Naveen has described his upbringing as repressive, and his early experiences as an actor (and musician) as having provided him with a much needed feeling of freedom. 

musician

Naveen took up guitar at age twelve, and eventually founded a band for which he was the lead singer and guitarist. Naveen studied both music and acting when he attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.  He enjoys a long-time friendship with Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, and at one point appeared with Steve's band, Camp Freddy, at the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood. Naveen has also enjoyed jamming with friend Marilyn Manson. 

Why was Naveen so playful and over the top at times while attending premieres and red carpet events? He's also a rocker and a bit of a punker. 

That explains it...

actor

According to IMDb, Naveen has appeared in over thirty film and television projects. He is perhaps best known for his role as Kip in The English Patient, Sayid Jarrah on Lost, and Jafar on Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.

Naveen applied to and was accepted to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama at the age of 16, graduating in 1990 at the age of 20. At the age of 22, he  was cast as Omar in the London stage rendition of Hanif Kureishi's screenplay for My Beautiful Laundrette. The same year he appeared in his first film role as Bike in Kureishi's directorial debut, London Kills Me (1991).

Kureishi eventually cast Naveen in the lead role of Karim for his BBC Miniseries project The Buddha of Suburbia (1993). This was a big break for Naveen, and two films later he was cast as Raj Singh in Kama Sutra (1996), and Kip inThe English Patient (1996), two internationally distributed major motion pictures by directors Mira Nair and Anthony Minghella.

falling out of the nest

Naveen's parents had planned an academic career for Naveen, and the choice to pursue a career in acting caused increased tensions in his already physically and mentally abusive home. 

Naveen was able to move away from home with the help of a teacher, who allowed him to live in her home until he was older and could live on his own. Years later, he fathered his first son with her when he was age 23.

fatherhood

For Naveen, being a father always comes first. He is a very dedicated father to his two sons: Jaisal, born in 1992, and Naveen Joshua, born in 2006. Jaisal has remained in England and graduated from The University of Manchester with a major in Literature.

Joshua lives with Naveen in Santa Monica, a suburb of Los Angeles.

Naveen loves LA and has described it as the first place he felt "at home." 

that Sayid guy...

Full name: Naveen William Sydney Andrews (cool, huh?)

First name: Naveen means "new" in Sanskrit

Birthdate: January 17, 1969

Age: 46 years old

Height: 5'9" tall

Home: Santa Monica California USA

Religion: Christian (raised Methodist)

Family: Naveen's parents are deceased. Naveen's younger brother Sunil resides in the UK.

Children: Naveen is a dedicated father of two sons. Jaisal, age 21, and Naveen Joshua, age eight

US Citizenship: Naturalized US citizen on May 27, 2010

Heritage: Naveen is British, of Indian descent. Both of Naveen's parents were Malayali Nasrani Christians who immigrated to England from Kerala, India before he was born. He grew up in Wandsworth, London, and attended historic Emanuel School.

Education: Naveen applied to and was accepted to the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama at the age of 16. While in school, he performed in numerous plays, including King Lear (as Gloucester), The Frontier (as Harmej), Lorca's Blood Wedding, and Two Planks and a Passion. 

fun stuff

Electric guitar: Gibson Les Paul Junior Double Cutaway, yellow; a favorite of punkers and garage bands (Jana - that's me - WANTS a gold top. UPDATE: I bought a gold top!!!! Naveen inspired me)

UPDATE: Naveen has purchase at least a few and likely several guitars, including at least one custom guitar from Asher Guitars in Venice.

Car: 2008 Porsche 911 Turbo, silver

Sports team: Chelsea Football Club (Barclay Premier League soccer)

Surname: Where does Andrews come from? “Years ago, there was a Scots missionary who came over to the south of India. So there are many Indians named after him.”

Nickname growing up: The British often use surname, as in "Potter!" Some of Naveen's friends dropped the "s" and called him "Andrew" (I only have one source for this)

Hair: Straight until puberty, became curly at age 13

Jewelry: Naveen always wears the same jewelry, all sterling silver from designer Chrome Hearts ~ a chain with a Chrome Hearts floral cross pendant (one side is gold), a Chrome Hearts pinky dagger ring, and a Chrome Hearts dagger bracelet. 

SEE PICS OF NAVEEN'S FUN JEWELRY HERE

Fingernails: Short on the left hand and long on the right hand for playing the guitar (that explains it)

Favorite snack: Toast (the British think of toast as a light meal)

Food to gain weight for Diana: "Black puddings, lots of sausages, and treacle tarts" (you DO NOT want to know what black pudding is).

Favorite episode on Lost: 5x10 "He's our you" (in which his character is forced to take LSD)

Favorite read with Joshua: Watership Down

quotes

"I was always in trouble from an early age. I had a fraught relationship with my parents, who were very traditional. Doing plays at school was a joyous release." 

"It is not easy to get parts in mainstream films for most people of color. Hollywood and British writers are not writing parts for us, or the directors are not interested in casting us in parts that are color-blind."

"I think I may have failed at a lot of things, but the one thing I can say, and that I'm proud of, is that I am a good parent."

M O R E . Q U O T E S

With Jaisal at Chelsea Football Club preseason training camp, UCLA,  2 August 2006 (Gregg DeGuire/Getty)

EMMY

2005 Primetime Emmy Awards ~ WON ~ Outstanding Drama Series for Lost (shared award)

2005 Primetime Emmy Awards ~ NOMINATION ~ Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Lost

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SCREEN ACTORS GUILD

2006 SAG Award ~ WON ~ Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series for Lost (shared award)

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GOLDEN GLOBES

2006 Golden Globes USA ~ WON ~ Best Television Series--Drama for Lost (shared award)

2006 Golden Globes USA ~ NOMINATION ~ Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for Lost

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OTHER AWARDS

2006 2007 2008 Golden Nymph Awards ~ NOMINATIONS ~ Outstanding actor in a drama series for Lost

1997 SAG Award ~ NOMINATION ~ Outstanding Performance by a Cast for The English Patient (shared nomination) 

Naveen was also nominated for a Chlotrudis award in 1997 for The English Patient, and an Evening Standard Drama Award nomination in 1993 for Most Promising Newcomer for Wild West.

RED CARPET & AWARDS GALLERIES HERE