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Himesh Patel

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Himesh Patel
Patel at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival
Born
Himesh Jitendra Patel

(1990-10-13) 13 October 1990 (age 34)
Sawtry, Cambridgeshire, England
OccupationActor
Years active2007–present
Children1

Himesh Jitendra Patel (born 13 October 1990) is a British actor. He began his career portraying Tamwar Masood in the BBC soap opera EastEnders (2007–2016). This was followed by roles in the Channel 4 sitcom Damned (2016–2018) and the films Yesterday (2019) and Tenet (2020).

In 2021, Patel starred in the HBO miniseries Station Eleven, earning a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie, and appeared in Adam McKay's Netflix film Don't Look Up.

Early life

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Patel was born on 13 October 1990 in Sawtry, Cambridgeshire.[1] His parents are both Indian Gujarati Hindus. His mother was born in Zambia and his father was born in Kenya.[2] He grew up speaking Gujarati.[3]

Patel attended Prince William School in Oundle, Northamptonshire.[4] As a child, he began impersonating his favourite characters on television and film. When he was 11, he was cast in a school play, This Is Your Life, Santa Claus, as Michael Aspel.[5] Upon the suggestion by a teacher, his parents then signed him up for a local theatre group, the Key Youth Theatre in Peterborough.[6] Later, he became a member of The Young Actors' Company in Cambridge, where he also took film classes.[7] He took piano lessons and bought himself an electric guitar and taught himself to play at the age of 13.[3]

His parents ran a newsagent's shop in Cambridgeshire. Patel did a paper round until he was 21.[8]

Career

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EastEnders

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When he was 16, Patel received a call on the day of his GCSEs saying he had landed an audition for the British soap opera EastEnders through an agency in The Young Actors' Company. He finished his last exam and had his parents rush him to his audition. After his first audition a casting assistant saw him waiting outside the audition room and asked him to read for the casting director. Patel won the part of Tamwar Masood, and 1 October 2007 marked his first appearance on EastEnders. In 2011 Patel and Meryl Fernandes won the Inside Soap Award for Best Wedding.

Patel has also appeared in EastEnders: E20 as Tamwar. In 2011 he co-wrote episode one of series three with co-star Charlie G. Hawkins.[9] In 2013 he filmed an internet spin-off of EastEnders called Tamwar Tales - The Life of an Assistant Market Inspector. Four episodes were aired weekly, starting on 25 July 2013.[10] All four episodes and one behind-the-scenes clip are available on the EastEnders official website.[11]

He played Tamwar for nine years until he left the show in 2016 to explore other opportunities. His last appearance was on 22 April 2016.[12]

Patel in 2011

Short films

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He has appeared in a number of short films. In 2014, he was cast as Pavan in the short film Two Dosas; the film won several awards, including Best Short Comedy at the London Short Film Festival and Best Comedy at the Aspen Film Festival.[13][14] At the Shuffle festival, it won a third award, judged by Danny Boyle, who would later direct Patel in Yesterday (2019).[15][16]

Patel portrayed The Suit in The Fox (2017), another comedy short by Henry Scriven.[17]

He is working on a short film titled Is This Life? (2019).[18]

In 2021, he acted in the short film Enjoy.[19]

After EastEnders

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On 27 September 2016 he made his first appearance on TV since leaving EastEnders in the first episode of the Channel 4 sitcom Damned. He played ex-constable and social worker Nitin for 12 episodes in two six-episode series.[20] He appeared in Rapscallions (2016), a short film by Henry Scriven.[21]

In 2017 he was cast in Don Juan in Soho as "Vagabond" with David Tennant playing the titular character.[22] Patel played Amit in an episode of the BBC comedy Climaxed in the same year.[23] He made a short appearance as Mr. Glencuddy in the second episode of the comedy Motherland.

