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Adeel Akhtar

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Not to be confused with Aadeel Akhtar.

Adeel Akhtar
Born (1980-09-18) 18 September 1980 (age 44)
London, England
EducationOxford Brookes University (BA)
New School (MFA)
OccupationActor
Years active2002–present

Adeel Akhtar (born 18 September 1980) is a British actor. In 2017, he won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor for his role in Murdered by My Father. He was also nominated for a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor for his role on Channel 4's Utopia, as well as a British Academy Film Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Ali & Ava. Akhtar received critical acclaim for his performance in BBC One's Sherwood, receiving the British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor. He is a two-time nominee for Outstanding Supporting Performance at the Children's and Family Emmy Awards for his role in Sweet Tooth, winning in 2023.

Early life

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Akhtar was born in London, to a Pakistani father and a Indo-Kenyan mother. He was educated at Cheltenham College[1] 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.[2]

Career

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Akhtar's first major role was as the bumbling Muslim extremist Faisal in Chris Morris's film Four Lions.[3] Other comedic performances include Gupta in The Angelos Epithemiou Show,[4] Maroush in The Dictator[4] and Smee in Joe Wright 's Pan.[5]

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.[6] He played shopkeeper Ahmed alongside Toby Jones in the BBC mini-series Capital,[7] and DS Ira King in the BBC's River.[8] 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".[9]

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,[10] 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.[11] He appeared as Rob Singhal in the acclaimed BBC miniseries based on John le Carré's The Night Manager.[12] 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.[13]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2008 Traitor Hamzi
2010 Four Lions Faisal
Side by Side Isaac Short film
Stranger Things Mani
2012 The Dictator Maroush
2013 Jadoo Vinod
Convenience Shaan
The Cost of Living Jimmy 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
2017 The Big Sick Naveed
Hampstead Wiggin
Victoria & Abdul Mohammed Bakhsh
2018 Swimming with Men Kurt
The Therapist Adam Short film
2019 Murder Mystery Maharajah Vikram Govindan
The Show Carpenter
2020 The Nest Steve
Enola Holmes Inspector Lestrade
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
2022 Save the Cinema Mayor Tom
Enola Holmes 2 Inspector Lestrade
2023 Murder Mystery 2 The Maharajah [14]
F.O.G Sanjay Short films
The Puppet Asylum The Narrator
The Walk Amar

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2002 Let's Roll: The Story of Flight 93 Hijacker Saeed Al Ghamdi Television film
2006 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Hazim Episode: "Dollhouse"
Conviction Dr. Darpan Banerjee Episode: "Downhill"
2010 Angelos Epithemiou's Moving On Gupta 5 episodes
2011 Coming Up Hasan Episode: "Hooked"
Comedy Showcase Gupta Episode: "The Angelos Neil Epithemou Show"
2013 Trollied Ray Series 3; 13 episodes
The Tunnel Anwar Rashid Episode #1.7
Coming Up Baz Episode: "Doughnuts"
2013–2014 The Job Lot George Dhot 9 episodes
Utopia Wilson Wilson 11 episodes
Nominated – British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor[15]
2015 River Detective Sergeant Ira King Mini-series. 6 episodes
Capital [7] Ahmed Kamal 3 episodes
2016 The Night Manager [16] Rob Singhal 5 episodes
Murdered by My Father Shahzad Television film
Won – British Academy Television Award for Best Actor
Flowers Doctor Episode #1.4
The Circuit Gabe Television films
The Last Dragonslayer Mr. Brittles
2017 Unforgotten Hassan Mahmoud Series 2; 6 episodes
Apple Tree Yard Jaspreet Mini-series. 2 episodes
2017–2018 Ghosted Barry Shaw Main cast. 16 episodes
2018 Fairy Job Magical Ahmed Mini-series. 3 episodes
Counterpart Casper 2 episodes
2018–2019 Les Misérables Monsieur Thénardier 6 episodes
2019–2021 Back to Life Billy 11 episodes
2019–2022 Killing Eve Martin 5 episodes
2021–2024 Sweet Tooth Aditya Singh Main role. 23 episodes
Nominated – Children's and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Performance (2022)
Won - Children's and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Performance (2023)
2022 Sherwood Andy Fisher Main cast. 5 episodes
Won – British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor
2024 Fool Me Once DS Sami Kierce Mini-series. Main cast. 8 episodes[17]
Showtrial Sam Malik Series 2

