Raza Jaffrey

Raza Jaffrey is the British actor who will portray Taj on ABC's Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.

Biography
Raza Jaffrey was born in Liverpool, Merseyside to an English mother and an Indian father who is a retired ship’s captain from Agra. He grew up in London, attended Dulwich College and later studied English and Drama at Manchester University with dreams of being a pilot. Raza became interested in the acting business after playing in a rock band and performing in plays at Manchester University. He went on to study at The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and take post-graduate courses. After graduating, the actor began a long stint in the theater, appearing in such shows as Romeo and Juliet, Cyrano de Bergerac, East is East, and 14 Songs, 2 Weddings and a Funeral. In 2001, he landed the role of Sky in Mamma Mia! at The Prince Edward Theatre, which was followed by his critically acclaimed lead performance in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s production of A.R. Rahman’s Bombay Dreams at London’s Apollo Theatre.

Following Bombay Dreams, Raza booked roles on a number of television productions including M.I.T.: Murder Investigation Team, Dirty War and Life Isn’t All Ha Ha Hee Hee. His big small screen break came when he was cast as Zafar “Zaf” Younis in the long-running BBC One spy drama Spooks. In addition to Mistresses and Smash, his other credits include the feature films Sex and the City 2, Bounty Hunter and Harry Brown as well as the television movies Sharpe’s Peril and Accidental Farmer and a guest spot on the NBC series, The Cape.

Raza was formerly married to Spooks co-star Miranda Raison, who he met on the set of the television drama. They married in September 2007 and separated in late 2009.

Trivia

 * Raza is licensed as pilot.
 * He created and coproduced RED, a dance show celebrating various movements and their influences from India.