Next person biography:
Iqbal Theba was born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan, before moving to the United States to attend the University of Oklahoma, Norman, as a college freshman. He initially studied Civil Engineering, but later switched to acting, earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Construction Engineering Management. After realizing his true passion lay in acting, he returned to the University of Oklahoma to pursue his dream.
After college, Iqbal moved to New York City to pursue his acting career, but struggled for over two years before deciding to relocate to Los Angeles in search of more opportunities. He eventually found a niche acting in television commercials, landing his first big commercial for the Wherehouse Music Chain, where he sang the Chris Isaak song "Wicked Game". This led to numerous other commercial roles and eventually, his SAG card.
Iqbal's breakthrough in television came after booking a role on the NBC pilot "Death and Taxes", which although not picked up, led to numerous co-starring and guest-starring roles in television and film. Over the next 10 years, he continued to work extensively in television, appearing in shows such as "L.A. Law", "Living Single", "Mad About You", and "Seinfeld", as well as recurring roles on several other popular series.
In addition to his television work, Iqbal has also appeared in several films, including "Indecent Proposal", "Driven", "BASEketball", "Dancing at the Blue Iguana", "Transformers: Dark of the Moon", and "Playing for Keeps".
Iqbal's big break came when he was cast as Principal Figgins in the hit FOX television series "Glee", a role he won after originally being written for a Caucasian character. He has also been starring in the NBC series "Community", playing Danny's dad.
In 2010, Iqbal won a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award for his work on "Glee", and continues to work on both "Glee" and "Community", as well as considering several feature film offers.
