However, he is well known in cinemas around the world – as well as television productions made in Pakistan and the UK, as well as stars of over 40 films.
He has been in TV dramas such as DCI Banks, filmed in Bradford, and has worked with Hollywood stars Harvey Kaytel and Gabriel Byrne.
Sultan has now retired as a taxi driver, but he has no plans to retire from his acting career. My 73-year-old grandfather will be appearing in the new film “Leave Me Alowe” and is a new TV drama, Meri Tanhai.
The Bradford actor plays a priest in the weekly series Meritan High, which began last month, and is described as “the poignant story of two individuals struggling with betrayal and isolation in the pursuit of love.”
Written and directed by Shehroze Khan, Leave Me Alone includes Blood Diamond, starring David Harewood in his previous films – filmed at national film and television schools in London. It stars Bakhta nominated Black Mirror actor Kiran Sonia Sawar as a young woman suffering from grief hired to take photos of her Victorian mansion.
Despite her legacy and being cut off, she begins to learn about the family's colonial bonds and confronts the trauma of her own ancestors through supernatural experiences. Mr. Sultan plays an elderly man who cares for the house.
“What's really exciting for me is juxtaposed with British and Asian identities with Pakistani identities,” Chefous Khan said.
“After getting close to some of Pakistani top actors and having countless audition tapes, Mehmood Sultan truly makes this Pakistani identity the perfect way to test this Pakistani identity with her legacy I brought it out.”
Sultan, four grandchildren and father of four, began acting in Karachi in 1970. He came to Bradford in 1977, first becoming a taxi driver and later worked in security. “As a boy, I loved watching movies and wanted to be an actor,” he says. “I started out as an extra thing, and over the years I have worked so hard and have played many different roles.
“I'm Bradford, I'm proud to be involved in the project to celebrate Bradford's cultural city in the UK.”
Sultan has worked in the film industry in Rorywood and Bollywood, as well as in the British film and television production. There is still a great demand from writers and directors, and he divides his time working in the UK and Pakistan.
In 2018, Telegraph & Argus reported that he was in the premiere of Red Carpet London We Tell, which was filmed primarily by the thriller in Bradford. He is a film star, Oscar-nominated Harvey Kaytel and Golden Globe, Emmy winner Gabriel Byrne, and other cast members Game of Thrones actors Mark Addy and Toya Wilcox , joined Sybilla Dean and Emily Attack.
Other films by Sultan include Gangster Underworld, the comedy series Hona Tar Paiar, and the 2015 film To Welcome Animals, which was filmed at the Bradford location. The veteran actor has planned several projects and welcomes opportunities for seniors in the industry.
“I did a lot of different films – comedy to a thriller. I also worked on radio,” he says. “Next time I'd like to play the villains. They're fun to play. Acting is my passion. Why do I stop?”
