Dev Patel[Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1984-2004. Gives name at birth as "Dev Patel".] (born 23 April 1990) is a British Indian film and television
actor as well as a
martial artist. As an actor, he is known for his performances as
Anwar Kharral in the
teen drama series
Skins and as main protagonist Jamal Malik in
Danny Boyle's critically acclaimed and multiple
Academy Award-winning film
Slumdog Millionaire (2008), for which Patel won a number of awards, including a
Critics' Choice Award and
Screen Actors Guild Award,
and was nominated for the
BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
As a martial artist, he is a
black belt in
Taekwondo and was a bronze medallist at the 2004
AIMAA World Championships in
Dublin.
Early life and education
Dev Patel was born in
Harrow,
England, to Indian parents, both of whom were born in
Nairobi,
Kenya.
His parents both emigrated from Kenya separately in their teens, and only met in London and then got married.
His mother, Anita, is a
carer and his father, Raj, an
IT consultant.
He has one sibling, an older sister named Komal.
He is a
Hindu by birth.
