Mandeep Dhillon (born 21 December 1990) is a British actress who has appeared in stage, television, film and radio productions, including the
BBC Three
BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, cur ...
comedy series ''
Some Girls
''Some Girls'' is the 14th UK and 16th US album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 9 June 1978 by Rolling Stones Records. It was recorded in sessions held between October 1977 and February 1978 at Pathé Marconi Studios in ...
'' and ''
Fried''. She featured in the British romantic comedy ''
Finding Fatimah'' in 2017, and as Constable Lizbyet Corwi in ''
The City and the City
''The City & the City'' is a novel by British author China Miéville that follows a wide-reaching murder investigation in two cities that occupy the same space simultaneously, combining weird fiction with the police procedural. It was written ...
'' in 2018. She also appears as Sandy in the
Netflix Original
Netflix is an American global Internet streaming-on-demand media provider that has distributed a number of original streaming television shows, including original series, specials, miniseries, and documentaries and films. Netflix's original pro ...
dark-comedy ''
After Life'', having previously worked with
Ricky Gervais in ''
David Brent: Life on the Road''. Since 2021, she has starred in the American crime television series ''
CSI: Vegas''.
Dhillon performed in plays at the
Bush Theatre, her first television appearance was in the TV movie ''Some Dogs Bite'' (2011), which was followed by roles in ''The Mimic'' and ''
The Thick of It
''The Thick of It'' is a British comedy television series that satirises the inner workings of British government. Written and directed by Armando Iannucci, it was first broadcast for two short series on BBC Four in 2005, initially with a smal ...
''. In 2012, she had a leading role Saz Kaur in ''Some Girls'', and in 2015, portrayed Amara in ''Fried''.
Early life
Dhillon was born on 21 December 1990
and grew up in Hertfordshire, the youngest of three children, brought up by her mother who was a
social worker.
Dhillon attended Wilbury Primary School and
Fearnhill School
Fearnhill School is a mixed secondary school and sixth form located in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, England.
Admissions
Fearnhill School (formerly Letchworth Grammar School) is a foundation comprehensive school located in Letchworth Garden Ci ...
,
Letchworth
Letchworth Garden City, commonly known as Letchworth, is a town in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. It is noted for being the first garden city. The population at the time of the 2011 census was 33,249.
Letchworth ...
.
In a 2019 interview, Dhillon said that as she was unable to afford acting lessons, she made sure that she participated in all of the school plays for experience.
She also stated that soon after starting her
A-levels
The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational au ...
, she dropped out of college, and joined a performing arts institution in London.
Dhillon said in a 2015 interview that she decided to become an actress shortly before her 19th birthday, and started emailing agencies using contact details that she found on the
Spotlight
Spotlight or spot light may refer to:
Lighting
* Spot lights, automotive auxiliary lamps
* Spotlight (theatre lighting)
* Spotlight, a searchlight
* Stage lighting instrument, stage lighting instruments, of several types
Art, entertainment, an ...
website. One of the agencies offered her a place on a workshop, following which she received an audition for ''Some Dogs Bite'' (2010),
which became her first television appearance.
Career
In 2011, Dhillon played a school student in ''The Knowledge'' at the
Bush Theatre. The production received a positive review in ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'', with Dominic Maxwell saying that "There
asnot a whiff of stage school" to the actors, including Dhillon, portraying the students.
Also in 2011, at the Bush Theatre, Dhillon appeared in ''Little Platoons'', a drama about
free schools. A radio production featuring Dhillon and the rest of the original cast was broadcast on
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
.
The following year, at the same venue, she starred in ''Repentance'', as a young Muslim woman conflicted about her romantic relationship with a non-Muslim. ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was f ...
s
Charles Spencer felt that Dhillon gave a "touching performance" in a play that "potently catches the clash between faith and sexual desire".
The ''
Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Ni ...
'' called Dhillon's performance "powerfully acted", and
Time Out said she was "luminous".
After appearances in ''The Mimic'' (2011)
and ''
The Thick of It
''The Thick of It'' is a British comedy television series that satirises the inner workings of British government. Written and directed by Armando Iannucci, it was first broadcast for two short series on BBC Four in 2005, initially with a smal ...
'' (2012),
she starred as the character Saz Kaur, a sarcastic high school student from a strict
Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
family, in ''
Some Girls
''Some Girls'' is the 14th UK and 16th US album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 9 June 1978 by Rolling Stones Records. It was recorded in sessions held between October 1977 and February 1978 at Pathé Marconi Studios in ...
'', which aired on
BBC Three
BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, cur ...
from 2012 to 2014.
Dhillon went on to appear as a guest character in seven episodes of the 2014 TV series ''
24: Live Another Day'', alongside
Kiefer Sutherland.
The low budget romantic comedy ''A Wonderful Christmas Time'' was shot over five days and released in 2014, with the actors
improvising around scripted outlines. Dhillon was in the main cast as Mandi, a friend of the lead Cherie played by
Laura Haddock
Laura Jane Haddock (born 21 August 1985) is an English actress. She is known for portraying Zoë Walker in '' White Lines'', Kacie Carter in '' Honest'', Lucrezia in '' Da Vinci's Demons'', Meredith Quill in ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' and its s ...
. ''Screen International'' described Dhillon as "impressive" in its review.
In the pilot for the comedy television series ''
Fried'', Dhillon's character was called Anal. In the main series the character's name is Amara, and she is from a wealthy family, having got a job in a fried chicken shop at the behest of her family who want her to appreciate the value of money.
