Tony Jayawardena

Anthony Surath Jayawardena is a British actor, known for his roles as Mr Bhamra in the West End musical Bend It Like Beckham the Musical and for his work with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare's Globe and Royal National Theatre. In 2018, he began portraying the role of Rashid Hyatt in the Channel 4 drama Ackley Bridge.

Career Jayawardena appears on the original cast recording of Bend It Like Beckham the Musical, performing the songs "People Like Us" and "The Engagement: Look At Us Now". He was the original Abdul Kareem in the play The Empress by Tanika Gupta, which tells the story of Queen Victoria's relationship with The Munshi, a young man brought over from India to be her servant in the final 15 years of her life. He played Stephano in the RSC's production of The Tempest, which partnered with Intel and Imaginarium Studios and was the first use of real-time motion-capture technology on stage.

Filmography

+ Television Year Program Role Episode 2011 Kabaddasses The Marauding Moustache 1 2012 Silent Witness Younis 2 episodes2016 The Windsors Sandy Series 1 All's Well That Ends Well 2nd Lord DumaineRoyal National Theatre The Tempest Stephano Royal Shakespeare Company 2017 Twelfth Night Sir Toby Belch Shakespeare's Globe Lions and Tigers Subhash Bose / Jyotish Gupta Sam Wanamaker Playhouse Young Marx Gert “Doc” Schmidt Bridge Theatre 2019 Hobson's Choice Hari Hobson Royal Exchange Theatre 2021 East is East Zahir "George" Khan Birmingham Repertory Theatre 2024 Nye Winston Churchill / Doctor Dain Royal National TheatreDr. StrangeloveRussian Ambassador BakovNoël Coward Theatre 2025 Acorn Antiques: The Musical Mr Clifford Hope Mill Theatre

Discography Year Album Role Label 2015Bend It Like Beckham the Musical Mr Bhamra Sony Music Classical