Anwar was born in Laleham, Middlesex, England. Her mother, Shirley, is an English actress, and her father, Tariq Anwar, is a lebanese film producer and editor. Anwar is also of part Austrian descent. Anwar attended Laleham C. of E. Primary and Middle School from 1975 to 1982; an end-of-term St. Trinians sketch in the school concert of 1982 gave an early indication of her theatrical leanings. She studied at a London drama and dance school.

Anwar's acting debut was in the British miniseries Hideaway. She made her film debut in Manifesto, which was followed by more British television productions including First Born, Summer's Lease, Press Gang, and The Mysteries of the Dark Jungle. While working on movies and television in London, she met American actor Craig Sheffer, and moved with him to Hollywood. Anwar and Sheffer have also co-starred in a number of American movies together, such as In Pursuit of Honor, The Grave,Turbulence 3: Heavy Metal, Flying Virus, Save It for Later, Water Under the Bridge, and Long Lost Son.

Her first American film was If Looks Could Kill - Teen Agent. She followed that with the acclaimed films Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken, Scent of a Woman, Body Snatchers, For Love or Money, and The Three Musketeers. In 1993, People magazine named her one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world.

Anwar has appeared in the TV series John Doe. She recently acted in The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines. Anwar plays Princess Margaret, sister of Henry VIII of England, on Showtime's The Tudors, which debuted in April 2007.

Also starting mid-2007, Anwar co-stars as Fiona Glenanne in the USA Network series Burn Notice. Though she performed the character with a thick Irish accent in the pilot episode, in the second installment Fiona speaks with an American accent. This was explained in a dialog exchange where the lead character commented on the accent change and Fiona replied that she would stand out in Miami talking "like a Leprechaun".

--Wikipedia