Dhillon's performance as Meena in the stage adaptation of ''
Anita and Me
''Anita and Me'' is Meera Syal's debut novel, and was first published in 1996. It is a semi-autobiographical novel, based on Syal's childhood in the mining village of Essington, Staffordshire, which won the Betty Trask Award.
The story revolv ...
'', which played at the
Birmingham Repertory Theatre
Birmingham Repertory Theatre, commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England. Founded by Barry Jackson, it is the longest-established of Britain's building-based theatre ...
and then the
Theatre Royal Stratford East
The Theatre Royal Stratford East is a 460 seat Victorian producing theatre in Stratford in the London Borough of Newham. Since 1953, it has been the home of the Theatre Workshop company, famously associated with director Joan Littlewood, whose ...
in 2015,
was praised by Dominic Cavendish in ''The Daily Telegraph'' as one of the "spirited performances" given by the main cast, although he felt that the production needed further development.
Michael Billington in ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' had a similar view, giving the play a middle-rated 3 stars out of 5, whilst highlighting the "good work" done by Mandeep Dhillon and her co-star Jalleh Alizadeh.
She auditioned for
Ricky Gervais's film ''
David Brent: Life on the Road'' (2016) and won the part of a receptionist after Gervais asked her what she thought of the
David Brent
David Brent is a fictional character in the BBC television mockumentary ''The Office'', portrayed by the show's co-creator, co-writer and co-director Ricky Gervais. Brent is a white-collar office middle-manager and the principal character of ...
character and she replied "he scares me."
She appeared in the British romantic comedy film ''
Finding Fatimah'' in 2017.
Umbreen Ali in ''Asian Image'' gave the movie a positive review, saying that "the charismatic Nayna
layed by Dhillondelivers her dialogue with perfectly projected dramatic nuance."
In 2017, Dhillon played the lead role as Krishna in the short film ''Garfield''
and won the ''Actor Award'' at
Underwire Film Festival
The Underwire Film Festival is an annual event observing short films made with a major female contribution. Held in London, this film festival is dedicated to promoting and celebrating female talent across the UK television and film industry. U ...
.
Dhillon played the main character Constable Lizbyet Corwi in the four part BBC Drama ''
The City and the City
''The City & the City'' is a novel by British author China Miéville that follows a wide-reaching murder investigation in two cities that occupy the same space simultaneously, combining weird fiction with the police procedural. It was written ...
'' in 2018, alongside
David Morrissey
David Mark Joseph Morrissey (born 21 June 1964) is an English actor and filmmaker. Described by the British Film Institute as "one of the most versatile English actors of his generation", he is noted for the meticulous preparation and research h ...
who played her police partner, Inspector Tyador Borlú.
Dhillon said in a 2018 interview that she enjoyed the role and working with Morrissey, one of the reasons being that "To actually play a lead, a female lead, and to have a male cop and a female cop, and there not be any sexual tension ... we could have
bants and have that good friendship vibe." She also spoke positively of her perception that the show used
colour blind casting.
''
The Evening Standard
The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format.
In October 2009, after bei ...
'' praised Dhillon's performance, and said that she "
tood outas somehow simultaneously plucky and deadpan".
In the
black comedy
Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discu ...
series ''
After Life'' (2019–2020), Dhillon portrays Sandy, a journalist working for Tony, played by the show's creator, Gervais. The two characters form what ''Wonderland Magazine'' called "a compassionate and nurturing bond".
The pair had previously worked together on ''David Brent: Life on the Road'', and according to her account, he approached her at a Christmas Party and told her that he had written the role in ''After Life'' with her in mind.
In 2019, she was in the films ''
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'' as Lieutenant Garan,
and ''
Songbird
A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds (Passeriformes). Another name that is sometimes seen as the scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin ''oscen'', "songbird". The Passeriformes contains 5000 ...
'', a film, like ''A Wonderful Christmas Time'', that was directed by Jamie Adams and included improvisation. The reviewer of ''Songbird'' in the ''
Oxford Times
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...
'' lamented that Dhillon and the other actors were "talented performers ... saddled with such negligible roles".
She played a "cat
cleric
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
" that worships the character
Dave Lister
David "Dave" Lister, commonly referred to simply as Lister, is a fictional character from the British science fiction situation comedy '' Red Dwarf'', portrayed by Craig Charles.
Lister is characterised as a third-class technician (the lowest ...
in ''
Red Dwarf: The Promised Land'' (2020).
During the
COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, Dhillon recorded a self-written monologue titled "Letter to My Future Self" in support of an initiative to raise money for the benevolent fund of the actors' union
Equity,
and starred in a short online film, ''The Forgotten C'', based on the true story of a woman who died from
lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...
during the UK
lockdown
A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely.
The term is used for a prison ...
.
On radio, she participated in ''
Newsjack
''Newsjack'' was a British satirical sketch show which was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra between 2009 and 2021. It was hosted by Miles Jupp (2009-Mar 2011), Justin Edwards (Sep 2011-2013), Romesh Ranganathan (2014), Nish Kumar (2015-2016), ...
'' in 2017, a show that features the cast performing material sent in by the public,
and has appeared in leading roles in BBC Radio 4 dramas ''The Beard'' (2018)
and ''Freezing to Death (and How to Avoid It)'' (2020).
Filmography
Film
Television
Theatre
Radio
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dhillon, Mandeep
Living people
1990 births
Actresses from Hertfordshire
People from Letchworth
English film actresses
English television actresses
English stage actresses
English people of Indian descent
English people of Punjabi descent
British actresses of Indian descent
21st-century English actresses