Adeel Akhtar
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.
Known For

Law & Order: Criminal Intent

Killing Eve

The Night Manager

Sweet Tooth

Conviction

Fool Me Once

Enola Holmes

The Dictator
All Movies (34)
- National Theatre Live: The Estate2025 · as Angad Singh
- Dickens: Phantoms and Fiction2023 · as Readings
- The Walk2023 · as Amar
- The Puppet Asylum2023 · as The Narrator
- Murder Mystery 22023 · as The Maharajah
- Enola Holmes 22022 · as Lestrade
- Ali & Ava2022 · as Ali
- Save the Cinema2022 · as Tom
- The Electrical Life of Louis Wain2021 · as Dan Rider
- Robin Robin2021 · as Dad Mouse (voice)
- Everybody's Talking About Jamie2021 · as Iman Masood
- Enola Holmes2020 · as Lestrade
- The Nest2020 · as Steve
- Raagni - The Movie2019 · as Maulana Wahdi
- The Show2019 · as Carpenter
- Murder Mystery2019 · as The Maharajah
- Swimming with Men2018 · as Kurt
- Victoria & Abdul2017 · as Mohammed
- Hampstead2017 · as Donald's Lawyer
- The Big Sick2017 · as Naveed Nanjiani
- The Last Dragonslayer2016 · as Mr. Brittles
- The Circuit2016 · as Gabe
- Murdered by My Father2016 · as Shahzad
- Convenience2015 · as Shaan
- Pan2015 · as Sam "Smee" Smiegel
- War Book2015 · as Mo
- Keeping Up with the Joneses2013 · as Jerry
- Jadoo2013 · as Vinod
- Stranger Things2013 · as Mani
- Utopia2013 · as Wilson Wilson
- The Dictator2012 · as Maroush
- Four Lions2010 · as Faisal
- Traitor2008 · as Hamzi
- Elsinore—
All TV Shows (21)
- Down Cemetery Road2025 · as Hamza Malik
- Black Doves2024 · as Prime Minister Eaves
- Fool Me Once2024 · as Sami Kierce
- Sherwood2022 · as Andy Fisher
- Showtrial2021 · as Sam Malik
- Sweet Tooth2021 · as Dr. Aditya Singh
- Back to Life2019 · as Billy
- Les Misérables2018 · as Thénardier
- Killing Eve2018 · as Martin
- Counterpart2017 · as Casper
- Ghosted2017 · as Dr. Barry Shaw
- Flowers2016 · as Doctor
- The Night Manager2016 · as Rob Singhal
- Capital2015 · as Ahmed
- River2015 · as Ira King
- The Job Lot2013 · as George Dhot
- Utopia2013 · as Wilson Wilson
- Utopia2013 · as Wilson Wilson
- The Angelos Epithemiou Show2012 · as Gupta
- Conviction2006 · as Darpan Banerjee
- Law & Order: Criminal Intent2001 · as Hazim