Mahesh Jadu (born 26 October 1982) is an Australian actor of Indo-Mauritian ancestry. He is best known for the role of Dr. Doug Harris in the soap opera Neighbours and the role of Ahmad in Netflix original series Marco Polo. He also portrayed the supporting role of Shanmugum in the miniseries Better Man and Vilgefortz in The Witcher.
Mahesh Jadu | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1982-10-26) 26 October 1982 (age 39) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Actor, composer |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Known for | Marco Polo (2014–2016) Neighbours |
Mahesh Jadu was born in Carlton, Victoria, Australia. His parents are from Mauritius and his Indo Mauritian ancestry originates from Bihar, Gorakhpur and Kashmir.[1]
He started off as a composer for an Australian show, Byte Me. He auditioned for a small role in an Indian film, Sorry Bhai! and was subsequently cast. He was later cast in one of Australia's longest running soaps, Neighbours as Doug Harris. He played poker to cover rent and living expenses until he was called for an audition by the casting director, Lou Mitchell.[2]
In 2011, he was cast in an Australian drama, Taj, which was presented at the 16th Busan International Film Festival.[3]
He then worked on The Three Ages of Sasha. He got his big break when he was cast in Roland Joffé's periodic drama, Singularity, which was later renamed The Lovers. The film was delayed for 2 years. He then auditioned multiple times for I, Frankenstein in which he plays the Gargoyle "Ophir". In 2019 he played Vilgefortz of Roggeveen in the Netflix's TV series The Witcher.[4] He was earlier cast in Netflix's Marco Polo as Ahmad Fanakati.[5]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Sorry Bhai! | A Student | |
| 2010–11 | Neighbours | Dr. Doug Harris | 33 episodes |
| 2011 | Taj | Vjay | Male lead |
| 2012 | The Three Ages of Sasha | Nasir Khan | Male lead |
| 2013 | Magnetism | Mark | Short film |
| 2013 | Better Man | Shanmugum | 1 episode |
| 2014 | I, Frankenstein | Ophir | Main cast |
| 2014 | Marco Polo | Ahmad | Main cast |
| 2015 | The Lovers | The Assassin | |
| 2017 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales | Spanish Soldier | |
| 2019– | The Witcher | Vilgefortz | Main cast |