Golam D Shafeek was born in Dacca (now Dhaka), East Bengal, British India (now Bangladesh) in a reputed Bihari family from Old Dhaka. His father (Golam Merajuddin) was a "Sugar Technologist". After completing school from Dhaka, he went to Dhaka University and got Bachelor of Arts. In 1958, he went to England and get enrolled in Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Shafeek was involved with amateur theatre in Dacca (Dhaka) and very much fond of acting. Shafeek's first film role was as 'Akbar' in the film The Long Duel (1967), starring Yul Brynner.
It Ain't Half Hot Mum was a BBC comedy series written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, the creators of Dad's Army. Set in World War II British India, it follows the fortunes and activities of a concert party troop attached to the Royal Artillery. The series aired on the BBC from 1974 to 1981 and starred Windsor Davies as the loud-mouthed staff sergeant-major of the troop's barracks in Deolali, Bombay Presidency. Michael Bates starred as Rangi Ram, the Hindu "Bearer to the British Concert Party" .
During the run of It Ain't Half Hot Mum, Shafeek played the part of student Ali Nadim in the popular if politically somewhat incorrect ITV/London Weekend Television sitcom Mind Your Language (1977–79). Along with Barry Evans as their Teacher, Ali was one of a lively group of foreigners in an English as a Foreign Language class at a London night-school. Ali was a Muslim Pakistani who had immigrated to the United Kingdom, and was frequently seen bickering with Ranjeet Singh (Albert Moses), a Sikh from India. Ali called Ranjeet names like "poppadum", frequently calls him a "damn fool" and tells him that he will "kick [him] up the Khyber" ("Khyber Pass" being rhyming slang for "arse"). This antagonistic relationship is depicted regularly throughout the early episodes, with the characters frequently having Verbal and occasionally physical arguments but as the series progresses, their relationship mellows into one of friendly and mutual supportiveness.
Dino Shafeek died suddenly from a heart attack at home on 10 March 1984, eleven days before his 55th birthday.
