Sakina Jaffrey
| Sakina Jaffrey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
February 14, 1962 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1988–present |
Sakina Jaffrey (born February 14, 1962) is an American actress.
Early life
Jaffrey was born in New York City, New York, the youngest daughter of Indian-born parents, actress and food and travel writer Madhur Jaffrey and actor Saeed Jaffrey. Her parents divorced when she was three years old, and she grew up estranged from her father, who subsequently moved to the United Kingdom.[1] She graduated from Vassar College in 1984. She studied Mandarin Chinese at the college, originally planning to be a translator before she became an actress.[2]
Career
Jaffrey appeared with her father in the film Masala (1991) and with her mother in The Perfect Murder (1988). In 2002, she appeared in The Truth About Charlie starring Mark Wahlberg. With her son Cassius Wilkinson and daughter Jamila Wilkinson, she appeared in Raising Helen (2004) and in The Ode (2008).
She stars as Linda Vasquez, the White House Chief of Staff, in the Netflix series House of Cards (2013). In 2014, it was announced that she would be appearing in the second season of Fox's television series Sleepy Hollow as Leena Reyes, the new sheriff.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | The Perfect Murder | Neena Lal | |
| 1989 | Slaves of New York | Willfredo's receptionist | |
| 1992 | Masala | Rita Solanki | |
| 1995 | The Indian in the Cupboard | Lucy | |
| 1996 | Daylight | Kit's passenger #1 | |
| 1999 | Chutney Popcorn | Sarita | |
| 1999 | Cotton Mary | Rosie | |
| 2001 | Revolution No. 9 | Dr. Ray | |
| 2001 | The Mystic Masseur | Suruj Mooma | |
| 2002 | The Guru | Young Woman in Dance Class | |
| 2002 | The Truth About Charlie | Sylvia | |
| 2003 | Ash Tuesday | June | |
| 2003 | American Made | N/A | Short film |
| 2004 | Raising Helen | Nilma Prasad | |
| 2004 | The Manchurian Candidate | Mysterious Arabic Woman | |
| 2006 | Hiding Divya | Dr. Sharma | |
| 2007 | Where God Left His Shoes | Doctor | |
| 2007 | Dharini | Kiran | Short film |
| 2007 | Waking Dreams | Rajani | |
| 2007 | The Nanny Diaries | Sima | |
| 2007 | Before the Devil Knows You're Dead | Manager | |
| 2008 | Definitely, Maybe | School Mom | |
| 2008 | The Toe Tactic | Lacticia Utt | |
| 2008 | The Understudy | Nurse | |
| 2008 | The Ode | Parin | |
| 2009 | Company Retreat | Sareeta | |
| 2010 | Nevermind Nirvana | Dr. Sarita Matto | Television film |
| 2011 | Breakaway | Livleen Singh | |
| 2012 | The Domino Effect | Serena | |
| 2013 | The Necklace | Sunita | Short film |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Law & Order | Dr. Balikrishan | Episode: "Endurance" |
| 2003–2005 | Third Watch | Dr. Hickman | 16 episodes |
| 2004 | Sex and the City | Rama Patel | Episode: "Splat!" |
| 2004 | Law & Order | Roya Koutal | Episode: "Caviar Emptor" |
| 2006 | Heroes | Mrs. Suresh | 2 episodes |
| 2007 | What Goes On | Asha | Episode: "Blue" |
| 2007 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Geeta Chanoor | Episode: "Outsider" |
| 2011 | Blue Bloods | Mrs. Demir | Episode: "Thanksgiving" |
| 2012 | Girls | Gynecologist | Episode: "Vagina Panic" |
| 2013–2014 | House of Cards | Linda Vasquez | 18 episodes |
| 2014–2015 | Sleepy Hollow | Sheriff Leena Reyes | 5 episodes |
| 2014 | Madam Secretary | Foreign Minister Chondita Samant | Episode: "Passage" |
| 2015-2016 | Mr. Robot | Antara Nayar | 3 episodes |
| 2015 | Halal In The Family | Fatima Qu'osby | 4 episodes |
| 2015–2016 | The Mindy Project | Sonu Lahiri | 3 episodes |
| 2016 | Blindspot | Susan Albright | Episode: "Cease Forcing Enemy" |
| 2016 | Timeless | Agent Denise Christopher | 2 episodes |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | House of Cards | Nominated |