Patel has been credited as a voice actor in two Doctor Who audio stories. He voiced Biotech Dendry in Day of the Vashta Nerada as well as Engineer and Ayrton Valencia in The Lifeboat and the Deathboat.[24][25]

He is credited as a producer for the 2017 feature film My Pure Land.[26] In 2019, he made his film debut with his breakthrough role as Jack Malik in Yesterday (2019). He sings live throughout the film, covering various songs by The Beatles.[27]

He appeared in The Aeronauts (2019) alongside Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne.[28]

Patel was cast as Emery Staines in The Luminaries, a mini-series based on the 2013 book by Eleanor Catton.[29] The plot of the TV series differs from the book.[30] Patel appears on the 2019 Children in Need album. He sang the Killers' song, "All These Things That I've Done". According to an interview, Patel is working on his first original TV script with What Larks Productions.[20]

In 2019, Patel joined the cast of HBO Max limited series Station Eleven.[31] In 2020, Patel appeared as Jordan Hatwal in the comedy series Avenue 5, starring Hugh Laurie.

In 2020, Patel appeared in the film Tenet as Mahir, a fixer who initially helps Neil and the protagonist in their plot to steal the painting from the Oslo airport.[32] Patel appears in the 2021 Netflix film Don't Look Up, portraying Phillip Kaj, the unscrupulous journalist dating the astronomer, Jennifer Lawrence's Kate Dibiasky, who is responsible for detecting the movie's comet.[33] For his performance and along with the ensemble he received the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture nomination.[34]

In 2022, Patel made an end credits cameo in Enola Holmes 2 as Dr. John Watson.[35]

Personal life

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Patel is a supporter of Tottenham Hotspur F.C.[36] He became a father in December 2020 of a daughter.[37]

Filmography

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Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released

Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2019 Yesterday Jack Malik
The Aeronauts John Trew
2020 Tenet Mahir
2021 Don't Look Up Phillip Kaj
2022 Enola Holmes 2 Dr. John Watson Cameo
The Amazing Maurice Keith (voice)
2023 Good Grief Thomas
2024 Greedy People Will Shelley
The Assessment Aaryan

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2007–2016 EastEnders Tamwar Masood Main role, 566 episodes
2013 Children in Need Jazz Dancer 1 episode
2016–2018 Damned Nitin Main role, 12 episodes
2017 Motherland Mr. Glencuddy 1 episode
2020 The Luminaries Emery Staines Miniseries, 6 episodes
Avenue 5 Jordan Hatwal Recurring role, 5 episodes
2021–2022 Station Eleven Jeevan Chaudhary Miniseries, 10 episodes
2022 Ten Percent Himself 1 episode
2023 Black Mirror Himself, Himself as Krish Episode: "Joan Is Awful"
2024 The Franchise Daniel Kumar Main role

Stage

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Year Title Role Venue Notes
2016 Le Bossu Edinburgh Festival and Wilton's Music Hall
2017 Don Juan in Soho Vagabond Wyndham's Theatre

Audio

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Year Title Role Notes
2024 The Mysterious Affair at Styles Captain Arthur Hastings Audible original[38]

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Work Result Notes Ref.
2011 Inside Soap Award Best Wedding EastEnders Won Shared with Meryl Fernandes
2019 Teen Choice Award Choice Summer Movie Actor Yesterday Nominated
2020 Eastern Eye's Arts Culture & Theatre Awards Eastern Eye Award for Film, TV & Drama - Best Actor Yesterday Won
2022 Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture Don't Look Up Nominated [39]
2022 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Station Eleven Nominated [40]

Discography

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Soundtrack albums

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List of soundtrack albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
US[41]
Yesterday 193

Other charted songs

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List of other charted songs, with selected chart positions
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US Rock[43]
"Yesterday" 2019 39 Yesterday

