Sophiya Haque

Sophiya Haque (14 June 1971 – 17 January 2013) was an English actress, singer, video jockey and dancer. She is best known for playing the role of Poppy Morales in Coronation Street between 2008 and 2009.

Sophiya Haque
Born
Syeda Sophia Haque

(1971-06-14)14 June 1971[1]
Portsmouth, Hampshire, England
Died17 January 2013(2013-01-17) (aged 41)
London, England
NationalityBritish
OccupationActress, singer, video jockey, dancer
Years active1978–2013
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Partner(s)David White

Early life

Haque was born Syeda Sophia Haque in Portsmouth, Hampshire to a Bangladeshi father and a British Jewish mother.[1] She was the youngest of three daughters.

She was brought up by her mother, Thelma, a schoolteacher. She attended Priory School in Portsmouth, and took dancing lessons from the age of two and a half at Mary Forrester's Rainbow School of Dance before moving at the age of 13 to London (where she lived with her father, Amirul Haque, a restaurateur, and his second wife), training full-time at the Arts Educational Schools, London.[2][3]

Career

Haque started as the lead vocalist in the band Akasa; they signed a deal with Warner Bros. in 1988.[2] Subsequently, she worked as a video jockey for MTV Asia for seven years and Channel V.[4]

Haque was employed as a presenter at STAR TV in Hong Kong in 1992. From 1994, she began appearing on TV in India and in 1997 she moved to Mumbai full-time to work on the Channel V India service. Her first Bollywood film was Khoobsurat, and she later made several more including Mangal Pandey: The Rising.[2]

In 2002, Haque returned to the United Kingdom to star as Rani in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Bombay Dreams.[5][6] In 2005, she starred as Janoo Rani in the West End theatre musical production of The Far Pavilions.[7] In 2012, she starred as Soraya in Wah! Wah! Girls.[8]

In 2008, she took a small supporting role in the film Wanted.[2] Between December 2008 and June 2009,[9] she played Poppy Morales, the barmaid and assistant manager of the Rovers Return, in Coronation Street and by coincidence, shared her dressing room with Coronation Street's Auntie Pam played by actress Kate Anthony, who was also her first cousin.

In 2012, she appeared in BBC's Fairy Tales series and in 15 episodes of House of Anubis as Senkhara.[10] She was diagnosed with cancer when she was working in the Michael Grandage production of Privates on Parade, playing the role of, Sylvia Morgan, a Welsh-Indian singer and dancer performing for the British troops in Malaya in 1948.[11]

Personal life and death

Haque lived in Knaphill, Surrey, with her partner, musical director David White, and the couple were in the process of building a houseboat when she fell ill.[12][13]

Around Christmas 2012, Haque was diagnosed with cancer. She developed a lung clot and pneumonia and in the early hours of 17 January 2013, she died in her sleep in a London hospital, while undergoing tests.[14][15][16][17]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1999 Khoobsurat Special appearance (as Sophia Haque)
2000 Snip! Tara
Alaipayuthey Lead Dancer in song 'September Madham' Tamil film, special appearance
Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega Dancer in song 'Aisa Pehli Baar Hua Hai'
2001 Indian (as Sofia Haque)
2002 Haan Maine Bhi Pyaar Kiya Dancer in Red Saaree opposite Akshay Kumar in song "zindagi ko bina pyaar koi kaise guzare"
Santosham Mehbooba Song Telugu film, 'Mehbooba' Song
2003 Pehli Nazar Ka Pehla Pyaar: Love at First Sight Dancer
Sandhya
2003 Udhaya Dancer in song 'Thiruvellikeni Rani' Tamil film, special appearance
2005 The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey Singer/dancer in song 'Rasiya', Uncredited
2008 Wanted Puja
Hari Puttar: A Comedy of Terrors Anna Singh (as Sophia Haque)
2013 Jadoo (final film role)

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2008 Fur TV Mrs Slaughter 1 episode: Rent Boys/Hot Pussy
Fairy Tales Ameera 1 episode: The Empress's New Clothes
2008–2009 Coronation Street Poppy Morales 60 episodes
2012 House of Anubis Senkhara 44 episodes

Theatre
Year Title Role Theatre
2002 Bombay Dreams Rani Apollo Victoria and Shaftesbury Theatre
2005 The Far Pavilions Kabir Bedi
2012 Wah! Wah! Girls Soraya Theatre Royal Stratford East/Peacock Theatre
Privates on Parade Sylvia Morgan Noël Coward Theatre London's West End

References
  1. Holla, Anand (19 January 2013). "Sophiya Haque led a life as colourful as her repertoire". Mumbai Mirror. The Times of India. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
  2. Coveney, Michael (18 January 2013). "Sophiya Haque obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
  3. Piper, Stuart (18 January 2013). "Sophiya Haque". The Stage. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
  4. "Former VJ, actress Sophiya Haque passes away in London". Zee News. 17 January 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
  5. "Actor Sophiya Haque dies aged 41". The Guardian. 17 January 2013.
  6. "Obituary: Sophiya Haque, Bollywood actress, appeared in Coronation Street and in the west end". Archived from the original on 4 January 2019.
  7. "Sophiya Haque: West End actress who also played Poppy Morales in". The Independent. 24 January 2013.
  8. Barnett, Laura (17 January 2013). "West End actress Sophiya Haque dies at 41". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
  9. "Former Coronation Street actress Sophiya Haque dies aged 41". Metro. 18 January 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
  10. "Indian actress and former VJ Sophiya Haque passes away". Dawn. 17 January 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
  11. "West End actress Sophiya Haque dies at 41". BBC News. 18 January 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
  12. Hodgson, Nick (18 January 2013). "Family of actress Sophiya Haque pay tribute to 'beautiful person' after shock cancer death". Evening Standard. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
  13. "Sophiya Haque's partner tells of last nights with star before her". Evening Standard. 21 January 2013.
  14. "West End actress Sophiya Haque dies at 41, two weeks after being told she has cancer". London Evening Standard. 17 January 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
  15. "West End actress Haque dies at 41". Bbc.com. 18 January 2013.
  16. "Sophiya Haque led a life as colourful as her repertoire". The Times of India.
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