Charles Alexander De Melo (born 26 September 1989) is an English actor. From 2017 to 2022, he portrayed the role of Imran Habeeb on the ITV soap opera Coronation Street, for which he was nominated for the British Soap Award for Best Leading Performer.
Life and career De Melo was born on 26 September 1989 in Barnstaple, Devon, and later moved to London, where he attended the University of London. He graduated from ArtsEd in 2012, and appeared in the 2012 short films Rewind and Innocence. In 2013, he appeared as Tamir Niaz in an episode of the BBC soap opera Doctors. In 2014, he portrayed Josh Ware in an episode of Casualty, and in 2015, De Melo was cast in the BBC One drama series The Interceptor as Martin, a former MI6 agent and a member of the UNIT team. In 2016, he appeared in the direct-to-video sequel Jarhead 3: The Siege. In 2017, De Melo appeared in EastEnders as PC Jaz Jones on a recurring basis, appearing in five episodes. Later that year, he provided additional voices for the video game Need for Speed Payback.
In November 2017, De Melo joined the cast of the ITV soap opera Coronation Street as Imran Habeeb. The character was introduced as the brother of established character Rana Habeeb (Bhavna Limbachia) and arrives to attend Rana's wedding. The character returned in January 2018, after being promoted to a regular character, with storylines including his relationship with Toyah Battersby (Georgia Taylor), a one-night stand with Abi Franklin (Sally Carman which results in Abi getting pregnant and a custody battle for their son. In March 2022, it was announced that De Melo had decided to leave the soap, and Imran was killed off after sustaining injuries in a car accident and ultimately dying of cardiac arrest in scenes broadcast in June 2022. Following his exit from the soap, De Melo starred in a theatre adaptation of The Clothes They Stood Up In, based on the 2001 book by Alan Bennett, and in 2023, he appeared as Borachio in the play Much Ado About Nothing.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes 2012 Rewind Harry Short film 2012 Innocence Short film 2013 Doctors Tamir Niaz Episode: "Where the Truth Lies" 2014 Casualty Josh Ware Episode: "Valves to Vigrants" 2015 The Interceptor Martin Main role 2016 Jarhead 3: The Siege Jamal Direct-to-video film 2017 EastEnders PC Jaz Jones Recurring role 2017 Need for Speed Payback Video game (voice role) 2017–2022 Coronation Street Imran Habeeb Series regular 2023 Still Up Milo Episode: "The Wedding" 2023 Doctor Who Charlie Banerjee Episode: "The Giggle" 2024 Rivals Malhar Verma 3 episodes 2024 Ellis Leo Braxton Episode: "Brindleton" 2025 The Chelsea Detective Taymoor Bukhari Episode: "For the Greater Good" 2026 Half Man Alby Recurring role
Stage Year Title Role Venue 2022 The Clothes They Stood Up In Mr Anwar/Sarge/Nurse Nottingham Playhouse 2023 Much Ado About Nothing Borachio Shakespeare's Globe
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Result 2018 TV Choice Awards Best Soap Newcomer 2021 National Television Awards Serial Drama Performance 2021 Inside Soap Awards Best Actor 2022 British Soap Awards Best Leading Performer 2022 National Television Awards Serial Drama Performance
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