Bilal Baig is a Canadian writer and actor. They are best known for their play Acha Bacha and CBC series Sort Of (2021–2023).[3]
Bilal Baig | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1995 (age 28–29)[1] |
Early life
Baig was raised in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.[2]
Career
Acha Bacha, a play which centers on a non-binary Pakistani-Canadian person struggling to reconcile their gender with their Muslim upbringing,[4] was staged in a joint production by Theatre Passe Muraille and Buddies in Bad Times in 2018, and presented at Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace.[5][6]
Baig is the co-creator, a co-writer, and star of Sort Of, a CBC Television comedy series centering on a genderfluid character.[3] Baig is the first queer South Asian Muslim actor to lead a Canadian primetime television series.[7] The series premiered on CBC in 2021.[7]
Sort Of was the top winner overall in television categories at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards in 2022 and Baig shared the award for Best Writing in a Comedy Series with writing partner Fab Filippo. Baig had declined to submit their performance for 2022 award consideration due to the gendered categories of Best Actor in a Comedy Series and Best Actress in a Comedy Series.[8] Subsequently, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television announced that beginning with the 11th Canadian Screen Awards in 2023, gender-neutral awards for Best Performance will be presented instead of gendered actor and actress categories[9] Baig was the winner of the inaugural Canadian Screen Award for Best Leading Performance in a Comedy Series at the 11th Canadian Screen Awards in 2023, in addition to their second award for Best Writing in a Comedy Series, again shared with Fab Fillipo.[10]
Theatre credits
| Year | Title | Role | Theatre | Director(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Acha Bacha | Playwright | Theatre Passe Muraille | Brendan Healy |
Filmography
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–2023 | Sort Of | Sabi Mehboob | Lead/Creator |
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Gotham Independent Film Awards | Outstanding Performance in a New Series | Nominated | [12] [13] | |
| 2022 | Peabody Awards | Entertainment | Sort Of | Nominated | [14] |
| 2022 | Canadian Screen Awards | Best Writing, Comedy | Bilal Baig, Fab Filippo | Won | [15] |
| 2023 | Canadian Screen Awards | Best Lead Performer, Comedy | Bilal Baig | Won | [16] |
| 2023 | Canadian Screen Awards | Best Writing, Comedy | Bilal Baig, Fab Filippo | Won | [17] |