of Life and Death | Clerk/Nurse | |
| 2007 | The Man of Mode | Harriet |
References
- ^ "England & Wales births 1837–2006 Transcription". Find My Past. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
- Green, Kris (29 December 2009). "Amira's father Qadim arrives in Walford". Digital Spy. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
- Green, Kris (5 January 2010). "Lauren's furious to see Peter kissing Zsa Zsa". Digital Spy. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
- Kilkelly, Daniel (18 November 2010). "Billy discovers Shirley's secret". Digital Spy. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
- Kilkelly, Daniel (23 May 2012). "'EastEnders': Afia Masood to leave Walford". Digital Spy. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
- "Kat's back in the nick of time for Jean!". What's on TV. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
- ^ "The Goan Voice". 11 April 2011. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
- ^ "MERYL FERNANDES Spotlight Actresses 2010/2011". Spotlight. 2010–2011. Archived from the original on 31 May 2011. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
- "Afia Khan played by Meryl Fernandes". EastEnders. BBC. February 2011. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
- Manzoor, Sarfraz (20 August 2009). "Living with the Infidels: Can a sitcom about terrorists ever be funny?". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 11 June 2011.