Shiv Jalota

Shiv Jalota (born 26 December 1993) is an English actor, known for portraying the role of Vinny Panesar on the BBC soap opera EastEnders since 2019.

Early life Jalota was born on 26 December 1993 in Kingston upon Thames. He studied drama at Richmond Drama School and later joined the National Youth Theatre in 2013 after it was recommended by a friend, where he appeared in the stage production Homegrown: a true story. In 2016, he made his short film debut, appearing as a gym-goer in Heavy Weight. In 2018, Jalota secured the lead role of Christopher Boone in the play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, becoming the first British-Asian actor to do so. Of his casting, Jalota said he "found it a relief to jump out of standard BAME personas" and added that it was "more rewarding and not associated at all with [his] ethnicity."

In 2019, Jalota was cast in the BBC soap opera EastEnders as Vinny Panesar, the youngest brother in the Panesar family. He made his on-screen debut on 29 October, arriving alongside the character's brothers Kheerat (Jaz Deol) and Jags (Amar Adatia). His character's storylines on the show have included his relationship with Dotty Cotton (Milly Zero) and the introduction of and relationship with his parents Suki (Balvinder Sopal) and Nish (Navin Chowdhry).

Filmography Short film Year Title Role Notes 2016 Heavy Weight Gym goer 2019 White Girl

Television Year Title Role Notes 2019–present EastEnders Vinny Panesar Regular role

Stage Year Title Role Venue 2015 Homegrown: a true story Shiv National Youth Theatre 2016 Pigeon English Dizzy Ambassadors Theatre 2016 Romeo and Juliet Benvollio Ambassadors Theatre 2016 DNA Adam Ambassadors Theatre 2017 The Grapes of Wrath Al Joad West Yorkshire Playhouse 2017 Mother Courage and Her Children Company Southwark Playhouse 2018 Catalyst Kurt The North Wall Theatre 2018 Pappy Show Boys New Diorama 2018 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Christopher Boone National Theatre 2019 Orange Juice Adam Tristan Bates Theatre