Zehra Fazal
Zehra Fazal is an American voice actress, known for voicing Nadia Rizavi in Voltron: Legendary Defender and Halo and Harper Row in Young Justice.
Career
Prior to her voice acting career, Fazal, who is of Pakistani descent, was known for her irreverent comedy often poking fun at Muslim identity. Her one-woman musical comedy show Headscarf and the Angry Bitch, which she described as partly fictional and partly autobiographical, created Muslim parodies of holiday comedy songs - for instance, "The Ramadan Song" instead of "The Chanukah Song" - and discussed living in America with a "hyphenated identity." Fazal, who describes herself as "the Muslim Weird Al", explains that the show explores the fact that "the definition of what it is to be Muslim is expanding and it's okay to be vocal about it." She created the show's character, Zed Headscarf, as "her tougher, bolder, prouder side", partly in response to post-9/11 Islamophobia she encountered. Fazal's performance won the "best solo performance award" at the Capital Fringe Festival in 2009 and was sold out throughout its New York International Fringe Festival run in 2010.Fazal has also portrayed Adolf Hitler in an adaptation of Yukio Mishima’s play, My Friend Hitler. She studied with Japan’s Takarazuka Revue Company as a research intern in 2004. After returning to the United States, Fazal translated and staged Takarazuka Revue's The Rose of Versailles at Wellesley College, where she was a student. Fazal explains "I have a knack for taking something that already exists and making it fit into a new mold." Fazal also portrayed doctor Amanda Jain in the video comedy series F#@K I Love U.
During the development of Young Justice: Outsiders, co-creator Greg Weisman wrote the role for Halo with Fazal in mind; she would also play about a dozen other characters featured on the show.
Personal life
Fazal has a B.A. from Wellesley College. She speaks Japanese, French, and Urdu. Fazal is a passionate supporter of Paani Project, a nonprofit that works with community partners and institutions in the United States and Pakistan to help alleviate clean water inaccessibility, advocate for gender equity, and address a variety of pressing health disparities in rural South Asian communities.As a child, she was a fan of the Disney animated show Darkwing Duck; she drew on inspiration on the titular character for her performance as General Yunan on Disney's Amphibia.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Source |
| 2018 | The Laws of the Universe Part I | Zamza | English dub | |
| 2020 | Batman: Death in the Family | Talia al Ghul, Reporter | Direct-to-video | |
| 2022 | Catwoman: Hunted | Talia al Ghul, Nosferata, Interpol Commando | - | |
| Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe | Butt-Head Fantasy Woman #1 | - | ||
| 2023 | Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match | Jataaka | Direct-to-video | |
| Urkel Saves Santa: the Movie | Suli | - | - | |
| Godzilla Minus One | Sumiko Ōta | English dub | - | |
| Craig Before the Creek | Gala, Shannon the Scout, Tattoo | - | - | |
| 2024 | Watchmen Chapter 2 | Hira Manish, Newscaster | Direct-to-video |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Awards | Category | Nominated for | Result | |
| 2019 | Voice Arts Awards | Outstanding Promo Campaign - TV or Web, Best Voiceover | Fox Sports FIFA Women's World Cup 2019 | Nomitated | |
| 2019 | Voice Arts Awards | Outstanding Animation Character - TV or Web, Best Voiceover | Young Justice: Outsiders - Halo | Won | |
| 2019 | Voice Arts Awards | Outstanding Body of Work, Best Voice Actor | Won |