Dev Patel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dev Patel
Patel in 2016
Born	(1990-04-23) 23 April 1990 (age 35) Harrow, London, England
Occupation	Actor filmmaker
Years active	2006–present
Partner(s)	Tilda Cobham-Hervey (2017–present)
Awards	Full list

Dev Patel (born April 23, 1990) is a British actor and filmmaker. He has won a British Academy Film Award. He was also nominated for an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. In 2024, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Dev Patel started acting in 2007. He played Anwar Kharral in the teen TV show Skins. His big break came in 2008 with the movie Slumdog Millionaire. For this role, he was nominated for a BAFTA Award.

He then starred in popular movies like The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) and its sequel (2015). He also appeared in the science fiction film Chappie (2015). From 2012 to 2014, he had a role in the HBO TV series The Newsroom.

In 2016, Patel played Saroo Brierley in the drama Lion. He won a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for this role. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. More recently, he starred in Hotel Mumbai (2018) and The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019). In 2024, he made his first movie as a director, an action film called Monkey Man.

Early Life and Background

Dev Patel was born on April 23, 1990, in Harrow, North West London. His parents, Anita and Raju Patel, are from India. They were born in Nairobi, Kenya, where many people of Indian heritage live. His parents moved to the United Kingdom when they were teenagers. They met in London.

Patel grew up following the Hindu faith. He can speak some Gujarati, which is a language from India. His family's ancestors came from Jamnagar and Unjha in Gujarat, India.

As a child, Dev loved action movies. He once snuck downstairs to watch a Bruce Lee film. He went to Longfield Primary School and Whitmore High School. His first acting role was in a school play, Twelfth Night. In high school, he got top marks for a play he wrote himself. His drama teacher said he was a "gifted student" who could show many different characters. He finished his high school studies in 2007 while working on the TV show Skins.

Patel was a very energetic child. He started training in Taekwondo in 2000. He competed in many national and international events. In 2004, he won a bronze medal at the AIMAA World Championships in Dublin. He earned his 1st dan black belt in Taekwondo in March 2006.

Career Highlights

Starting His Acting Journey (2006–2007)

Dev Patel's acting career began in 2006. He auditioned for the E4 teen drama Skins. His mother saw an advertisement for the auditions. He was cast as Anwar Kharral, a British Pakistani Muslim teenager. The character was partly based on Dev's own personality. He had no acting experience before this show. He said he didn't know what to do on his first day of filming.

The first season of Skins aired in January 2007. It won an award for Drama in 2008. Patel continued his role as Anwar for the second season, which aired in 2008. The second season also won an award.

Becoming a Star (2008–2010)

Patel in 2008

Patel made his first movie in 2008. He played Jamal Malik in Danny Boyle's film Slumdog Millionaire. Jamal Malik is an Indian boy who grew up in poverty in Mumbai, India. The director, Danny Boyle, looked at many actors. His daughter suggested Dev Patel after seeing him in Skins.

Dev had five auditions for the role. He was finally cast in August 2007. To get ready for the role, Dev visited the slums in Mumbai. He also worked for a day at a call center and washed dishes in a hotel.

After Slumdog Millionaire was released, Dev Patel won many awards. These included a British Independent Film Award. He also won two Black Reel Awards for Best Actor. He shared a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture with the other actors in the film. The movie itself won four Golden Globes and eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Patel at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival

In 2010, Patel played Zuko in The Last Airbender. This movie was based on a popular animated series. The film was very successful at the box office. However, many critics did not like it.

An Established Actor (2011–2020)

Patel co-starred in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012). He also appeared in its sequel, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015). Both movies were very popular and earned a lot of money. For his role, he learned to speak with an Indian-English accent.

From 2012 to 2014, Dev Patel was in the HBO TV series The Newsroom. He played Neal Sampat, a blogger. He also appeared in the film About Cherry in 2012.

In 2014, Patel starred in The Road Within. This film was about three friends with different challenges who go on a road trip. Critics had mixed feelings about the movie.

In 2015, Patel acted in Chappie. He also played the mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan in The Man Who Knew Infinity. In 2016, Patel starred as Saroo Brierley in the true story film Lion. The movie was highly praised. It is based on Saroo's book A Long Way Home. Patel was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 89th Academy Awards. He won the award at the 70th British Academy Film Awards. He was the third actor of Indian background to be nominated for an Oscar.

In 2018, Patel starred in the action-thriller Hotel Mumbai. He also appeared in The Wedding Guest. In 2019, Patel played the main character in The Personal History of David Copperfield. This movie was based on a book by Charles Dickens. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for this role. He also appeared in an episode of the TV show Modern Love.

Directing and New Projects (2020–Present)

In 2021, Patel starred in The Green Knight. This movie was based on an old story called Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. In 2021, he also started his own production company called Minor Realm.

In 2023, Patel was in Wes Anderson's short film The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. He acted alongside Benedict Cumberbatch and Ralph Fiennes.

Patel at the South by Southwest Festival (SXSW) 2024

Patel made his first movie as a director in 2024. It was an action thriller called Monkey Man. He also starred in the film, helped write it, and was a producer. The film was first going to be released on Netflix. But director Jordan Peele saw it and thought it should be shown in movie theaters. So, he helped get it released in cinemas. Monkey Man premiered at the South by Southwest festival in March 2024. It was released in Australian cinemas in April 2024 and in the US on April 5, 2024.

Patel will also be an executive producer and star in a TV series called The Key Man. He will play a businessman named Arif Naqvi. He will also join Olivia Colman in a film called Wicker.

Personal Life

Dev Patel started dating his Slumdog Millionaire co-star Freida Pinto in 2009. They announced their split in December 2014 after almost six years.

In March 2017, it became known that Patel was dating Australian actress Tilda Cobham-Hervey. They met nine months earlier while filming Hotel Mumbai. In April 2022, they moved to Adelaide, Australia, which is Tilda's hometown. In August 2022, Patel was in the local news for breaking up a fight in Adelaide. The couple appeared together on the red carpet for the first time at the Los Angeles premiere of Monkey Man in April 2024.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video Games

See also

In Spanish: Dev Patel para niños

• List of awards and nominations received by Dev Patel