Book Parminder Nagra

Parminder Nagra is a British actress who broke through internationally as Jess Bhamra, the football-mad teenager at the heart of the hit film Bend It Like Beckham (2002), a role that brought her a nomination for the Jameson People's Choice Award for Best Actress. She then crossed over to American television, spending six seasons as Dr. Neela Rasgotra on NBC's long-running medical drama ER from 2003 to 2009. Her later roles include FBI agent Meera Malik during season one of The Blacklist, Ellen Nadeer on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and a part in the Netflix thriller Bird Box (2018). More recently she took the title role in the ITV crime drama DI Ray, which ran from 2022 to 2024. Nagra began her career in theater after leaving Leicester for London, playing the Princess in a 1994 pantomime of Sleeping Beauty and working with Indian theater companies Tara Arts and Tamasha before television roles including Casualty. She brings an inspiring story of a breakout star, broad recognition on both sides of the Atlantic and a gracious, engaging presence.