TV DOCTOR RECEIVES HONORARY DOCTORATE
(11 July 2007)

Actress Parminder Nagra, who plays Dr Neela Rasgotra in TV medical soap 'ER', received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Leicester on Wednesday 11th July. Nagra, who shot to fame playing football-crazy Jess Bhamra in Gurinder Chadha's hit film 'Bend it Like Beckham' , comes from Belgrave in Leicester. Her family had emigrated to Leicester from India in the 1960s, and her parents both worked in factories in the city.

As a child growing up in Leicester Parminder attended Northfield House Primary School, then Soar Valley College, where she played viola in the orchestra and acted in drama productions. Her association with the theatre world began when she worked as an usher at Leicester’s Haymarket Theatre at the age of 16.

Her first role was in a musical, 'Nimai', with the Leicester-based British Asian theatre company, Hathi Productions, soon after she had taken her A-levels. When the leading actress was taken ill, Parminder stepped into her part. She moved to London where, three years later in 1994, she played the Princess in the pantomime Sleeping Beauty at the Theatre Royal in Stratford East, followed by a string of radio, television and stage parts which included Casualty and Holby City.

In 2002 she was cast as the football crazy schoolgirl in 'Bend it Like Beckham', instantly becoming an international celebrity. The film became the highest-grossing British comedy in US cinema history. Among the awards she received for her portrayal of the role was FIFA’s ‘International Football Personality of the Year’ – the first time this has ever been awarded to a woman.

'Bend it Like Beckham' was followed by more film and TV roles and in 2003 Parminder Nagra began to play the part of Neela Rasgotra in ER. She has now acted in more than 90 episodes and is one of the series’ central characters. She said on receiving her honorary degree "A degree is something that I had always wanted but had thought it was something that had just passed me by. So I feel very fortunate to be stood here right now. "