Zehra Fazal
Zehra Qarnain Fazal (born August 28, 1984) is an American voice actress and comedian known for voicing Nadia Rizavi in Voltron: Legendary Defender and Halo in Young Justice: Outsiders.[1][2][3] Greg Weisman, the co-creator of Young Justice: Outsiders said "I wrote the role with her in mind. She plays Halo, but she also plays about a dozen other characters."[4]
Zehra Fazal | |
---|---|
Born | Zehra Qarnain Fazal August 28, 1984 |
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Voice actress |
Years active | 2007–present |
Known for | Voltron: Legendary Defender Young Justice: Outsiders |
Career
Prior to her voice acting career, Fazal, who is Muslim-American and of Pakistani descent, was known for her irreverent comedy often poking fun at Muslim identity.[5] Her one-woman musical comedy show Headscarf and the Angry Bitch which she described as partly fictional and partly autobiographical, created Muslim parodies of holiday comedy songs The Ramadan Song instead of The Hanukkah Song and discussed living in America with a "hyphenated identity."[6][7] Fazal, who self describes as "the Muslim Weird Al", explains that the show explores the fact that "the definition of what it is to be Muslim is expanding and it's okay to be vocal about it."[8][9] She created the show's character, Zed Headscarf, as "her tougher, bolder, prouder side" partly in response to post-9/11 Islamaphobia she encountered.[10] Her performance won the "best solo performance award" at the Capital Fringe Festival in 2009 and was sold out throughout its New York International Fringe Festival run in 2010.[11][12]
Fazal has also portrayed Adolf Hitler in an adaptation of Yukio Mishima’s play, My Friend Hitler.[13] She studied with Japan’s Takarazuka Revue Company as a research intern in 2004. On her return to the U.S., she translated and staged Takarazuka Revue's The Rose of Versailles at Wellesley College where she was a student.[14] Fazal explains "I have a knack for taking something that already exists and making it fit into a new mold." [14] Fazal is one of the actresses in the video comedy series F#@K I Love U where she plays doctor Amanda Jain.
Personal life
Fazal was born in Libertyville, Illinois and grew up in Indiana. She has a B.A. from Wellesley College.[15] She speaks Japanese, French and Urdu.[16]
Filmography
Animation
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | Voltron: Legendary Defender | Nadia Rizavi, Hunk’s Mother | Seasons 7-8 | [1][17] |
2018–present | Craig of the Creek | Faraday, Shannon, Aggie (The Squashinator) | [18][19] | |
2019 | Young Justice: Outsiders | Halo, Cassandra Savage, Harper Row, Hawkwoman, Lian Nguyen-Harper, Windfall, Trajectory, Antonia "Big Words" Rodriguez, Madia Daou, Evelyn Fox | [20][21][22][23] | |
2019 | Trolls: The Beat Goes On! | Celine Starburst, Timpani | [20][16] | |
2019 | Pinky Malinky | Aisha | Episode: "Advanced" | [20][24] |
2019–2020 | She-Ra and the Princesses of Power | Mara | 4 episodes | [25] |
2019–present | Big Hero 6: The Series | Basemax, Officer Flynn | [20][26] | |
2019 | Bojack Horseman | Demi, Ilana and Ilana | Episode: “Surprise!” | [27][28][29] |
2020–present | Glitch Techs | Zahra, Sabrina | [30] | |
2020–present | Amphibia | General Yunan |
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | The Laws of the Universe - Part I | Zamza | English dub | [31] |
2020 | DC Showcase - Batman: Death in the Family | Talia al Ghul | Direct-to-video | [32] |
Video games
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | Blade & Soul | Soha, Jinsoyung, Sunyung | English version | [16] |
2016 | Uncharted 4: A Thief's End | French Auction Guest, Additional voices | [20][16] | |
2016 | Titanfall 2 | Lifeboat & Systems AI | [20][2] | |
2017 | Final Fantasy XV | Townspeople | English version | [16] |
2019 | Apex Legends | AI announcer, Narrator | [20][33] | |
2019 | Crackdown 3 | Additional voices | [34] | |
2019 | League of Legends | Kayle | [35] | |
2019 | Eliza | Rae | [36][37] | |
2019 | Until You Fall | Runesmith | [38] | |
2019 | Borderlands 3 | Amara | [20][39] | |
2019 | Rage 2: Rise of the Ghosts | Eden HQ AI, Metro Station Guard, Metro Station Civilian | [40][41] | |
2019 | Destiny 2: Shadowkeep | [42] | ||
2019 | Indivisible | Thorani | [20][43][44] | |
2019 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) | Ousa | [20] | |
2019 | Shenmue III | Li Feng, Niao Sun | English version | [20][45] |
2020 | Maneater | Female NPCs | [20] |
Awards and nominations
