Samina Ahmad

Samina Ahmad is a Pakistani film and television actress, stage performer, producer, and director. She is one of the most popular actresses of her time and was one of the most successful actresses of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. A veteran television actress with over 55 years of work experience in the Urdu entertainment industry, she was honoured with the Pride of Performance by the Government of Pakistan in 2011.

Started her on-screen career in mid 1960s, Ahmad performed for many of PTV's most successful series, including Waris (1979), Aahat (1991), and Family Front (1997) for which she won PTV Award for Best Actress also. One of her most recent roles includes Geo TV's widely-popular four-part comedy series Kis Ki Aayegi Baraat (2009–2012) and Hum TV's acclaimed comedy drama series Suno Chanda (2018) and its sequel Suno Chanda 2 (2019). Ahmad further appeared in Marvel Cinematic Universe's Ms. Marvel (2022), marking her international debut.

She married for the third time with actor Manzar Sehbai in April 2020.

Early life
Ahmad was born in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, on March 20, 1950. Her father was the Director of Forests in the West of Pakistan, and her mother was a housewife. Her father died in 1965, and her mother in 2018. She is the eldest of her five siblings. She has a Masters in Home Economics.

Career
Ahmad started her career with serious plays on Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV); however, she is known for comedy plays like Akkar Bakkar, Taal Matol, Alif Noon, and Such Gup. She also acted in the famous comedy drama Family Front (1997 Comedy Drama TV Series). She has recently acted in another TV comedy named Side Order. Her switch to comic roles proved to be highly rewarding for her, and she quickly became a top media person in Pakistan. When asked in an interview about what she values most in life, her prompt reply was, "Humanity." Samina Ahmad was just an 18-year-old college student in Lahore, Pakistan, when she first started working for Pakistan Television Corporation. During her long career, she had also worked at Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore, as a Programme director for two decades. Despite her busy professional career, Samina Ahmed has also been an active member of the Women's Action Forum in Pakistan.

Ahmad was a programme director at Alhamra Arts Council in Lahore while also performing on television. In 1997, she launched her own television company, Samina Ahmad Productions, which produced the widely-popular TV drama Family Front.

Personal life
Ahmad was married to Pakistani filmmaker Fariduddin Ahmed, the son of veteran filmmaker W.Z. Ahmed, who made the popular Pakistani film Waada (1957). The couple has a son, and a daughter together. Fariduddin divorced her, a few years before his death in 1993, the reason being his love for the actress Shamim Ara, whom he later married. Ahmad married actor, Manzar Sehbai on 4 April 2020, in a private Nikah ceremony in Lahore.