Parminder Nagra
Birth name	Parminder Kaur Nagra
Born	October 5, 1975 (1975-10-05) (age 31) Leicester, England
Notable roles	Jesminder Bhamra in Bend It Like Beckham Dr. Neela Rasgotra in ER

Parminder Kaur Nagra (Punjabi: ਪਰਮਿੰਦਰ ਕੌਰ ਨਾਗਰਾ) (born October 5, 1975 in Leicester, England) is an English actress of Indian descent. is the 278th day of the year (279th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... Leicester city centre, looking towards the Clock Tower Leicester (pronounced ) is the largest city and unitary authority in the English East Midlands. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the  United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total 130... Bend It Like Beckham is a British film released in 2002 in the UK and released in America in March 2003. ... Dr. Neela Rasgotra is a fictional medical doctor portrayed by Parminder Nagra on the television show ER. Spoiler warning: (The status of spoiler warnings is being discussed at this Request for Comment. ... ER is a long-running, Emmy Award winning American serial medical drama created by novelist Michael Crichton and set primarily in the emergency room of fictional County General Hospital in Cook County, Chicago, Illinois. ... “Punjabi” redirects here. ... is the 278th day of the year (279th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Leicester city centre, looking towards the Clock Tower Leicester (pronounced ) is the largest city and unitary authority in the English East Midlands. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the  United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total 130... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the  United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total 130... Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ...

Biography

Early life

Nagra was born to Sikh parents who immigrated to the UK from the Punjab region of northern India in the late 1960s. She is affectionately known as "Mindi". Her middle name, meaning "Princess," is traditionally given to Sikh women (Sikh men traditionally have the middle name "Singh."). Her family background was decidedly working class. Her father, Sukha, a factory worker, is believed to have separated from her mother, Nashuter, a packer in a factory, when Parminder was a child. Parminder, her two younger brothers, and her younger sister were raised in a small terrace house in the Belgrave district of Leicester by her mother and stepfather, who worked as a bookkeeper at a cousin's transport company. Religions Sikhism Scriptures Guru Granth Sahib Languages English, Punjabi] A Sikh (English: or ; Punjabi: , , IPA: ) is an adherent to Sikhism. ... , This article is about the Indian state of Punjab. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... The term working class is used to denote a social class. ... Belgrave is an area in northern Leicester, England. ... Leicester city centre, looking towards the Clock Tower Leicester (pronounced ) is the largest city and unitary authority in the English East Midlands. ... It has been suggested that Online bookkeeping be merged into this article or section. ...

At the age of seven, Nagra suffered a burn that resulted in the scar shown in her 2002 breakout role in the internationally acclaimed film Bend It Like Beckham. While preparing a meal, a gas stove set her trousers alight. She was taken into the bathroom by an uncle and immersed in cold water. However, when the trouser fabric was removed, it took skin with it, resulting in a large scar on her right leg. The story was included into the film to explain the burn of Parminder's character (in the movie stating she was burned while making beans and toast). This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Bend It Like Beckham is a British film released in 2002 in the UK and released in America in March 2003. ...

Nagra attended Northfield House Primary School in Leicester. And it was at her comprehensive school, Soar Valley College, where she played viola in the youth orchestra and also appeared in her first theatrical productions. The viola (French, alto; German Bratsche) is a bowed string instrument. ...

In 1991, at the age of 16, Nagra took a job as an usher at the Leicester Haymarket Theatre, ostensibly to watch and learn from the local talent. Her former boss recalls her as brilliant, polite, and very sweet, but also that she was quiet, giving no hints as to her future rise to stardom.

"Falling into acting"

Not long after leaving school, and only a few months after sitting her A-levels, Nagra was approached by Jez Simons, her former drama instructor, about becoming part of Hathi Productions, a leading Leicester-based British Indian theatre company, for which he served as the artistic director. She accepted and was cast as a chorus member in the 1994 musical Nimai presented at the Leicester Haymarket. Only a week into rehearsals, she was plucked from the chorus to take the place of the lead actress who had dropped out. Simons recalls that Nagra, while a good singer and actress, had an intangible quality that raised her above other actresses and that led him to select her as the new lead. Nagra sometimes describes herself as having "fallen into" acting due to this unexpected turn of events. The A-level, short for Advanced Level, is a General Certificate of Education qualification in the United Kingdom, usually taken by students in the final two years of secondary education (commonly called the Sixth Form), or in College (not to be mistaken with the college term some countries such as...

The London years

Before she turned twenty, Nagra had left Leicester for London, forgoing university to pursue a theatrical career and her childhood dreams of becoming an actress. After selling her prized viola, she found herself living alone in Peckham, south London, employed in a stocktaking job and struggling to find theatrical work. This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... The viola (French, alto; German Bratsche) is a bowed string instrument. ... Peckham is an area of London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, located 3. ...

