Biography

Rudaba Zehra Nasir is a stage and screen actress, singer, writer, and humanitarian based in New York City and managed by Citizen Skull Management. Rudaba's recent career highlights include acting in The Foreign Patriot, an award-winning film that has been screened at film festivals and theaters in NYC, Hollywood, and internationally. Rudaba recently made her Off-Off Broadway debut in Shakespeare's Measure for Measure. She also collaborated with four other women of color and co-wrote and acted in a play, Family and Other Fractured Fairytales, produced by the Kennedy Center. The play received rave reviews and standing ovations.

Born and raised in a family of academics and artists in Lahore, Pakistan, Rudaba fell in love with acting and storytelling while spending countless evenings with her parents and younger brother watching old Hollywood films, Westerns, and British TV shows. Rudaba then made a name for herself in Pakistan's entertainment industry before moving to the U.S. in 2011. In Pakistan, from 2001 to 2011, Rudaba was part of a daring group of artists who led Pakistan's first English-language theater movement. Rudaba achieved success playing lead roles in full-house productions of West Side Story, Bombay Dreams, and Phantom of the Opera to name a few. Rudaba also acted in several films such as Sweeping Statements and Empty Hands, which touched on social issues. Rudaba made her series lead debut in HUM TV's show Kabhi Na Kabhi (Someday), which revolutionized Pakistan's TV industry by its portrayal of the love lives of young, modern Pakistanis.

After moving to the U.S. in 2011, Rudaba completed her Master's degree and worked as a TV host, writer, editor, and producer of Voice of America's critically-acclaimed show Zindagi (Life) 360. Since 2014, in addition to her creative pursuits, Rudaba has led multi-million-dollar global initiatives to advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Rudaba also advocates for access to quality, affordable child care, elderly care, and mental health for all. Rudaba's humanitarian work has taken her all around the world (nearly 40 countries) and her efforts have been recognized by the University of Oxford and various international organizations such as the World Bank and United Nations, where she is often invited to deliver remarks to world leaders.

Rudaba is multi-lingual (fluent or intermediate in 7 languages) and a conservatory-trained actor and singer. Her work focuses on acting in and creating meaningful projects in theater, film, and TV that amplify voices of underrepresented communities. Rudaba has made it her mission to showcase South Asian, immigrant, POC, and queer stories, marked by authentic representation and inclusive storytelling.

- IMDb mini biography by: Anonymous