Adeel Akhtar
{{Short description|British actor}}
{{Not to be confused with|Aadeel Akhtar}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2016}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Adeel Akhtar
| birth_date =
| birth_place = London, England
| occupation = Actor
| education = Oxford Brookes University {{small|(BA)}}
New School {{small|(MFA)}}
| yearsactive = 2002–present
}}
Adeel Akhtar is a British actor. He is known for his role in Murdered by My Father, for which he won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor in 2017. He is also known for Utopia, Ali & Ava, Showtrial, and Sherwood (2022), for which he received the British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor. He won the Outstanding Supporting Performance at the Children's and Family Emmy Awards for his role in Sweet Tooth in 2023.
Early life and education
Adeel Akhtar was born in London, to a Pakistani father and a Indo-Kenyan mother.
He was educated at Cheltenham College{{cite journal|url= http://issuu.com/schoolwebsite/docs/floreat_2012?mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true|journal=Floreat Cheltonia|title=From Terrorist to the Prince of Denmark|first=Andrew|last=Harris|issue=5|page=35|date=January 2012|access-date=21 June 2022}} Junior School from 1991 to 1994 and then moved to Cheltenham College in Newick House from 1994 to 1999. He completed a degree in law from Oxford Brookes University in 2002 but decided to follow his passion and change to acting, training at the Actors Studio Drama School, then within The New School, in New York.{{cite news|url= https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/may/11/bafta-tv-awards-2014-observer-portfolio1|work=The Observer|title=Dominic West, Adeel Akhtar, Rory Kinnear, Andrew Buchan, Jodie Whittaker, Julie Hesmondhalgh and Simon Bird: Bafta TV awards 2014|first1=Alice|last1=Fisher|first2=Emma|last2=John|first3=Shahesta|last3=Shaitly|date=11 May 2014|access-date=21 June 2022}}
Career
Akhtar's first major role was as the bumbling Muslim extremist Faisal in Chris Morris's film Four Lions.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/may/06/four-lions-review|work=The Guardian|title=Review: Four Lions|first=Peter|last=Bradshaw|author-link=Peter Bradshaw|date=6 May 2010|access-date=21 June 2022}} Other comedic performances include Gupta in The Angelos Epithemiou Show,{{cite web|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2bdc0cf05b|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180108005123/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2bdc0cf05b|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 January 2018|work=British Film Institute|title=Adeel Akhtar|access-date=21 June 2022}} Maroush in The Dictator and Smee in Joe Wright 's Pan.{{cite news|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/amanda-seyfried-joins-warner-bros-698768 |work=The Hollywood Reporter|title=Amanda Seyfried Joins Warner Bros.' Peter Pan Adaptation|first=Rebecca|last=Ford|date=24 April 2014|access-date=21 June 2022}}
Akhtar has also won acclaim for his dramatic performances: in 2015, he was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor for his 2014 role as Wilson Wilson on Channel 4's Utopia.{{cite web|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-05-06/who-should-win-best-supporting-actor-at-the-tv-baftas-2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527030506/http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-05-06/who-should-win-best-supporting-actor-at-the-tv-baftas-2015|work=Radio Times|title=Who should win best supporting actor at the TV Baftas 2015?|date=6 May 2015|archive-date=27 May 2015}} He played shopkeeper Ahmed alongside Toby Jones in the BBC mini-series Capital,{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06qrqlf|work=BBC iPlayer|title=Capital {{!}} Episode 1|date=24 November 2015|access-date=21 June 2022}} and DS Ira King in the BBC's River.{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06jkmtf|work=BBC iPlayer|title=River {{!}} Episode 1|date=13 October 2015|access-date=21 June 2022}} Reviewing River in The Daily Telegraph, Michael Hogan wrote, "This series was beautifully written by Abi Morgan, stylishly directed, and most of all, superbly acted. The quieter, less showy supporting players also shone. Not just stalwarts [...] but fresher faces: Adeel Akhtar as River's endlessly patient sidekick and Georgina Rich as his psychiatrist".{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/tv-and-radio-reviews/12001395/River-episode-six-review.html|work=The Daily Telegraph|title=River, episode six, review: 'one of the year's best home-grown TV dramas'|first=Michael|last=Hogan|date=17 November 2015|access-date=21 June 2022}}{{subscription required}}
In 2016, Akhtar appeared as Shahzad in the BBC one-off drama Murdered by My Father. He won the 2017 BAFTA award for Lead Actor for this role,{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-39563665|work=BBC News|title=Bafta TV Awards 2017: All the winners and nominees|date=14 May 2017|access-date=21 June 2022}} the first non-white actor to do so. In 2017 he also took part in the American romantic comedy film The Big Sick, playing the role of the protagonist's brother, Naveed.
