Zia Mohyeddin was a legend in his lifetime. His long career spans acting, directing, writing, broadcasting and a wide range of aesthetic disciplines.
Born in Lyallpur (now Faisalabad) he graduated from government College Lahore, and after a stint with Radio Pakistan moved to Radio Australia and then to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
The first Asian to have his name in lights in the West-End and on Broadway, both in classical and contemporary plays. He was seen in such films as ‘Work is a Four Letter Word’, ‘Sailor from Gibralter’ , ‘Ashanti’, ‘Deadlier Than The Male’, ‘Lawrence of Arabia’,‘A passage to India’ ‘Immaculate Conception” etc. His television appearances are too numerous to list. In Pakistan his highly acclaimed ‘Zia Mohyeddin Show’ became the paradigm of tasteful entertainment.
In Lahore his “Evening with Zia Mohyeddin” become an annual fixture where he delighted audiences with a new repertoire of prose and poetry for many years. He remained the Chairman of the National Academy of Performing Arts till his death on 13th February 2023.