Talat Hussain Warsi (18 September 1940 – 26 May 2024) was a Pakistani actor and radio host. The son of Shaista Begum, who was one of the pioneering voices of Radio Pakistan, he was called "the Pakistani Laurence Olivier" for his versatility and his later role as mentor to other actors.

Early life and education

Talat Hussain was born in Delhi, British India on 18 September 1940, his parents moving to Karachi soon after partition, where his mother Shaista Begum joined Radio Pakistan as a broadcaster. His father was a civil servant. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Islamia College and in 1972 he enrolled in the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts.

Career

1960s-1970s:Early work in radio and cinema

One of his first movies was Chiragh Jalta Raha (1962), where he played a supporting role, now considered a classic, and in 1967 he joined Radio Pakistan as a voiceover artist. He then shared the screen with some important names of Pakistan's cinema, such as Waheed Murad in Ishara (1969) or Mohammad Ali in Insaan Aur Admi (1970).

1970s-1980s:Rise to prominence through television

In the 1970s and the 1980s the country witnessed the rise of PTV television serials, Talat Hussain playing lead roles in popular serials such as Bandish (1976).

1990s-2010s:Mature character roles

In the later part of his career he used to play character roles marked by maturity, like in Kashkol (1993).

International productions

Talat Hussain worked in several foreign films, television drama serials and long plays, including the Turkish movie Malkoçolu Ölüm Fedaileri (1971), Channel Four's television serials Traffik (1989) and Family Pride (1991). In 2006, Hussain won the Amanda Award for the Best Supporting Role in the Norwegian film Import-Eksport (2005). He also appeared in the Indian film Souten Ki Beti (1989) and made a guest appearance in Jinnah (1998).

Other work

Acting teacher

As of 2012, he was a faculty member at the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) in Karachi where he taught acting. He was also the director of the Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi's theatre department.

Literature

He wrote short stories, including Sanduq and Taza Bastiyan that have been theatrically enacted by his students, and was working on novels at the time of his death. He also composed prose poetry.

Qur'anic narration

In the 1980s he recorded a narration of a translation of the Qur'an in Urdu, which remains popular.

Personal life

Hussain was married to Rakhshanda Hussain, a professor of psychology at the University of Karachi. They had three children, two daughters and one son: Tazeen, the eldest daughter, was a television actress before quitting after her wedding, while younger daughter Roohaina, has a few television plays to her credit.

Illness and death

In February 2012, Talat Hussain revealed that he had caught a skin allergy in 2010, which developed complications due to incorrect treatment by a local cosmetologist. He said "I couldn't even talk properly, let alone walk or sit after the treatment." Hussain died in Karachi on 26 May 2024, at the age of 83.

Legacy and tributes

Talat Hussain's career was recorded by the author Huma Mir in the book Yeh Hain Talat Hussain. In 2014, tributes were paid to him at an event at the Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi, by many television personalities, including playwright Haseena Moin, veteran TV actor/playwright of Alif Noon (1982) fame; Kamal Ahmed Rizvi; journalist Mazhar Abbas; and veteran TV actor Qazi Wajid.

Selected filmography

Television serials

Films

Stage

Awards and nominations

Lux Style Awards

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