Sharif Nazir was a character in Coronation Street from Ep 8329/8330 - 24 Feb 2014 to Ep 9027/9028 (4 Nov 2016). He was the head of the Nazir family. He ran V Court Fitness, the local gym. He was married to Yasmeen Nazir. Sharif was revealed to have a mistress and this ended his 45 year marriage. In November 2016, Sharif left the area for good, and later it was said that he was in Newcastle. Sharif was played by Marc Anwar, who was axed from the show due to controversial opinions about other cast members.
Biography[]
Backstory[]
Sharif married Yasmeen in 1971 and they had a son together named Kal. Kal later got married and provided Sharif and Yasmeen with two grandchildren Alya and Zeedan. Kal's wife passed away leaving Kal to bring up his children, although he got support from his parents and the family resided together in a big house. In 2009 Sharif began an affair with Yasmeen's friend Sonia Rahman, which would last many years.
2014-2016[]
Sharif arrived on Coronation Street in February 2014 when Kal reluctantly asked him to help invest in a gym business on Victoria Street. Sharif agreed although became domineering when he started to make arrangements and refused to listen to Kal. Regardless Kal managed to set up the business with Dev Alahan thanks to Sharif's help. The rest of the Nazir family would later become afflicted with Coronation Street, including Yasmeen, Alya and Zeedan. Sharif and Yasmeen didn't initially approve of Kal's relationship with Leanne Battersby due to her not being a Muslim and later turned out she was an ex-prostitute. But Sharif accepted his son's relationship as it made him happy, and Yasmeen gradually warmed up to Leanne. The Nazir family later moved into Number 6 Coronation Street after the Windass family were evicted.
The Nazirs were devastated when Kal was killed in a fire at Victoria Court when he had helped rescue Carla Connor and Amy Barlow from the blaze. They were disgusted when finding out that Tracy Barlow was involved due to leaving a lit candle in Carla's flat having broken in, and Yasmeen was angry as Tracy got off with the crime and indirectly killing Kal.
The Nazirs celebrated their wedding anniversary in August 2016, but were visited by Sonia after her husband had kicked her out of the household. Sharif felt uneasy around Sonia as they were still continuing their affair without Yasmeen's knowledge. When Alya found out she blackmailed Sharif so she could get a new machine for the Underworld factory. The affair was exposed three months later when Yasmeen overheard them discussing it. Yasmeen was also angry that Alya had known about the affair but kept it a secret to blackmail Sharif. She then ordered the pair of them to pack their bags and leave.
Sharif disappeared from the area, leaving behind a letter for Yasmeen stating that he was now living with relatives in Newcastle and was gone for good. Yasmeen felt he was running away from his responsibilities, and Zeedan saw his grandfather as a coward.
After 2016[]
In May 2018 Yasmeen decided to finally cut ties with Sharif for good and contacted him wanting a divorce. Sharif accepted as he had met someone else and was wanting to remarry. The divorce was later finalised and Sharif had no more to do with his family again. It is unknown if he ever got round to remarrying.
Trivia[]
- Sharif had a hobby keeping chickens in the backyard, which turned him from a serious and domineering man into comic relief as he would always go on about the chickens. After Sharif's departure Yasmeen kept them and looked after the coop. Unfortunately her next husband Geoff Metcalfe wasn't so attentive to the chickens and ended up killing and cooking one of them as part of a way to psychologically break her even more.
Background information[]
- Sharif was introduced into the series as part of the first Muslim family on the show. Other members of the Nazir family such as Alya, Yasmeen and Zeedan were gradually introduced over the following months. Kal had debuted the previous year before the rest of his family.
- The actor was sacked from the programme in 2016 due to racist remarks that he made on Twitter. The character never received a proper exit storyline, with him instead leaving off-screen after his affair with Sonia was exposed.
Appendices[]
List of addresses[]
| Address | Duration |
|---|---|
| 6 Coronation Street | 17th December 2014 to 7th November 2016 |
| Newcastle | 7th November 2016 onwards |
Employment history[]
| Role | Institution | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Co-owner | V Court Fitness | March 2014 to November 2016 |
| Assistant Manager | V Court Fitness | April 2014 to November 2016 |
Memorable info[]
Born: About 1952
Full Name: Sharif Nazir
Parents:
Siblings:
Spouse: Yasmeen Nazir (1971-2018)
Children: Kal Nazir (1973)
Grandchildren: Alya Nazir, Zeedan Nazir