Year | Awards | Category | Nominated for | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | Voice Arts Awards | Outstanding Promo Campaign - TV or Web, Best Voiceover | Fox Sports FIFA Women's World Cup 2019 | Nominated | |
Outstanding Animation Character - TV or Web, Best Voiceover | Young Justice Outsiders - Halo | Won | |||
Outstanding Body of Work, Best Voice Actor | N/A | Won |
References
- "Zehra Fazal on Twitter". Twitter (in Latin). 2012-05-14. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
- "Zehra Fazal". IMDB. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
- "TV News Roundup: 'SMILF' Season 2 Premiere Date Set at Showtime". MSN. 2018-11-12. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
- "'Young Justice' creators talk Jack Kirby "Fourth World" influence, more from SDCC". Newsweek. 2018-07-31. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
- Watch, Muslimah Media (2011-07-06). "Headscarf and the Angry Bitch: A Review of Zehra Fazal's Play". Muslimah Media Watch. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
- Rampell, Catherine (2017-09-21). "Fringe Festival Journal: A Muslim Woman in America, With Stand-Up". ArtsBeat. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
- "Zehra Fazal's Shock-n-Schtick ‹ Muslimah Media Watch". Muslimah Media Watch. 2011-04-14. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
- S.D., Trav (2010-09-01). "The "Muslim Weird Al" Offers More Than Parodies". DOWNTOWN EXPRESS | The Newspaper of Lower Manhattan. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
- "Fringe Preview: Headscarf and the Angry Bitch". DCist. 2009-07-20. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
- "Under suspicion: American Muslims search for identity 10 years after Sept. 11". Washington Post. 2011-06-12. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
- Guide, Going Out (2009-10-10). "From the Fringe to Center Stage". Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
- Borkar, Sonia (2011-07-11). "Headscarf and the Angry Bitch (Zehra Fazal) 2011 Toronto Fringe Review". Mooney on Theatre. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
- "Zehra Fazal Shines @ The Fringe Festival". DCist. 2015-04-08. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
- Sands, Ryan. "Electric Ant Zine #2: Interview with Zehra Fazal". Youth in Decline. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
- Slattery, Chris (2008-07-16). "Thinking outside the barn". Maryland Community News in Montgomery County and Prince George's County -- Gazette.Net. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
- "Resume". Zehra Fazal. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
- "Zehra Fazal on Instagram: "Did you know, did you know? I also had the pleasure of voicing Hunk's mom on season 7 of Voltron: Legendary Defender. Grateful to be a…"". Instagram. Retrieved 2018-11-21.
- "Zehra Fazal on Instagram: "So excited to share that my first episode of Craig of the Creek is now airing on Cartoon Network! You can always count on my girl Faraday…"". Instagram. Retrieved 2018-11-21.
- "Zehra Fazal's Instagram profile post: "New episodes of #CraigoftheCreek are airing on @cartoonnetworkofficial! Love playing The Squashinator. So much fun singing her operatic…"". Instagram. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
- "Behind the Voice Actors – Zehra Fazal". Behind the Voice Actors. Retrieved February 16, 2019. Check mark indicates BTVA has verified the entries using screenshots of credits and other confirmed sources.
- "Zehra Fazal on Instagram: "What a ridiculously awesome day at Comic-Con. I can officially announce I've joined the cast of Young Justice Outsiders as the voice of…"". Instagram. Retrieved 2018-11-21.
- Fazal, Zehra (2019-01-25). "TAIMUR, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I love playing two "Harpers," doing my best to catch up to @CrispinFreeman". @zehrafazal. Retrieved 2019-01-27.
- Fazal, Zehra (2019-07-02). "Thank you @TaimurODar, that's incredibly kind". @zehrafazal. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
- "Zehra Fazal on Instagram: "New episodes of #PinkyMalinky are now streaming on #Netflix, and you can catch me voicing this bright and passionate gal, Aisha!…"". Instagram. Retrieved 2019-05-21.
- "Zehra Fazal on Instagram: "FOR THE HONOR OF GRAYSKULL! I'm thrilled to join the PHENOMENAL cast of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Season 3 now streaming on…"". Instagram. Retrieved 2019-08-04.
