Harish Patel is an Indian actor who has appeared in Bollywood and Hollywood as well. He is known for his roles in the Bollywood films Andaz Apna Apna (1994) and Mr India (1987). He is also known for his work in the Hollywood film Eternals (2021).
Wiki/Biography
Harish Patel was born on Sunday, 5 July 1953 (age 69 years; as of 2022) in Bombay, Maharashtra. His zodiac sign is Cancer. In his first theatre performance, he portrayed Sita. At the age of 7, he began portraying other male and female characters from the Hindu epic Ramayana.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 5″
Hair Colour: Dark Brown
Eye Colour: Brown
Harish Patel alongside actor Mukesh Rishi
Family
Parents & Siblings
There is not much information available about his family and siblings.
Wife & Children
Harish Patel’s wife’s name is Upma Patel, and they have a son.
Harish Patel with his wife, Upma Patel
Career
Film
Bollywood
In 1983, he made his Bollywood debut with the film ‘Mandi,’ directed by Shyam Benegal. In this film, Harish played the role of a policeman.
Harish Patel (extreme left) alongside actors Anita Kanwar, Pankaj Kapoor, and Om Puri in a still from the film Mandi (1983)
In 1987, he made a cameo appearance in the Bollywood film ‘Mr India’ in which he played the role of Roopchand and worked alongside actors Anil Kapoor, Sridevi, and Amrish Puri. In this film, Harish’s dialogue ‘Gayi bhains pani mein’ earned him massive popularity. He appeared in many Bollywood films including Maine Pyaar Kiya (1989), Shola Aur Shabnam (1992), Andaz Apna Apna (1994), Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha (1998), and Pyaar Mein Twist (2005).
Hollywood
In 1997, he made his Hollywood debut with the film ‘My Son the Fanatic’ in which he played the role of Fizzy Parvez’s best friend. In 2021, Harish appeared as Karun Patel in the American superhero film based on Marvel Comics titled Eternals. In this film, he worked alongside actors Angelina Jolie and Kumail Nanjiani.
Harish Patel as Karun Patel on the official poster of the film Eternals (2021)
In 2007, actor-director David Schwimmer cast Harish Patel in an English- language comedy film titled Run Fatboy Run in which Harish played the role of Mr Ghosh Dastidar.
Harish Patel as Mr. Ghosh Dastidar in a still from the film Run Fatboy Run (2007)
TV shows
In 1986, he made his television debut with the series titled Malgudi Days in which he played the role of Gopinath in episode 4 of season 1.
Harish Patel as Gopinath in a still from the TV series ‘Malgudi Days’ (1986)
In 2009, he played the role of Dev Alahan in the British soap opera titled Coronation Street. Apart from this, Harish also appeared in English-language TV series including Mr Stink (2012), Gangsta Granny (2013), The Boy in the Dress (2014), and Billionaire Boy (2016). In 2019, he appeared as Haroon Khan in the American mini-series titled Four Weddings and a Funeral.
Harish Patel as Haroon Khan in a still from the series ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’ (2019)
Theatre & Plays
In 1995, he joined the Indian National Theatre and appeared in the play Neela Kamra. He has worked in many popular plays such as Pinter’s The Caretaker, Sartre’s No Exit, Camus’ Cross Purpose, Ionesco’s The Lesson, and Mrozek’s Vatzlav. In 2007, he played the lead role, Eeshwar Dutt, in an English comedy play titled ‘Rafta, Rafta…,’ which was written by Ayub Khan-Din.
I got a chance to rekindle my first love, which is theatre. I did a play, Rafta Rafta, at Royal National Theatre, then went on to do several TV shows.”
Facts/Trivia
- Before appearing in films, Harish Patel worked as an Export manager.
- Unaware of Harish’s Hollywood venture, many people considered Harish Patel to be dead. In an interview, while talking about this, Harish said,
Ever since people saw me in the trailer of the film, Eternals, they started talking about me. All of a sudden, I became a talking point. But before that, I had heard that people just assumed that men duniya mein nahi raha. I am no more.”
- In an interview, Harish admitted that until he was cast to act in the film Eternals (2021), he never watched any film from the Marvel series.
To tell you the truth, I’d never seen their films. I’d maybe seen one of Angelina’s movies, but I didn’t watch all of it; I can’t sit for long periods. I’d only heard of them. I was called in for a table read immediately after my audition, and all these stars were there, except Angelina. They were all there. It felt like I was a part of the family from day one.”
- Harish is a member of the Cine & TV Artists Association of India, Mumbai.
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
