Dev Patel is a famous British actor who has established himself as one of the finest performers of the current generation through his inspirational roles that resonate with the subalterns. His success on the screen has certainly helped Dev Patel build a respectable net worth, which is likely to increase in the ensuing years.
Though he is now a name that is known worldwide, Patel is still particularly famous for his debut film — Slumdog Millionaire (2008). Set in India, the film shows how and why a young boy from the city’s slums becomes a contestant on the Indian version of the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? while facing impossible odds.
Patel has come a long way since. He has turned director with Monkey Man (2024) — a film which, somewhat like Slumdog Millionaire, is set in India and revolves around a protagonist from the underprivileged section of society.
Monkey Man is essentially an action thriller where the protagonist takes on powerful, corrupt leaders. Not only has Patel helmed the project, but he has also essayed the lead role of Kid and is its writer. The screenplay of the film is also by Patel. Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, Sikandar Kher, Makarand Deshpande and Sobhita Dhulipala are among the other cast members.
According to Reuters, the film is “inspired by the Hindu deity Hanuman.” Early reviews call it a mix of John Wick and The Raid, the latter of which is the acclaimed Indonesian martial arts film starring Iko Uwais.
Dev Patel: Life, movie career and net worth
Dev Patel: Early life and relationships
Dev Patel was born in London, England, on 23 April 1990. According to a 2009 The Telegraph profile of the actor, his parents are of Indian descent and were born in Nairobi, Kenya.
The profile revealed that the first time he acted was for Longfield Middle School’s production of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Patel played Sir Andrew Aguecheek and won the Best Actor of the Year award at the school.
Patel is also a Taekwondo practitioner. He joined Rayners Lane Academy of Taekwondo in 2000 and, at the age of 15, earned a black belt in the martial art. His profile on the academy’s website states he competed regularly in both national and international championships and won over 37 medals, including gold, to earn his black belt.
Patel was in a relationship with his Slumdog Millionaire co-star Freida Pinto from 2009 to 2014. Since 2017, he has been in a relationship with Australian actress Tilda Cobham-Hervey.
What movies and TV shows has Dev Patel appeared in?
Dev Patel has appeared in more than 14 feature-length movies, most of which are unconventional and do not come from major studios. He has also appeared in a handful of TV shows, including two as the main lead.
His acting career started with the E4 teen drama television series Skins (2007–2008). Despite not having any professional acting experience, Patel was cast as one of the leads. He played Anwar Kharral, a boy of Pakistani origin who struggles between his extremely carefree lifestyle and his pick-and-choose approach to Islam. The role of Anwar was reportedly written specifically for Patel.
“There were all these lists of who’s the favourite character on the show or who was the best-looking character, and I was always the ugliest, the least attractive,” he told The New York Times in 2021, “No one liked Anwar. It really took a toll on me personally.”
Nevertheless, the character was very well-received as was the show.
Patel was subsequently cast as the older Jamal Malik in Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire. The movie, partly based on Indian author Vikas Swarup’s novel Q & A (2005), was received positively worldwide.
Slumdog Millionaire won eight of its 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. It also won four Golden Globes, seven BAFTAs and five Critics’ Choice Awards, among other honours. The success of the movie propelled Patel and Indian actress Freida Pinto, who played the other main lead, Latika, to global fame.
Patel next played Zuko in The Last Airbender (2010) — M. Night Shyamalan’s live-action adaptation of the animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005–08).
Subsequently, he starred in movies such as The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011), The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015) and Chappie (2015) — all of which were critically well-received.
His other notable works include the biographical film The Man Who Knew Infinity (2015) in which Patel played celebrated Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan; Hotel Mumbai (2018), which was based on the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks; arthouse epic mediaeval fantasy The Green Knight (2021); and the Netflix short film The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023), in which Patel starred opposite Benedict Cumberbatch.
Lion (2016) propelled Patel to even greater fame. Based on the 2013 non-fiction book A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley, the film is about Brierley’s inspiring search for his biological parents. Patel played Brierley in the movie, which also starred Rooney Mara, Nicole Kidman and Nawazuddin Siddiqui.
The film earned Patel an Oscar and Golden Globe nod in their respective Best Supporting Actor categories. He won the BAFTA for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for the film.
After Monkey Man, Patel is set to appear in the horror film Rabbit Trap with Rosy McEwen. The film is set in 1973 and revolves around a married couple who experience a strange turn after they relocate to an isolated cabin in Wales.
On the small screen, Patel has done only a handful of work. Chief among them is the HBO series The Newsroom (2012–2014), in which he appeared in one of the main roles across the show’s three-season run. The show was a critical success, earning multiple Primetime Emmy nods and a few wins.
What is the net worth of Dev Patel?
According to celebrity wealth tracker Celebrity Net Worth, Dev Patel has a fortune of USD 10 million. Much of this apparently comes from the salary and other earnings from the films he has done over the years.
His movies have been quite popular, mostly with critics and some at the box office. Of course, Slumdog Millionaire is without a doubt his most famous work, as far as box office revenue goes. Made on a budget of just USD 15 million, the film grossed over USD 383 million worldwide.
Here’s our list of the highest-grossing films of all time
Patel’s second-most successful film at the box office is The Last Airbender, which grossed USD 319 million at the global box office despite being slammed by critics.
Lion, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Chappie are his three other movies that have earned more than USD 100 million.
Several Hollywood actors have specific deals with studios that grant them a share in the revenue earned from movies. This is also true for Leonardo DiCaprio, who, even when he was an up-and-coming star, had a backend agreement of 1.8 per cent on the gross earnings for Titanic (1997). That deal helped DiCaprio earn around USD 40 million in total, while his salary for the film was only around USD 2.5 million.
But Patel is a British actor who has mostly appeared in movies that are not from Hollywood studios. Thus, it is unclear if he has had any deal that would give him a share in the revenue of the films he has worked in. Even if he may have had any, it is least likely for Slumdog Millionaire, since he was making his debut at the time.
Nevertheless, Patel has other interests within the world of entertainment. He is a film producer, having launched his own production company in late 2021. According to Variety, the company, named Minor Realm, hired Sony Pictures’ Lakshmi Iyengar and producer Samarth Sahni to lead the team. It also signed a first-look deal with ShivHans Pictures and will produce both movies and TV shows.
(Main and Featured images: Courtesy of Valerie Macon/AFP)
This story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia India.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
– Is Dev Patel Indian or Pakistani?
Dev Patel is a British national of Indian descent. His parents are of Indian origin and were born in Kenya. Patel has relatives in India.
– Does Dev Patel have an Instagram account?
No, Dev Patel does not have an official Instagram account.
– What is Dev Patel doing now?
Dev Patel is currently busy with his directorial debut Monkey Man, in which he also acts.
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Manas Sen Gupta writes at the intersection of tech, entertainment and history. His works have appeared in publications such as The Statesman, Myanmar Matters, Hindustan Times and News18/ETV. In his spare time, Manas loves studying interactive charts and topographic maps. When not doing either, he prefers reading detective fiction. Spring is his favourite season and he can happily eat a bowl of noodles any time of the day.
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