- Ono, Kenji (director); Han-Yee Ling (writer) (September 11, 2019). "Hardlight". Big Hero 6: The Series. Season 2. Episode 17. Disney Channel.
- "Zehra Fazal on Instagram: "🎶 Back in the '19...I was in a very famous tv showwww 🎶 I've been a HUGE fan of @bojackhorseman since it's [sic] first season and I can't…"". Instagram. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
- Fazal 👻, Zehra (2019-10-26). "Spoilers! Do not read unless you want to find out that Pickles has, in fact, two friends named Ilana!https://twitter.com/raphaelbw/status/1187989380113170432 …". @ZehraFazal. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
- Bob-Waksberg, Raphael (2019-10-25). "Zehra plays Pickles's mom Demi, as well as Pickles's friend Ilana, as well as Pickles's OTHER friend Ilana". @raphaelbw. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
- Milano, Dan (2020-01-22). "FINALLY its the main cast of #GlitchTechs Ricardo Hurtado as High Five, Monica Ray as Miko, Luke Youngblood as Mitch, Sandeep Parikh as Haneesh, Zehra Fazal as Zahra, Josh Sussman as Bergy, Eric Lopez as Papi, me as BITT and Scott Kreamer as Phil with many more!pic.twitter.com/PodevL7jlH". @DanMilano. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
- "VIDEO: Go Behind the Scenes of 'Laws of the Universe - Part I' with New Voice Dub Featurette". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
- DC Showcase - Batman: Death in the Family: Exclusive Official Trailer - IGN, retrieved 2020-07-29
- Fazal, Zehra (2019-02-04). "Approaching dropzone". @zehrafazal. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
YES WE ARE! Thrilled to announce that #ApexLegends, a free-to-play battle royale game set in the #Titanfall universe, has dropped today! You'll hear me throughout the game as the AI announcer. Much love @PlayApex @EA @Respawn!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKwW9UwWvDw …
- "Zehra Fazal on Instagram: "Friday BOOM! 💥 ⠀ ⠀ Crackdown 3, starring the singular @terrycrews, is out today. You'll hear me screaming my head off in there somewhere.…"". Instagram. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
- "Zehra Fazal on Instagram: "THE UNRIGHTEOUS WILL BURN! So freaking stoked to join the @leagueoflegends family. Teaser of the Kayle and Morgana rework featuring the…"". Instagram. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
- Elmaleh, Sarah (2019-08-12). "ELIZA is out now!! Big congrats to @matthewseiji, the whole @zachtronics team, @kbavoice and my fellow incredible actors up in here (anyone say @YuriLowenthal @cissyspeaks @RogerCraigSmith and MORE?)https://twitter.com/Polygon/status/1160944079083098112 …". @selmaleh. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
- Eliza (Video Game 2019) - IMDb, retrieved 2019-08-13
- "Zehra Fazal on Instagram: "Attention VR gamers—UNTIL YOU FALL, a VR sword-fighting game by #SchellGames is now available in Early Access! I am the voice of the…"". Instagram. Retrieved 2019-09-05.
- Fazal, Zehra (2019-05-01). "Well, the biceps are out of the bag...I'm thrilled to announce I play Amara the Siren in #Borderlands3! Congratulations to the team at @Borderlands and @GearboxOfficial for a job well done! Honored to help bring your badass desi siren to life.pic.twitter.com/gZhoaSDbEq". @ZehraFazal. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
- Fazal 👻, Zehra (2019-10-22). "Had a blast doing some additional voices for the new @rage 2 DLC Rise of the Ghosts! #rage2". @ZehraFazal. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
- Rage 2: Rise of the Ghosts, retrieved 2019-10-23
- "Zehra Fazal on Instagram: "It's October 1st and the MOON'S HAUNTED... 🌔 So thrilled to be a part of the new @destinythegame release, Destiny 2: Shadowkeep. Out today!…"". Instagram. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
- "Indivisible Cast List Revealed". Indivisible. 2019-08-06. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
- Fazal, Zehra (2019-08-08). "Wow! Super excited to be part of the cast in this stunning game! #indivisible #thorani". @ZehraFazal. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
- Shibuya Productions. Shenmue III. Scene: Closing credits, 2:57 in, Cast, English Voices.
- "2019 Nominees". Sovas. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
- "Zehra Fazal on Instagram: "Wow. WOW. Tonight was overwhelming. I won two Society of Voice Arts awards for Outstanding Promo Campaign and Outstanding Body of Work.…"". Instagram. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
- "2019 Winners". Sovas. Retrieved 2019-11-20.