Who is Adeel Akhtar?
Adeel is a BAFTA-nominated British actor, probably best known to the world as Wilson in the TV series “Utopia” (2013-2014), and as Shahzad in the television movie “Murdered by My Father” (2016), in addition to numerous other roles that he’s secured so far in his career.
Adeel Akhtar Wiki: Age, Parents, Childhood, Education
Adeel Akhtar was born on 18 September 1980, in London, England. The son of a Pakistani father and a Kenyan mother, he attended Cheltenham College Junior School from 1991 to 1994 and then enrolled at Cheltenham College in Newick House, which he attended between 1994 and 1999. He subsequently obtained a law degree from Oxford Brookes University in 2002; however, he always felt a strong passion for acting, and started training in acting at the Actors Studio Drama School in New York.
Career Beginnings
Adeel made his on-screen debut in 2002, in the television movie documentary “Let’s Roll: The Story of Flight 93”, about one of the airplanes hijacked by terrorists that acted out the September 11 attacks in the USA.
Four years later, he appeared as Hazim in the TV series “Law & Order: Criminal Intent”, while in 2008, he was Hamzi in the action crime-drama film “Traitor”, starring Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, and Archie Panjabi.
He was swamped in 2010 as he featured in several projects, including the films “Four Lions”, a BAFTA-winning comedy crime drama film with Adeel, Riz Ahme, and Will Adamsdale in the lead roles, then the award-winning drama film “Stranger Things”, in which he co-starred with Vivienne Burke and Bridget Collins.
Two years later, Adeel featured in the comedy film “The Dictator”, with Sacha Baron Cohen as the main star of the film, while in 2013, he secured the role of Wilson Wilson in the BAFTA nominated sci-fi mystery drama series “Utopia”, co-starring Paul Higgins and Neil Maskell; this was his first BAFTA nomination.
Rise to Prominence
Since 2013, Adeel has focused largely on television roles. He was George Dhot in the TV series “The Job Lot”, while in 2015, he was Sam Smiegel in the action-adventure comedy film “Pan”, starring Levi Miller, Hugh Jackman, and Garrett Hedlund. The same year, he joined the TV mini-series main cast of “River”, comprised of Stellan Skarsgard and Nicola Walker. Moreover, he starred in another TV mini-series, “Capital”, co-starring Danny Ashok and Mona Goodwin.
The following year, Adeel portrayed Rob Singhal in the mystery crime-drama series “The Night Manager”, with Hugh Laurie as the main star, and the same year, Adeel won his so far only BAFTA for his portrayal of Shahzad in the television movie “Murdered by My Father”. Furthermore, he starred in the fantasy adventure comedy movie “The Last Dragonslayer”.
In 2017, Akhtar joined Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, and Holly Hunter to complete the main cast of the Academy Award-nominated romantic comedy-drama film “The Big Sick”, which earned him a joint Screen Actors Guild Award nomination in the category Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
Next, Adeel co-starred alongside the legendary Judi Dench as well as Eddie Izzard in the biopic about Queen Victoria and her unlikely friendship with Abdul Karim, a young Indian clerk, entitled “Victoria & Abdul”. He next starred in all six episodes of the historical romantic drama series “Les Miserables” (2018-2019) and then from 2019 to 2021, appeared as Billy in 11 episodes of the TV comedy-drama series “Back to Life”.
During this same period, Adeel featured in several successful projects, including the award-winning romantic drama film “The Nest”, with Jude Law, Carrie Coon and Oona Roche in the lead roles, then portrayed Lestrade in the award-winning action adventure “Enola Holmes”, starring the “Stranger Things” star Millie Bobby Brown, with Henry Cavill and Sam Claflin.
The amazing @MeeraSyal shakes up the show from episode 3. Tune in to meet the most terrifying and intimidatingly glamorous mother in law in the world. #BackToLife @BBCiPlayer @BBCOne https://t.co/tofk8n5ycN
— Daisy Haggard (@daisy_haggard) August 31, 2021
Adeel earned a BAFTA nomination for his portrayal of Ali in the romantic drama film “Ali & Ava”, written and directed by Clio Barnard and co-starring Claire Rushbrook, about a budding romance between two lonely people. The role ultimately landed him a British Independent Film Award.
He appeared in the biopic about English artist Louis Wain entitled “The Electrical Life of Louis Wain”, portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch, and co-starring Claire Foy and Andrea Riseborough. Moreover, he was Aditya Singh in the TV action-adventure series “Sweet Tooth”, which is yet another of his major roles.
Recently, he portrayed Andy Fisher in the mystery crime-drama series “Sherwood” (2022) and is now working on the sequels “Enola Holmes 2” and “Murder Mystery 2”; filming is completed, and the film is expected to premiere later in 2022.
On-Stage Career
In addition to his prolific on-screen work, Adeel has also done his part in the theater. He made his debut in 2008 as Zero in the play “The Colonel”, performed at Theatre Absolute. The same year he was Zaeem in the play “In My Name” at Old Red Lion and Trafalgar Studios.
The following year he was Yusuf in the play “Wuthering Heights”, performed at Tamasha Theatre Company, while in 2010, he was an ensemble member of the opera “Satyagraha” at Improbable theatre.
Furthermore, in 2011 and ‘12, he played Guildenstern and Francisco in “Hamlet” at Young Vic Theatre. Once his on-screen career got going, he focused entirely on his film and television roles, leaving his career in the theater behind. However, back in 2016, he became a patron of Half Moon Theatre.
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Net Worth
As of mid- 2022, Adeel Akhtar’s net worth has been estimated to be $1.5 million, earned through his successful career as an actor, during which he has appeared in more than 50 film and TV titles, as well as live on stage.
Personal Life, Dating, Married, Wife, Children
Regarding his personal life, Adeel is quite rigorous when sharing information. However, reports show that he’s been married to Alexis Burke, a documentary film producer, since 2015. The couple has welcomed two children, Arlo and Ezra.
Appearance and Vital Statistics
The prominent actor has black hair and dark brown eyes. He stands at a height of 5ft 7ins (1.7m), while he weighs approximately 160lbs (72kgs). His exact vital statistics aren’t known, though he has an average figure.