Nagra’s first London theatrical job came in 1994 when she was cast as the Princess in Sleeping Beauty, a Christmas-time pantomime production at the Theatre Royal Stratford East. Although most critics seemed rather unimpressed with the show, Nagra’s performance is notable in that she was a woman of colour portraying a traditionally white character. Sir Edward Burne-Jones painted The Sleeping Beauty. ...

After Sleeping Beauty, Nagra worked with small Indian theatre companies such as Tara Arts and Tamasha. The roles marked the first of many early career opportunities in theatre that led eventually to the radio and television appearances that also defined her career throughout most of the 1990s.

In 1996, Nagra took a small part in Fair Ladies at a Game of Poem Cards, written by Chikamatsu Monzaemon and performed at Cottesloe, Royal National Theatre. It was there that she met Irish actor Kieran Creggan, with whom she later moved into a flat in Kennington, south London. Their relationship continued for five years. Statue of Chikamatsu Monzaemon at Amagasaki, Hyogo Chikamatsu Monzaemon (Japanese: 近松門左衛門; real name Sugimori Nobumori, 杉森信盛, 1653–6 January 1725) was a Japanese dramatist of jōruri, the form of puppet theater that later came to be known as bunraku, and the live-actor drama, kabuki. ...

Although lacking formal theatrical training, Nagra signed on with veteran London-based agent Joan Brown, after which she began to land her first television roles — a bit part on the British medical drama Casualty, where she played a girl attacked with a broken bottle, and a small role in the television movie King Girl in which Nagra portrayed an abusive member of a girls' gang. Casualty is a long-running BBC television drama serial, first broadcast in 1986 and transmitted on BBC One. ...

In 1997, Nagra appeared in the three-part drama Turning World, starring Roshan Seth. The following year she appeared on Casualty for the second time. Roshan Seth Roshan Seth (born 17 August 1942) is a British Indian actor. ...

The year 1999 saw her playing the part of a convenience store clerk in the television movie Donovan Quick, starring Colin Firth. Also of note are appearances on the British Sub-continent comedy shows Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars at No. 42. Colin Andrew Firth (born 10 September 1960) is an English actor. ... Goodness Gracious Me is a BBC English language Sketch comedy show originally on BBC Radio 4 and later televised on BBC Two (comprising of three seasons running from from 1996 to 1998) based on four British Asian actors: Sanjeev Bhaskar, Kulvinder Ghir, Meera Syal and Nina Wadia. ... The Kumars at No. ...

While slowly building a reputation on British television, Nagra also dabbled in radio, with parts in, among others, radio plays written by noted author and playwright Tanika Gupta. In 1998, Nagra was part of Dancing Girls of Lahore, a radio play co-written by her future Bend It Like Beckham co-star, Shaheen Khan. In 2001, Nagra provided the voice of a Muslim girl in Arena: The Veil, a docu-drama about women who choose to wear the Muslim head scarf. Tanika Gupta is a British playwright of Bengali origin. ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ...

Although Nagra had cut her teeth in television and, to a lesser extent, in radio, her stage performances are perhaps the most noteworthy element in her corpus of work during her London years. Not long after the aforementioned Fair Ladies at a Game of Poem Cards, Nagra was cast in 1997's Oh Sweet Sita, an adaptation of Indian lore about Rama and his dutiful wife Sita. Rama ( in IAST, in Devanāgarī) or Ramachandra is a legendary or historical king of ancient India. ... Lord Rama (center) with wife Sita, brother Lakshmana and devotee Hanuman. ...

Starring in the title role of Sita, Nagra caught the attention of director Gurinder Chadha, who would later write the script for Bend It Like Beckham with Nagra in mind for the lead role. Although Chadha was charmed by Nagra, it would be five more years before the spectacular results of their collaboration would materialize. Image:Gurinder Chadha. ... Bend It Like Beckham is a British film released in 2002 in the UK and released in America in March 2003. ...

Nagra's other notable stage roles during this period are many and include appearances in Skeleton (1997), with critical acclaim for her "bright-eyed vivacity" as the village girl; A Tainted Dawn (1997), playing a Hindu boy accidentally left in Pakistan and raised by a Muslim couple; Fourteen Songs, Two Weddings & A Funeral (1998), showing her skills as a romantic comedienne, also to critical acclaim; Krishna’s Lila — A Play of the Asian World (1999), as part of a five-person cast in a controversially titled piece; The Square Circle (1999), tackling the demanding role of an illiterate peasant girl who becomes a rape victim; and in River on Fire (2000), as Kiran, in a retelling of Sophocles' Antigone. A Hindu ( , Devanagari: हिन्दु), as per modern definition, is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, and the religious, philosophical and cultural system that originated in the Indian subcontinent. ... Sophocles (ancient Greek: ; 495 BC - 406 BC) was the second of three great ancient Greek tragedians. ... Antigone by Frederic Leighton, 1882 Antigone (Eng. ...

Although she was fast becoming a star on the stages of London, it was 2002's surprise blockbuster Bend It Like Beckham, Nagra’s first motion picture, that turned her into an international celebrity almost overnight. Bend It Like Beckham is a British film released in 2002 in the UK and released in America in March 2003. ...

Bend It Like Beckham

Bend It Like Beckham was directed by Gurinder Chadha, a British film director also of Indian descent. It starred Nagra, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Anupam Kher, Shaheen Khan, and Keira Knightley, for whom this film was also a career breakthrough. Bend It Like Beckham is a British film released in 2002 in the UK and released in America in March 2003. ... Image:Gurinder Chadha. ... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ... Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (born Jonathan Michael Francis OKeeffe on 27 July 1977) is an Irish actor and Golden Globe winner. ... Anupam Kher (Hindi: अनुपम खेर), born March 7, 1955, is an actor in Hindi films in India. ... Keira Christina Knightley (pronounced ;[1] born 26 March 1985) is an English[2] film and television actress. ...

The small-budget picture was a critical and financial success in the United Kingdom, eventually making the leap around the world and to the United States where it earned over $30 million at the box office, making it the highest-grossing British comedy in U.S. history. The script, conceived by Chadha with her husband Paul Mayeda Berges and Guljit Bindra, was penned especially with Nagra in mind. While initially indifferent to the game of football, Nagra found the football-centred story to be both funny and touching. She agreed to audition and eventually accepted the role. Look up Football in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

In the film, Nagra plays Jesminder (Jess) Bhamra, a teenage Sikh football player who idolizes football superstar David Beckham and defies her traditional parents to pursue her dreams of playing football. The rough parallels to Nagra’s (and Chadha's) own personal story are apparent. However, pulling off the role was no small feat considering that the then-26-year-old actress had never played football and was portraying a character nearly a decade younger than she was. An intensive ten-week training course of the game futsal, led by noted coach Simon Clifford, put Nagra through rigorous nine-hour-a-day workouts. The hard work paid off as Nagra learned to "bend" or curve the ball in flight, as she did in one particularly memorable backyard scene. In a nod to Nagra's actual life, director Chadha wrote and incorporated a scene about Nagra's scar into the film. David Beckham David Robert Joseph Beckham OBE (born May 2, 1975) is an English footballer born in Leytonstone, London. ... Futsal in Germany Futsal is an indoor version of football (soccer). ...

Nagra demonstrated that an unknown Indian actress could carry a hit film. For her efforts, the actress received much critical acclaim and professional accolades. Nagra became the first woman honoured as FIFA's "International Football Personality of the Year" and garnered no fewer than nine acting award nominations from various film organizations for her performance in Bend It Like Beckham. The International Federation of Football Association (French: ), commonly known by its acronym, FIFA, is the international governing body of association football. ...

In 2002, she was awarded the Golden Wave Award at the Bordeaux International Festival of Women in Cinema for "best actress" and later earned a Movieline Young Hollywood Award for "best breakthrough performance."

Beyond Bend It

Not long after wrapping up shooting on Bend It, Nagra appeared in another motion picture, Miramax’s fairy tale Ella Enchanted starring Anne Hathaway and co-starring Minnie Driver, Vivica A. Fox and Cary Elwes, where she was cast in the part of Areida, friend to Hathaway's title character Ella. In addition, Nagra took on two notable television roles for Channel 4—as Viola/Cesario in a multicultural version of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, and as Heere Sharma in the two-part Anglo-Indian drama Second Generation, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Jon Sen and was loosely based on the Bard’s King Lear and starred Bollywood legend Om Puri. Miramax is a Big Ten film distribution and production company. ... Ella Enchanted is a comedy-drama film and the screen adaptation of Gail Carson Levines 1997 novel of the same name. ... Anne Jacqueline Hathaway (born November 12, 1982) is an American film and stage actress. ... Minnie Driver (born Amelia Fiona J. Driver on 31 January 1971) is an Academy award nominated English actress and singer-songwriter, born in London to Ronnie Driver and his wife Gaynor. ... Vivica Anjanetta Fox (born July 30, 1964 in Indianapolis, Indiana) is a film and television actress. ... Ivan Simon Cary Elwes (born October 26, 1962) is an English actor credited as Cary Elwes, best known for his performances in The Princess Bride, Robin Hood: Men in Tights and Saw. ... It has been suggested that Channel Four Television Corporation be merged into this article or section. ... Shakespeare redirects here. ... Twelfth Night has at least three meanings: Twelfth Night (holiday), celebrated by some Christians Twelfth Night, or What You Will, a comedic play by William Shakespeare Twelfth Night (band), a progressive rock band This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share... Jon Sen is a British television and film director born in Bradford in 1973. ... King Lear and the Fool in the Storm by William Dyce (1806-1864) King Lear is based on the legend of King Lear, a legendary king of Britain, and is considered to be one of William Shakespeares greatest tragedies. ... Om Puri Om Puri (born October 18, 1950) is an Indian actor of Hindi movies. ...

