Hameed Sheikh () is a Pakistani film and television actor, director, producer, and professional language translator. In film and TV, he is best known for Khuda Kay Liye, Operation O21 and Moor.
From 2022 to 2024, Hameed Sheikh served as on-set language and cultural consultant for the US series The Old Man, starring Jeff Bridges.
Sheikh has worked for years to bring his native Pakistani society into better focus via film and television, while lamenting the lack of government support within these cultures.
Sheikh was born on 28 December 1969 in Quetta, the capital city of Balochistan, Pakistan. His family has been living there for 600 years and he has described his ethnic background as "Brahmin Pundits" who had converted to Islam. Sheikh is fluent in Urdu, Brahui, Sindhi, Punjabi, Dari, Persian, Seraiki, Balochi and Hindko.
In a 2019 interview Sheikh stated, "There is a wealth of resources that we can use if we get support from PakistanâÂÂs film industry and the government. We donâÂÂt even have an arts council in Quetta, let alone any infrastructure. How can we get anything done?"
Hameed Sheikh has been living in Los Angeles since 2021.
In 2008, Sheikh produced Kandahar Break, a political thriller set in 1999 about a British engineer escaping the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. While filming a night scene in the desert, a group associated with the Taliban attacked the Pakistani members of the film crew. Four crew members were shot while leaving the compound and arriving at the set; they all survived. Much like the lead character of the movie, director David Whitney and his crew were forced to leave Pakistan with the help of local security forces. Only 75% of the shoot was completed by then. Later, Sheikh arranged funding for the remaining part, which was filmed in Tunisia.
Sheikh was approached by Jami, director and writer of Moor, to play the role of an old man whose family was affected by the closure of a railway station in Zhob Valley, Baluchistan. In preparation for the role, Sheikh gained a lot of weight and changed his posture and gait (walking style). He described his role as "genuinely challenging," but didn't charge a fee for the project since he believed the film would open doors for young actors of Baluchistan.