Jimmi Harkishin

Who is Jimmi Harkishin?

James "Jimmi" Harkishin is a French-born British actor best known for his role as shop owner Dev Alahan in Coronation Street, which he has played since November 1999. He also featured in the film East is East and also Bhaji on the Beach. He played Gary Lobo in the Jonathan Creek episode "Danse Macabre".

Harkishin was born in Paris, France, to an Indian father, Deepak, and an Italian mother, Sony.

He began acting in 1988 under the stage name James Harkishin, and played the regular character of Jose Cuervo in the children's TV series Uncle Jack. In 2004, he was forced to take a break from Coronation Street after photographs appeared in the News of the World of him apparently taking drugs. A month earlier, he had been cautioned by police as a result of an alleged theft in Brent Cross shopping centre.