Stage

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Accolades

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Award Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.
British Academy Television Awards 2017 Best Actor Murdered by My Father Won [18]
Children's and Family Emmy Awards 2022 Outstanding Supporting Performance Sweet Tooth Nominated [19]
British Academy Film Awards 2022 Best Actor in a Leading Role Ali & Ava Nominated [20]
British Academy Television Awards 2023 Best Supporting Actor Sherwood Won [21]
Children's and Family Emmy Awards 2023 Outstanding Supporting Performance Sweet Tooth Won [22]

References

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  1. ^ Harris, Andrew (January 2012). "From Terrorist to the Prince of Denmark". Floreat Cheltonia (5): 35. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  2. ^ Fisher, Alice; John, Emma; Shaitly, Shahesta (11 May 2014). "Dominic West, Adeel Akhtar, Rory Kinnear, Andrew Buchan, Jodie Whittaker, Julie Hesmondhalgh and Simon Bird: Bafta TV awards 2014". The Observer. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  3. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (6 May 2010). "Review: Four Lions". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Adeel Akhtar". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 8 January 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  5. ^ Ford, Rebecca (24 April 2014). "Amanda Seyfried Joins Warner Bros.' Peter Pan Adaptation". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  6. ^ "Who should win best supporting actor at the TV Baftas 2015?". Radio Times. 6 May 2015. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015.
  7. ^ a b "Capital | Episode 1". BBC iPlayer. 24 November 2015. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  8. ^ "River | Episode 1". BBC iPlayer. 13 October 2015. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  9. ^ Hogan, Michael (17 November 2015). "River, episode six, review: 'one of the year's best home-grown TV dramas'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 21 June 2022.(subscription required)
  10. ^ "Bafta TV Awards 2017: All the winners and nominees". BBC News. 14 May 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  11. ^ "Bafta TV awards: Adeel Akhtar is first non-white best actor winner". BBC News. 15 May 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  12. ^ "The Night Manager". BBC iPlayer. 10 January 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  13. ^ Morris, Lauren (1 September 2021). "Back to Life season 3: Release date rumours, cast, plot and news around BBC Three comedy-drama's return". Radio Times. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  14. ^ Galuppo, Mia (24 January 2022). "Jodie Turner-Smith, Mark Strong Join Netflix's 'Murder Mystery 2'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  15. ^ Ritman, Alex (8 April 2015). "BAFTA TV Awards: Benedict Cumberbatch Gets Third Nomination for 'Sherlock'". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  16. ^ Gill, James (18 May 2017). "Meet the cast of The Night Manager". The Radio Times. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  17. ^ "Netflix Adapting Harlan Coben's 'Fool Me Once' With Star Michelle Keegan". The Wrap. 20 February 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  18. ^ "Bafta TV awards 2017: Full list of winners". The Guardian. 14 May 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  19. ^ Matt Webb, Mitovich (1 November 2022). "Emmys: Mysterious Benedict Society, Sneakerella, Heartstopper, Sweet Tooth Lead Children's & Family Nominees". TVLine. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  20. ^ "WILL SMITH - LEADING ACTOR". www.bafta.org. 3 February 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  21. ^ TV, Guardian (14 May 2023). "Bafta TV awards 2023: the full list of winners". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  22. ^ Coates, Tyler. "Children's & Family Emmy Awards: Disney Dominates Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 November 2023.

Further reading

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