{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-39920629|work=BBC News|title=Bafta TV awards: Adeel Akhtar is first non-white best actor winner|date=15 May 2017|access-date=21 June 2022}} He appeared as Rob Singhal in the acclaimed BBC miniseries based on John le Carré's The Night Manager.{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03g14d5|work=BBC iPlayer|title=The Night Manager|date=10 January 2021|access-date=21 June 2022}} In 2019, Akhtar appeared as Billy in the BBC Three series, Back to Life, written by Daisy Haggard and Laura Solon, returning in 2021 for the second series.{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/comedy/back-to-life-season-3-release-date|work=Radio Times|title=Back to Life season 3: Release date rumours, cast, plot and news around BBC Three comedy-drama's return|first=Lauren|last=Morris|date=1 September 2021|access-date=21 June 2022}} In 2024, Akhtar appeared as Sam Malik in the second series of BBC drama Showtrial.https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0023h9j/showtrial-series-2-1-officer-x?seriesId=p09twdp8-structural-2-m0023h9h
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable" | |||
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Traitor | Hamzi | |
| rowspan="3" | 2010 | Four Lions | Faisal | |
| Side by Side | Isaac | Short film | |
| Stranger Things | Mani | ||
| 2012 | The Dictator | Maroush | |
| rowspan="4" | 2013 | Jadoo | Vinod | |
| Convenience | Shaan | ||
| The Cost of Living | Jimmy | rowspan="2" | Short films | |
| Keeping Up with the Joneses | Jerry | ||
| 2014 | War Book | Mo | |
| 2015 | Pan | Smee | |
| 2016 | The Big Return of Ray Lamere | Ray | Short film |
| rowspan="3" | 2017 | The Big Sick | Naveed | |
| Hampstead | Wiggin | ||
| Victoria & Abdul | Mohammed Bakhsh | ||
| rowspan="2" | 2018 | Swimming with Men | Kurt | |
| The Therapist | Adam | Short film | |
| rowspan="2" | 2019 | Murder Mystery | Maharajah Vikram Govindan | |
| The Show | Carpenter | ||
| rowspan="2" | 2020 | The Nest | Steve | |
| Enola Holmes | Inspector Lestrade | ||
| rowspan="4" | 2021 | Ali & Ava | Ali | Nominated - British Academy Film Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role |
| Everybody's Talking About Jamie | Iman Masood | ||
| The Electrical Life of Louis Wain | Dan Rider | ||
| Robin Robin | Dad Mouse (voice) | Short film | |
| rowspan="2" | 2022 | Save the Cinema | Mayor Tom | |
| Enola Holmes 2 | Inspector Lestrade | ||
| rowspan="4" | 2023 | Murder Mystery 2 | The Maharajah | {{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/tony-goldwyn-jodie-turner-smith-murder-mystery-2-netflix-1235079986|work=The Hollywood Reporter|title=Jodie Turner-Smith, Mark Strong Join Netflix's 'Murder Mystery 2'|first=Mia|last=Galuppo|date=24 January 2022|access-date=22 June 2022}} |
| F.O.G | Sanjay | rowspan="3" | Short films | |
| The Puppet Asylum | The Narrator | ||
| The Walk | Amar |
=Television=
=Stage=
- 2008: Zero as The Colonel (Theatre Absolute)
- 2008: In My Name as Zaeem (Old Red Lion & Trafalgar Studios)
- 2009: Wuthering Heights as Yusuf (Tamasha Theatre Company)
- 2010: Satyagraha (Ensemble) (Improbable theatre)
- 2011–2012: Hamlet as Guildenstern and Francisco (Young Vic Theatre)
- 2024: The Cherry Orchard as Lopakhin (Donmar Warehouse)
- 2025: The Cherry Orchard as Lopakhin (St. Ann's Warehouse)
Accolades
References
{{reflist}}
Further reading
- {{cite news|last1=Greenstreet|first1=Rosanna|title=Adeel Akhtar: 'My wife says I'm a tired, older version of Riz Ahmed'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/may/19/adeel-akhtar-actor-interview-wife-tired-older-riz-ahmed|work=The Guardian|date=19 May 2018|language=en}}
External links
- {{IMDb name}}
- [http://www.stagesofhalfmoon.org.uk/actors/adeel-akhtar/ Adeel Akhtar] on Stages of Half Moon
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Adeel Akhtar
|list =
{{British Academy Television Award for Best Actor}}
{{British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
{{BIFA Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a British Independent Film}}
{{Children's and Family Emmy Award Outstanding Supporting Performer}}
}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Akhtar, Adeel}}
Category:21st-century English male actors
Category:Best Actor BAFTA Award (television) winners
Category:Best Supporting Actor BAFTA Award (television) winners
Category:British actors of Pakistani descent
Category:Children's and Family Emmy Award winners
Category:English male film actors
Category:English male stage actors
Category:English male television actors
Category:English male voice actors
Category:English people of Kenyan descent
Category:English people of Pakistani descent