# Shaheen Jafargholi
**Shaheen Jafargholi** (Persian: شاهین جعفرقلی; born 1997) is a Welsh actor and singer who first came to public attention at age 12 on the 2009 series of *Britain's Got Talent* and later sang "Who's Loving You" at [Michael Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-jackson)'s memorial service. He is best known for the television roles of Shakil Kazemi in *EastEnders* (2016–2018) and Marty Kirkby in *Casualty* (2018–2023), and has since moved into adult drama roles in British and international series.[1](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/shaheen-jafargholi)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1997, Singleton Hospital, Swansea, Wales; Welsh mother Karen Thomas and Iranian father Iraj Jafargholi[2](https://www.holby.tv/shaheen-jafargholi/) |
| Breakthrough | Third series of ITV's *Britain's Got Talent* in 2009, at age 12; finished in seventh place[1](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/shaheen-jafargholi) • [3](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/apr/22/britains-got-talent-shaheen-jafargholi-local-radio) |
| Signature performance | "Who's Loving You" at his audition and again at the Michael Jackson memorial service in 2009[3](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/apr/22/britains-got-talent-shaheen-jafargholi-local-radio) • [4](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/shaheen-jafargholi-22637.php) |
| Major TV roles | Shakil Kazemi in *EastEnders* (2016–2018); Marty Kirkby in *Casualty* (2018–2023)[1](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/shaheen-jafargholi) |
| Later work | Billy in *Wreck* (2023), Celyn in *Lost Boys and Fairies* (2024), Zak in *The Agency*, and Fabian Salah in *Heated Rivalry* season 2[1](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/shaheen-jafargholi) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1692863/) • [6](https://www.justjared.com/tags/shaheen-jafargholi/) |
| Music | Albums *When I Come of Age* (Island Records) and *Acoustic* (Grinnin' Records)[4](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/shaheen-jafargholi-22637.php) |
| Training | Mark Jermin Stage School[4](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/shaheen-jafargholi-22637.php) |
## Early life
Jafargholi was born at Singleton Hospital in Swansea, Wales, to Karen Thomas, who is Welsh, and Iraj Jafargholi, an Iranian computer consultant.[2](https://www.holby.tv/shaheen-jafargholi/) He trained at the Mark Jermin Stage School, and as a child he was followed by cameras for six months in the BBC Wales documentary series *Starstruck*, which filmed children at the stage school.[4](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/shaheen-jafargholi-22637.php) • [7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1692863/bio/)
## Child acting
His first screen appearances came before the talent show. He played Christy Skinner, a patient with incurable hiccups, in an episode of the medical drama *Casualty*, and appeared as Danny, the child of a gun-wielding father, in the *Torchwood* episode "Greeks Bearing Gifts".[1](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/shaheen-jafargholi) In 2009 he took the recurring role of Troy in the children's series *Grandpa in My Pocket*.[1](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/shaheen-jafargholi) He also toured with the musical *Thriller Live*, playing a young Michael Jackson.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/apr/22/britains-got-talent-shaheen-jafargholi-local-radio)
## Britain's Got Talent and the Jackson memorial
Jafargholi auditioned for the third series of *Britain's Got Talent* in 2009, when he was 12 years old. He began singing "Valerie", written by the Zutons and later a hit for [Amy Winehouse](https://www.edgepedia.org/amy-winehouse), but was stopped by judge [Simon Cowell](https://www.edgepedia.org/simon-cowell), who told him he had chosen the wrong song.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/apr/22/britains-got-talent-shaheen-jafargholi-local-radio) His second choice, the Jackson 5 song "Who's Loving You", earned a standing ovation from the audience and judges; Cowell told him, "This could be the start of something special."[3](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/apr/22/britains-got-talent-shaheen-jafargholi-local-radio) The performance drew wide press coverage, and his audition video had been watched 3 million times on YouTube within weeks, according to *Music Week*.[8](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/2009/2009-05-02-Music-Week.pdf) He finished the series in seventh place.[1](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/shaheen-jafargholi)
The exposure brought immediate side opportunities. Within weeks he was given a one-hour show on his local station, Swansea Bay Radio, broadcast on Bank Holiday Monday, 4 May 2009, in which he picked his favorite songs and talked about his experiences on the program.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/apr/22/britains-got-talent-shaheen-jafargholi-local-radio)
After Michael Jackson's death in June 2009, Jafargholi performed "Who's Loving You" at the memorial service at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.[4](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/shaheen-jafargholi-22637.php) • [9](https://www.iranian.com/main/2009/jul/shaheen-jafargholi.html)
## Music career
Jafargholi recorded with two labels: the album *When I Come of Age* with [Island Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/island-records) and *Acoustic* with Grinnin' Records.[4](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/shaheen-jafargholi-22637.php) In a 2013 interview he described rethinking his career path while completing his GCSEs, writing more of his own material and returning to live performance.[10](https://decisivemotion.wordpress.com/2013/09/26/shaheenjafargholi/)
## Adult acting career
In 2016 Jafargholi joined the cast of the BBC soap opera *EastEnders* as Shakil Kazemi, a role he played until 2018.[4](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/shaheen-jafargholi-22637.php) • [1](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/shaheen-jafargholi) He then moved to the medical drama *Casualty*, playing paramedic Marty Kirkby from 2018 to 2023, and reprised the character in *Holby City*.[1](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/shaheen-jafargholi) • [11](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/shaheen-jafargholi/)
His roles since have shifted toward drama and international productions. He played Billy in the second season of the [BBC Three](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-three) horror comedy *Wreck* (2023) and Celyn in the [BBC One](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-one) miniseries *Lost Boys and Fairies* (2024).[1](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/shaheen-jafargholi) IMDb credits him as Zak in *The Agency* and as Jordan in the 2025 series *In Flight*, with the film *War* (2026) among his upcoming credits.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1692863/) In 2026 it was announced that he had joined the cast of the Crave series *Heated Rivalry* for its second season, playing Fabian Salah alongside Daniel Diemer as Ryan.[6](https://www.justjared.com/tags/shaheen-jafargholi/)
## References
1. [Shaheen Jafargholi, VALÉORINE Encyclopedia](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/shaheen-jafargholi)
2. [Shaheen Jafargholi, holby.tv](https://www.holby.tv/shaheen-jafargholi/)
3. [Britain's Got Talent's Shaheen signed up by local radio station, The Guardian (22 April 2009)](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/apr/22/britains-got-talent-shaheen-jafargholi-local-radio)
4. [Shaheen Jafargholi Biography, The Famous People](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/shaheen-jafargholi-22637.php)
5. [Shaheen Jafargholi, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1692863/)
6. [Shaheen Jafargholi Archives, Just Jared](https://www.justjared.com/tags/shaheen-jafargholi/)
7. [Shaheen Jafargholi Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1692863/bio/)
8. [Music Week, 2 May 2009](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/2009/2009-05-02-Music-Week.pdf)
9. [Shaheen Jafargholi, Iranian.com](https://www.iranian.com/main/2009/jul/shaheen-jafargholi.html)
10. [Interview with Singer Songwriter Shaheen Jafargholi, Decisive Motion (2013)](https://decisivemotion.wordpress.com/2013/09/26/shaheenjafargholi/)
11. [Shaheen Jafargholi, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/shaheen-jafargholi/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › Welsh actors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license