Zaiba Baig
Canadian writer and actor (born 1995)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zaiba Baig (born Bilal Baig, 1995[2]) is a Canadian writer and actor. They[a] are best known for their play Acha Bacha and CBC series Sort Of (2021–2023).[3]
- Playwright
- actor
- screenwriter
Zaiba Baig | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1995 (age 30–31) Scarborough, Ontario, Canada[1] |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2018–present |
Career
Acha Bacha, a play which centers on a Pakistani-Canadian non-binary person struggling to reconcile their gender with their Muslim upbringing,[4] was staged in a joint production by Theatre Passe Muraille and Buddies in Bad Times in 2018, and presented at Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace.[5][6]
Baig is the co-creator, co-writer, and star of Sort Of, a CBC Television comedy series centering on a genderfluid character.[3] Baig is the first queer South Asian Muslim actor to lead a Canadian primetime television series. The series premiered on CBC in 2021.[7]
Sort Of was the top winner overall in television categories at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards in 2022 and Baig shared the award for Best Writing in a Comedy Series with writing partner Fab Filippo. Baig had declined to submit their performance for 2022 award consideration due to the gendered categories of Best Actor in a Comedy Series and Best Actress in a Comedy Series.[8] Subsequently, the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television announced that beginning with the 11th Canadian Screen Awards in 2023, gender-neutral awards for Best Performance would be presented instead of gendered actor and actress categories[9] Baig was the winner of the inaugural Canadian Screen Award for Best Leading Performance in a Comedy Series at the 11th Canadian Screen Awards in 2023, in addition to their second award for Best Writing in a Comedy Series, again shared with Fab Fillipo.[10]
In June 2025, Buddies in Bad Times announced the production of Begging Brown Bitch Plays, a show combining Baig's one-act plays Kainchee Lagaa and Jhooti, for the 2025-26 season.[11] It ran from April 1–18, 2026.[12]
Personal life
Baig was raised in Mississauga, Ontario, by Pakistani immigrant parents.[13][2] Baig is queer, transfeminine, and Muslim.[14] They use both she/her and they/them pronouns.[15] They do not have a close relationship with their parents and only revealed their identity and career to them through email a week before the premiere of Sort Of. Though their parents' reactions were more positive than expected, Baig found it upsetting, stating "No one was really trying to make a deep connection."[2]
Baig mentors emerging queer and trans writers, particularly young women and transfeminine people of colour, and holds writing workshops for youth in underserved Toronto communities. Baig also leads anti-Islamophobia workshops for high schools and founded an online platform for queer and trans South Asians to connect.[14][2][16]
In January 2026, Baig stated in a story on their Instagram account that they had changed their name to Zaiba, alongside a request to no longer use their deadname.[17]
Credits
Writing
Television
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2021–2023 | Sort Of | 11 episodes; co-creator |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Director(s) | Theatre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Acha Bacha[18] | Brendan Healy | Theatre Passe Muraille |
| 2026 | Kainchee Lagaa[11] | Tawiah M'carthy | Buddies in Bad Times |
| Jhooti[11] |
Acting
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–2023 | Sort Of | Sabi Mehboob | Lead |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Neverman |
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Gotham Independent Film Awards | Outstanding Performance in a New Series | Zaiba Baig | Nominated | [19][20] |
| Peabody Awards | Entertainment | Sort Of | Nominated | [21] | |
| Dayne Ogilvie Prize | LGBTQ2S+ Emerging Writers | Zaiba Baig for Acha Bacha | Nominated | [22][23] | |
| 10th Canadian Screen Awards | Best Writing, Comedy | Zaiba Baig, Fab Filippo | Won | [24] | |
| 2023 | 11th Canadian Screen Awards | Best Lead Performer, Comedy | Zaiba Baig | Won | [25] |
| Best Writing, Comedy | Zaiba Baig, Fab Filippo | Won | [26] |
Notes
- Baig uses both she/her and they/them pronouns interchangeably. This article uses they/them for consistency.