Adeel Akhtar
Acting • Born 1980-09-18
Biography
Akhtar is known for the bumbling Muslim extremist Faisal in Chris Morris's film Four Lions. Other comedic performances include Gupta in The Angelos Epithemiou Show, Maroush in The Dictator and Smee in Joe Wright and Pan. 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. He played shopkeeper Ahmed alongside Toby Jones in the BBC mini-series Capital, and DS Ira King in the BBC's River. 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". 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, the first non-white actor to do so. He also appeared as Rob Singhal in the acclaimed BBC miniseries based on John le Carré's The Night Manager. Adeel became a patron of Half Moon Theatre in autumn 2016.
Filmography
54 credits
Enola Holmes 2
Movie • 2022
Lestrade
Traitor
Movie • 2008
Hamzi
Four Lions
Movie • 2010
Faisal
Save the Cinema
Movie • 2022
Tom
Murder Mystery 2
Movie • 2023
The Maharajah
The Dictator
Movie • 2012
Maroush
Stranger Things
Movie • 2013
Mani
The Puppet Asylum
Movie • 2023
The Narrator
Convenience
Movie • 2015
Shaan
War Book
Movie • 2015
Mo
Dickens: Phantoms and Fiction
Movie • 2023
Readings
Jadoo
Movie • 2013
Vinod
Pan
Movie • 2015
Sam "Smee" Smiegel
Murdered by My Father
Movie • 2016
Shahzad
The Big Sick
Movie • 2017
Naveed Nanjiani
The Circuit
Movie • 2016
Gabe
Keeping Up with the Joneses
Movie • 2013
Jerry
The Last Dragonslayer
Movie • 2016
Mr. Brittles
Victoria & Abdul
Movie • 2017
Mohammed
The Show
Movie • 2019
Carpenter
Hampstead
Movie • 2017
Donald's Lawyer
Swimming with Men
Movie • 2018
Kurt
Murder Mystery
Movie • 2019
The Maharajah
The Nest
Movie • 2020
Steve
Enola Holmes
Movie • 2020
Lestrade
Everybody's Talking About Jamie
Movie • 2021
Iman Masood
The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
Movie • 2021
Dan Rider
Raagni - The Movie
Movie • 2019
Maulana Wahdi
Ali & Ava
Movie • 2022
Ali
Robin Robin
Movie • 2021
Dad Mouse (voice)
The Walk
Movie • 2023
Amar
National Theatre Live: The Estate
Movie • 2025
Angad Singh
Elsinore
Movie
Utopia
TV • 2013
Wilson Wilson
River
TV • 2015
Ira King
The Angelos Epithemiou Show
TV • 2012
Gupta
The Night Manager
TV • 2016
Rob Singhal
Capital
TV • 2015
Ahmed
Showtrial
TV • 2021
Sam Malik
Ghosted
TV • 2017
Dr. Barry Shaw
Sherwood
TV • 2022
Andy Fisher
The Job Lot
TV • 2013
George Dhot
Killing Eve
TV • 2018
Martin
Back to Life
TV • 2019
Billy
Les Misérables
TV • 2018
Thénardier
Conviction
TV • 2006
Darpan Banerjee
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
TV • 2001
Hazim
Fool Me Once
TV • 2024
Sami Kierce
Sweet Tooth
TV • 2021
Dr. Aditya Singh
Down Cemetery Road
TV • 2025
Hamza Malik
Black Doves
TV • 2024
Prime Minister Eaves
Flowers
TV • 2016
Doctor
Counterpart
TV • 2017
Casper
Utopia
TV • 2013
Wilson Wilson