Parminder Nagra

Parminder Kaur Nagra, born on October 5, 1975 in Leicester, England, is a British actress of Indian Punjabi Sikh heritage. She gained recognition for her portrayal of Jess Bhamra in the film Bend It Like Beckham (2002) and Dr. Neela Rasgotra in the NBC medical drama ER (2003–2009). Nagra has also appeared as Meera Malik in the first season of the NBC crime drama The Blacklist (2013–2014) and had a recurring role as Ellen Nadeer in the ABC/Marvel series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2016–2017). In 2022, she starred as the titular character in the ITV series DI Ray. Nagra's parents emigrated from the Punjab region of India in the 1960s, and she is the eldest of four siblings.