Dev Patel

Dev Patel Biography

Dev Patel is an English actor better known for his role as leading hero in Oscar award winning movie, Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire (2008). This movie not only accumulated numerous awards at Oscars and other award functions, it provided Dev big break to Hollywood as well as international exposure. The same role as Jamal Malik in the movie gave him many awards including a Critics' Choice Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel where he played the role of Sonny Kapoor and Skins as the role as Anwar Kharral are other noted roles.

Patel was born in Harrow, London to Indian parents, Raj, an IT consultant and Anita, a carer. Both his parents are from Gujarat. Both of them were born in Nairobi, where there is a significant Indian community and they moved to Britain separately in their teens. Patel was raised in the Hindu religious faith and thus a true Indian. His childhood days were spent at Rayners Lane, Harrow and did schooling at Longfield Middle School. During this time, he got involved with school dramas, his first acting experience. He later attended Whitmore High School, receiving an A* in GCSE Drama. He completed his AS Levels in 2007 while working in the movie, Skins at Whitmore High School. He played the role of Anwar Kharral, a British Pakistani Muslim teenager in Skins. He learnt martial arts also.

Patel began his acting career in late 2006 with television series Skins. His mother took him to the audition and he got selected. Patel’s feature film debut happened with Danny Boyle's film Slumdog Millionaire when he was cast in the role of Jamal Malik, the central character. He beautifully portrayed the role of an Indian Muslim boy grown in slums. After the release of this movie, he was romantically linked up with his co-star, Freida Pinto.

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Updated: February 25, 2014