Husein "Huse" Madhavji (pronounced Ma-dav-gee; born July 19) is a Canadian actor and television personality. He is best known for his role as Dr. Shahir Hamza on the medical drama Saving Hope and as the former face of Star! Canada’s Entertainment Channel.
Hosting
Madhavji grew up in London, Ontario in an Indian Gujarati family who were Ismailis. After graduating from the radio and television arts program at Ryerson University Madhavji moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba to take on his first on-air position as an anchor/reporter for A-Channel. From there he moved to Northern California and was a live feature reporter for a short lived show called Good Evening Sacramento before making the jump to Good Day Sacramento for KMAX-TV. After less than two years working in Northern California, Madhavji received a call from CHUM Limited to host Star!’s flagship show Star! Daily in Toronto. Madhavji co- hosted the national program with television personality Dina Pugliese. Together they teamed up fronting various specials including Canada’s New Year’s Eve Bash. In 2007 CTV Globemedia acquired CHUM, and replaced Star! Daily with their own daily entertainment show etalk. Madhavji became a reporter for etalk, continued to front various specials on Star! and joined CP24, a round the clock local news channel in Toronto as their entertainment specialist until CTV decided to stop all production on Star! due to the economic downturn in Canada.
Madhavji continues to host various live events including AKF's "The World Partnership Walk" in Toronto and "Miss India Canada".
Acting
Madhavji took a keen interest in theatre in high school, performing in various musicals and plays. He was ready to attend theatre school but was directed towards broadcasting by his parents since it was more stable than a career in theatre. Throughout Madhavji’s hosting career, he never let go of his creative roots. He was cast in the Winnipeg production of Joseph and the Technicolored Dreamcoat, but had to turn it down after his News Director rejected his request for time off. Madhavji did land a few reporter roles during his time working in Winnipeg and Sacramento, most notably in the feature films The Many Trials of Jane Doe and Gone, But Not Forgotten. He decided to give acting a proper shot when he moved back to Toronto. While hosting at Star!, Madhavji moonlighted as a stage actor in the South Asian comedy 30 Dates. After securing a film/TV agent, Madhavji got cast in the CBC pilot Throwing Stones. When Madhavji’s hosting career at Star! ended in 2008, he went on tour with the cast of 30 Dates, was cast in the CTV/CBS cop drama The Bridge and then as a reoccurring character Ruptal 1 in the HBO Canada/Direct-TV comedy Call Me Fitz opposite Jason Priestley. Madhavji was seen in the crime thriller Cold Blooded, Combat Hospital and the second season of Call Me Fitz.
As of June 7, 2012, Madhavji stars on the supernatural medical drama Saving Hope as Dr. Shahir Hamza.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | The Many Trials of One Jane Doe | Media Reporter | TV movie |
| 2005 | Gone But Not Forgotten | Reporter (uncredited) | TV movie |
| 2009 | Throwing Stones | Yasminder ‘The Rock’ Ramham | TV movie |
| 2009 | The Border | Reporter | Episode: 3.9 “Dying Art” |
| 2010 | The Bridge | Aziz | Episode: 1.10 “The Blame Game” |
| 2010-2013 | Call Me Fitz | Ruptal 1 | 39 episodes; Main role (Seasons 1-4) |
| 2011 | The Listener | Landlord | Episode: 2.10 “Desperate Hours” |
| 2011 | Combat Hospital | Lt. Col. Max Pakash | 8 episodes; Recurring (season 1) |
| 2011 | Neutered | Richard | Short |
| 2012 | Cold Blooded | Dr. Gill | Film |
| 2012-2013 | Off2Kali Comedy | Various Characters | 4 episodes; Guest role (season 1) |
| 2012-2017 | Saving Hope | Dr. Shahir Hamza | 71 episodes; Main role (Seasons 1-5) |
| 2013 | Splinter Cell: Blacklist | Jadid (voice) | Video game |
| 2013 | Cracked | Dave Harrison | Episode: 2.5 “The Hold Out” |
| 2013 | Just a Prayer | Aleem | Short |
| 2015 | The Time Traveler | Unknown | Short |
| 2017 | Breakdown | Jared | Short |
| 2017 | Lethal Weapon | Dr. Paulo Weller | Episode: 2.2 “Dancing in September” |
| 2017 | How to Buy a Baby | Dr. Evans | 5 episodes; Recurring (season 1) |
| 2017 | Wisdom of the Crowd | Vikram Singh | Episode: 1.8 “Denial of Service” |
| 2018 | The Detail | Hickman Rashi | Episode: 1.1 “Pilot” |
| 2018 | Silencer | Arman Kasem | Short |
| 2018 | Have It All | Rick | Short |
| 2019 | Power of Termination | Dean | Short (Post-Production) |
| 2020 | Utopia Falls | Mentor Watts | series regular |
| 2020 | Schitt's Creek | guest role | |
| 2021 | Donkeyhead | Rup | |
| 2022 | Star Trek: Strange New Worlds | Elder Gamal | Episode: 1.6 " Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach" |
| 2023 | The Spencer Sisters | Alastair Dhumal | Supporting role |
References
- Madhavji. GGAgency.com.
- O'Toole, Megan (September 1, 2005). "Rising Star!". The London Free Press.
- Janmohammed, Sheniz (Winter 2008). "Sexy and Successful". Anokhi Magazine (74): 122.
- "CityTV Rings In New Year". Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
- Knelman, Martin (October 13, 2007). "CTV yanks plug on Star!". The Toronto Star.
- "Husein Madhavji - Entertainment Specialist". www.CP24.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-27.
- Friend, David (November 28, 2008). "CTV Cutting 105 Jobs". The Toronto Star. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012.
- Panjwani, Dilzayn and Dilnoor (June 2008). "A Giant Leap For Humanity". Indo Canadian Outlook.
- Nair, Shobha. "20th Annual Miss India-Canada". www.indocanadaoutlook.com.
- O'Toole, Megan (September 1, 2005). "Rising Star!". The London Free Press.
- "The Many Trials of Jane Doe". IMDb.
- Ongsansoy, Hans (May 27, 2009). "Husbands Are Hard To Find". The Province.
- "CBC Pilot Burn Off Time, THROWING STONES". URBMN.
- Seidman, Robert. "Critically-Acclaimed Series Call Me Fitz". Archived from the original on 2011-02-12.
- "Cold Blooded". Internet Movie Database.