Leila Farzad
Biography
Leila Effat Farzad, born 30 December 1981 in Westminster, London, England, is a British actress of Iranian descent. She is credited with 24 acting roles and is also listed under the variant spelling Leila Farzard. Farzad studied Modern Languages at Worcester College, Oxford, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in French and Italian literature, before training at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She gained recognition for portraying Naomi Jones in the Sky Atlantic series I Hate Suzie, which aired from 2020 to 2022. Her early interest in performance was sparked by National Theatre productions attended with her aunt, while her parents encouraged her to first obtain an Oxbridge degree.
Career overview
Leila Effat Farzad was born on 30 December 1981 in Westminster, London, to Iranian parents. She pursued higher education at Worcester College, Oxford, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in French and Italian literature. Following her university studies, Farzad trained as an actor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, completing a professional course that prepared her for work in theatre, film and television.
Farzad’s screen career includes a prominent role as Naomi Jones in the Sky Atlantic series I Hate Suzie, which aired from 2020 to 2022. The series brought her wider recognition and established her as a regular presence in contemporary British television. In addition to this role, she has accumulated a range of credits across film and television, totaling more than twenty‑four listed performances.
Her background in modern languages and classical training at Guildhall have informed a versatile acting style, enabling her to work across a variety of genres. Farzad continues to be active in the industry, contributing to new projects while maintaining a profile rooted in both her academic and artistic foundations.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- Pose (2026) as Dolly
- How to Get to Heaven from Belfast (2026) as Marnie
- Two Weeks in August (2026) as Nat
- Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2025) as Nicolette
- Jay Kelly (2025) as 1st AD
- Bank of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger (2025) as Margot
- Good Luck Fuck Face (2025) as Zara
- The Decameron (2024) as Stratilia
- KAOS (2024) as Ari
- The Marvels (2023) as Talia
- Better (2023) as Lou Slack
- The Fear Index (2022) as Gabby Hoffman
- I Hate Suzie Too (2022) as Naomi Jones
- Landscapers (2021) as Beckett, QC
- A Life in Ten Pictures (2021) as Self - Narrator (voice)
- Avenue 5 (2020) as Elena
- I Hate Suzie (2020) as Naomi
- This Time with Alan Partridge (2019) as Clarissa Hoskin
- Richard II (2019) as Queen
- Innocent (2018) as Janice Parker
- National Theatre Live: Julius Caesar (2018) as Decius Brutus
- Cuffs (2015) as Amika Khan
- Black Mirror (2011) as Mona Javadi
- Married Single Other (2010) as Student Doctor