References

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  1. ^ "Can Himesh Patel really sing and play the guitar in the Yesterday movie?". Smooth. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  2. ^ British Future (13 December 2012), EastEnders' Himesh Patel on his British identity, archived from the original on 12 December 2021, retrieved 23 July 2019
  3. ^ a b "Himesh Patel masters the Beatles in 'Yesterday'". Los Angeles Times. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  4. ^ "Himesh Patel". IMDb.com. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  5. ^ "Meet Himesh Patel, Breakout Star of Yesterday". Vogue. 17 May 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  6. ^ "Talent spotted early – Peterborough's Himesh Patel in the biggest British movie of the summer, Yesterday". www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  7. ^ "Star's 'amazing' time on Beatles film". 17 June 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  8. ^ Fretts, Bruce (30 June 2019). "'Yesterday' Star Himesh Patel Was Delivering Papers Not So Long Ago". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  9. ^ "EastEnders: E20" Episode #3.1 (TV Episode 2011) – IMDb, retrieved 25 July 2019
  10. ^ "EastEnders: Tamwar Masood in new online spin-off". Radio Times. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  11. ^ "BBC One – EastEnders – Tamwar Tales". BBC. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  12. ^ "EastEnders star Himesh Patel reveals guilt at leaving Tamwar Masood behind". Metro. 14 April 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  13. ^ "London Short Film Festival, UK (2015)". IMDb. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  14. ^ "TWO DOSAS". cinando.com. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  15. ^ "Nikesh Shukla Wins Another Award for Two Dosas". David Higham Associates. Archived from the original on 25 July 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  16. ^ "Danny Boyle judges cemetery film fest". BBC News. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  17. ^ The Fox, retrieved 25 July 2019
  18. ^ Is This Life?, retrieved 25 July 2019
  19. ^ Enjoy, 7 July 2021, retrieved 16 September 2021
  20. ^ a b Jeffery, Morgan (14 February 2018). "Himesh Patel on a "darker" series two of Ch4's Damned". Digital Spy. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  21. ^ Rapscallions, retrieved 25 July 2019
  22. ^ "Final casting announced for 'Don Juan in Soho'". The Arts Shelf. 3 February 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  23. ^ BBC Three (2 April 2017), Festival Sex | Climaxed, retrieved 25 July 2019
  24. ^ "5. The Diary of River Song Series 05 – The Diary of River Song – Big Finish". www.bigfinish.com. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  25. ^ "2. Doctor Who: Classic Doctors New Monsters Volume 02 – Doctor Who – Classic Series – Special Releases – Big Finish". www.bigfinish.com. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  26. ^ My Pure Land, retrieved 25 July 2019
  27. ^ "'Yesterday' exclusive: Himesh Patel sings The Beatles live". www.usatoday.com. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  28. ^ The Aeronauts, retrieved 25 July 2019
  29. ^ The Luminaries, retrieved 25 July 2019
  30. ^ "When is The Luminaries on TV? What's it about and who stars in it?". Radio Times. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  31. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (18 October 2019). "Mackenzie Davis & Himesh Patel To Star In 'Station Eleven' HBO Max Limited Series".
  32. ^ Gallagher, Simon (28 August 2020). "Tenet Cast Guide: Where You Recognize The Actors From". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 29 August 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  33. ^ Westenfeld, Adrienne (December 2021). "Himesh Patel Knows Disaster". Esquire.
  34. ^ "SAG Awards: 'CODA' Makes History With Best Cast Win". The Hollywood Reporter. 28 February 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  35. ^ "Did You Spot Dr. Watson in 'Enola Holmes 2'?". Netflix Tudum. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  36. ^ "Himesh Patel – actor, rising star, Spurs fan". Tottenham Hotspur F.C. 22 July 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  37. ^ Patalay, Ajesh. "Mr Himesh Patel's Time Is Now". MrPorter.com. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021.
  38. ^ Shafer, Ellise (2 October 2024). "Peter Dinklage, Jessica Gunning, Himesh Patel and More to Star in Audible Adaptation of Agatha Christie's 'The Mysterious Affair at Styles' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  39. ^ "28th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". sagawards.org. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  40. ^ Moreau, Jordan (12 July 2022). "Emmys 2022: Complete Nominations List". Variety. Archived from the original on 12 July 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  41. ^ "Top 200 Albums: Billboard 200 (July 13, 2019)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  42. ^ "Yesterday (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Himesh Patel on Apple Music". iTunes Store. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  43. ^ "Top Rock Songs Chart (July 13, 2019)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
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