Sam Dastor

Sam Dastor is an Indian-born British actor best known for his appearances in British television series.

Life and career
Dastor was born in India and raised in a Parsi family of Zoroastrian faith, though he later converted to Christianity. He graduated from the University of Cambridge. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and joined the National Theatre, where he was under the direction of Sir Laurence Olivier.

Dastor has acted in the West End, including playing Ariel in a production of The Tempest while Paul Scofield played Prospero. Dastor also appeared in three of Simon Gray's plays: Melon, Hidden Laughter, and Cell Mates.

Dastor is best known for his many appearances on British television, often playing characters of exotic origin. His most notable roles include Cassius Chaerea in the 1976 BBC adaptation of I, Claudius and Gandhi in both Lord Mountbatten: The Last Viceroy and the film Jinnah. Other credits include Coronation Street (as Jimmy, a Weatherfield Market trader in October 1981), Softly, Softly, Space: 1999, Blake's 7, Shoestring, Yes Minister, Fortunes of War, A Touch of Frost and Spooks. He has also narrated and voice-acted for a number of audiobooks and radio dramas.

Partial filmography

 * Made (1972) – Mahdav
 * Jinnah (1998) – Gandhi
 * Such a Long Journey (1998) – Dinshawji
 * The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004) – Hal Ashby