Dev Patel (/ˈdɛv pəˈtɛl/; born 23 April 1990) is a British actor. He began acting by playing Anwar Kharral in the teen drama series Skins in 2007. His breakthrough came in 2008 with the leading role of Jamal Malik in Danny Boyle's drama Slumdog Millionaire, for which he was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
Patel's career expanded with leading roles in the comedy-dramas The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) and The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015) and action film Chappie (2015), and a supporting role in the television series The Newsroom (2012–2014). He received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing Saroo Brierley in the drama Lion (2016). He has since starred in the independent films Hotel Mumbai (2018), The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019), and The Green Knight (2021).
Early life and education :
Dev Patel was born on 23 April 1990 in Harrow, the son of Anita, a care worker, and Raju, an IT consultant. His parents are Indian Gujarati Hindus, though they were both born in Nairobi, Kenya, where there is a significant Indian community; they emigrated to England separately in their teens, and first met in London. Patel was raised in the Hindu faith. He speaks some Gujarati. His ancestors hail from Jamnagar and Unjha in Gujarat, India. He grew up in the Rayners Lane district of Harrow and attended Longfield Primary School and Whitmore High School. Patel had his first acting role as Sir Andrew Aguecheek in the school's production of Twelfth Night.
At Whitmore High School, he received an A* in GCSE Drama for his "self-penned portrayal of a child in the Beslan school siege". His drama teacher Niamh Wright has stated, "Dev was a gifted student who quickly impressed me with his innate ability to communicate a wide variety of characters imaginatively and creatively. He was awarded full marks for his GCSE performance to a live audience and the visiting examiner was moved to tears by his honest portrayal." He completed his A Levels in PE, Biology, History, and Drama in 2007 at Whitmore High School while working on Skins.
Patel said that he was "bloody energetic" as a child, and used to get in trouble because of it. He started training at the Rayners Lane Academy of Taekwondo in 2000. He competed regularly in both national and international championships, including the 2004 AIMAA (Action International Martial Arts Association) World Championships in Dublin, where he won a bronze medal.The World Championships took place in October 2004, when he was a red belt competing in the junior division against other red and black belts. He made it to the semi-finals, where he lost to an Irish black belt named Niall Fitzmaurice in "a very close and tough fight", and ended up winning a bronze medal. He later gained a 1st dan black belt in March 2006.
