Dev Patel Biography

Dev Patel was born on 23 April 1990, in Harrow, London, UK, to Raj Patel, an IT consultant of Indian origin, and Anita Patel, a care worker.

He attended ‘Longfield Primary School’ in Harrow. While studying at ‘Longfield,’ he actively participated in drama and showcased his acting skills.

He also participated in various other extracurricular activities and was very successful. Patel, who would later state that he was "bloody energetic" as a child, often got into trouble with his teachers due to his high energy.

In 2000, he took up Taekwondo and competed regularly in both national and international championships. He was fairly successful in martial arts and won several medals for his school.

Patel had his first acting role in his school’s reproduction of William Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night.’ For portraying the role of ‘Sir Andrew Aguecheek,’ he won the ‘Best Actor’ award.

He went on to attend ‘Whitmore High School’ where he continued participating in dramatics. His acting skills came to the fore and he was able to move live audience with his terrific performance. Eventually, he earned an ‘A’ grade in ‘General Certificate of Secondary Education’ (GCSE) in drama and completed his ‘AS Levels’ with distinction.

During his last year at ‘Whitmore,’ his mother saw a casting ad for the drama series ‘Skins.’ She eagerly took him to the audition the very next day, even though he had a science exam the same day!

After appearing at two auditions, Patel was cast to play the role of ‘Anwar Kharral,’ a British Pakistani Muslim teenager. Due to his lack of experience in professional acting, he confessed that he didn’t have any idea about what to do on the first day of his shoot.

In 2007, Dev Patel began his acting career by appearing in the British television series ‘Skins’ where he played the role of ‘Anwar’ for two consecutive seasons.

The actor got his first big break in 2008, when he played the lead character in director Danny Boyle’s feature film ‘Slumdog Millionaire.’ Boyle was introduced to the young actor by his daughter Caitlin Boyle, who was a fervent fan of the TV series ‘Skins.’

By the end of 2008, Patel had won numerous awards for his lead role in the Oscar-winning film ‘Slumdog Millionaire.’ These awards include a ‘British Independent Film Award,’ ‘National Board of Review (NBR) Award,’ and ‘Chicago Film Critics Association Award.’

In July 2010, he played a negative character in M. Night Shyamalan's fantasy film ‘The Last Airbender.’ The movie was a commercial success; however, it received negative reviews, with some critics even calling it a critical failure. Dev received a ‘Razzie Award’ nomination for ‘Worst Supporting Actor.’

In 2011, he co-starred in the British comedy-drama film ‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’ alongside celebrities, such as Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, and Tom Wilkinson. Since his native English accent was very strong, the actor had to take voice lessons for six months to perfect the Indian-English accent.

The film went on to become a box-office hit worldwide, and ranked among the highest-grossing films of the year in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. The film received critical acclaim, with some applauding the actor’s natural comedic skills.

From 2012 to 2014, he played the role of an enthusiastic news blogger in the hit series ‘The Newsroom.’ Around the same time, he appeared alongside actors like James Franco and Heather Graham in the drama film ‘About Cherry.’ The film premiered at the 2012 ‘Berlin International Film Festival.’ Unfortunately, it received lukewarm reviews and didn’t perform well at the box office.

In 2014, the actor starred in the much-awaited film ‘The Road Within’ alongside Robert Sheehan and Zoë Kravitz. The film was highly anticipated, mainly due to its out-of-the box premise about three unlikely friends who go on a road trip together. However, it received generally mixed reviews and was let down by mediocre acting performance, which some described as over-the-top and too tidy.

In 2016, the actor landed the role of ‘Saroo Brierley’ in the biographical film ‘Lion.’ The film starred actors like Nicole Kidman and Rooney Mara and was directed by Garth Davis. The film premiered on 10 September 2016 at the ‘Toronto International Film Festival’ where it received rave reviews, with some predicting that it would win an ‘Oscar.’ For his heart-wrenching portrayal of ‘Saroo,’ Dev Patel won a ‘BAFTA’ for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ and also received an ‘Oscar’ nomination for ‘Best Supporting Actor.’

In 2018, he was cast in the action thriller film ‘Hotel Mumbai.’ It was inspired by the 2009 documentary ‘Surviving Mumbai’ about the 2008 Mumbai attacks at the ‘Taj Mahal Palace Hotel’ in India.

In 2019, he was cast in the comedy-drama film ‘The Personal History of David Copperfield,’ which was based on the Victorian era novel ‘David Copperfield’ by Charles Dickens.

Dev Patel played the lead role in Danny Boyle's film ‘Slumdog Millionaire.’ The movie was released in 2008, and was applauded for its realistic depiction of poverty in India. The film managed to win eight ‘Oscar’ awards, including ‘Best Picture’ and ‘Best Director.’ The film is also remembered for its original sound track by acclaimed music composer AR Rahman who came up with songs like ‘Jai Ho,’ which became extremely popular.

His role in the 2016 biographical drama ‘Lion’ is undoubtedly the actor’s most acclaimed film role. The film narrates the story of ‘Saroo Brierley’ who is separated from his mother and elder brother at the age of five. He eventually lands on the streets of Calcutta where he survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia. 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family in rural India. The movie moved audiences worldwide and received six ‘Oscar’ nominations and won two ‘BAFTAs,’ with one being awarded to Patel for ‘Best Supporting Actor.’

Over the years, Dev Patel has received multiple awards for his contribution to cinema. He considers his ‘Oscar’ nomination for his role in ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ as his highest achievement. He was only 17 when the movie released.

In 2008, the actor won the ‘Screen Actors Guild Award’ for ‘Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture’ for his performance in ‘Slumdog Millionaire.’

In 2016, the actor received the ‘BAFTA’ for ‘Best Actor in a Supporting Role’ for his performance in the biographical film ‘Lion.’

In 2009, Dev Patel started dating his ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ co-star Freida Pinto. The couple dated for six years before announcing their breakup.

The actor is currently dating Australian actress Tilda Cobham-Hervey. The two were spotted walking together in Los Angeles the day after the 2017 ‘Oscars.’

He is a very family oriented person. During the 2017 ‘Oscars,’ where the actor was nominated, he was accompanied by his mother on the red carpet.

He auditioned for the lead role in ‘Life of Pi,’ but was turned down by the producers as they thought that he was overexposed.

For his part in ‘Lion,’ the actor had to prepare for eight months before filming. The actor developed a new physique and changed his look completely.

Because of his Indian ancestry, he has played Indian characters in many of his movies, including ‘The Man Who Knew Infinity’ in which he played Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan.