Abhay Singh Deol (born 15 March 1976) is an Indian actor and producer who is known for his work in Hindi films alongside Kannada and Tamil cinema. Born in the Deol family, he made his on-screen debut in 2005 with Imtiaz Ali's romantic comedy Socha Na Tha.

After the modest success of his debut, Deol was praised for his performances in films such as Manorama Six Feet Under (2007) and Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (2008). His breakthrough role came in 2009 with the starring role as Dev in Anurag Kashyap's black comedy Dev.D, a modern-day adaptation of Devdas. Following the success of the film, Deol gained wider recognition.

After mainly appearing in independent films early in his career, he starred in Zoya Akhtar's Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, a road trip film that went to become one of the highest-grossing films in Bollywood. His performance was well-received and earned him his first nomination for Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. Deol has since appeared in independent films including the drama Road, Movie (2010) and the war film Chakravyuh (2012), while simultaneously working in commercially successful films including the romantic drama Raanjhanaa (2013), and the romantic comedy Happy Bhag Jayegi (2016). He made his debut in Tamil language film Hero.

Deol is noted for his portrayal of complex characters on screen, and is vociferous in his support for parallel cinema in India. Deol owns a production company, Forbidden Films which he established in 2009. In addition to his acting career, he is also an active philanthropist and supports various NGOs.

Early life :

Deol was born into a Sikh Jatt family to Ajit Singh Deol and Usha Deol. He is the nephew of actor Dharmendra, and the cousin of Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Esha Deol and Ahana Deol. Abhay Deol stated in an interview with Rediff that he is into acting not because of his father, but because he was involved in theatre since school. "At 18, I decided to take the plunge. It took me 10 years because I didn't want to leave my education to get into films."