Although Second Generation was a ratings flop, it was a huge critical success, earning a place in The Observer newspaper's top 10 British TV programmes of 2003. It garnered Nagra a prestigious Ethnic Multicultural Media Academy (EMMA) Award for her turn as a sexually liberated and independent-minded young Anglo-Indian woman. For the role, Nagra had to muster up the courage to do some of the steamy and passionate love scenes that she had vowed not to do as an actress. The role allowed Nagra her first opportunity to visit her ancestral homeland of India when cast members traveled to Calcutta to shoot the drama’s final scenes. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... This article is on Calcutta/Kolkata, the city. ...

Hollywood

While on a promotional junket in Los Angeles for Bend It, Nagra was informed by her agent that ER producer John Wells, a fan of Bend It Like Beckham, was interested in meeting with her. Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... ER is a long-running, Emmy Award winning American serial medical drama created by novelist Michael Crichton and set primarily in the emergency room of fictional County General Hospital in Cook County, Chicago, Illinois. ... John Wells is a theater and television producer and writer. ...

At their initial meeting, Wells floated to Nagra an offer to join the ensemble cast; she accepted immediately. In recalling the moment, she said, "I had to sit still and act professional, while all the time I just wanted to jump up and run around the room screaming." Not long after the meeting, Nagra signed a one-year contract that included an option for three additional years. Despite her new status, Nagra said, "I don't think Hollywood has changed me at all. The first thing I did when I arrived was buy chapati flour and lentils." An Indian girl baking chapatis. ...

Nagra made her first ER appearance as County General Hospital medical intern Neela Rasgotra on September 25, 2003, in season 10's premiere episode entitled, "Now What?" This was the first recurring Indian doctor role on American television. Wells adapted the character to suit Nagra, who was allowed to "keep" her own English accent in portraying the Yale-educated Anglo-Indian Neela. Nagra would go on to appear in 21 of the season’s 22 episodes, including "NICU" and "The Student," episodes in which her character was a central player. Noah Wyle, on announcing his departure from the series, described Nagra as "the future" of ER, and the media has concurred, anointing her as one of the show's "golden girls." September 25 is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the  United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total 130... “Yale” redirects here. ... Wyle (right) playing Carter on ER Noah Strausser Speer Wyle (born June 4, 1971) is a five time Emmy Award nominated American TV and Film Actor best known for his role as Dr. John Carter on the television drama ER. His last name (Wyle) is pronounced Why-Lee. Wyle was...

Nagra continues to garner professional accolades and honors. In 2004, she received a Teen Choice Award nomination for her work on ER and also had the honor of being a torch bearer as the Olympic torch passed through London on its way to the Games in Athens. In 2005 she took home an Outstanding Achievement in Acting Award from the South Asian Students' Alliance. Later on in the year, Nagra finished filming season 11 of ER and returned to her native Leicester to work on director Amit Gupta's Love in Little India in which she was cast as the female lead. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The olympic flame at the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics The Olympic Flame or Olympic Fire is a symbol of the Olympic Games. ... Athens (ancient Greek: αἱ Ἀθῆναι (plural), evolving into the modern αι Αθήναι in Greek until recently, and η Αθήνα nowadays (IPA : singular see below: Origin of the name ) is both the largest and the capital city of Greece, located in the Attica periphery. ...

She was nominated for a 2006 Asian Excellence Award, in the category of Outstanding Female Television Performance, for her work in ER. ER is a long-running, Emmy Award winning American serial medical drama created by novelist Michael Crichton and set primarily in the emergency room of fictional County General Hospital in Cook County, Chicago, Illinois. ...

Parminder Nagra was awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctors of Letters by the University of Leicester on 11 July 2007.

External links

• Parminder Nagra at the Internet Movie Database
• NBC's ER website
• Parminder Nagra Online (fansite)