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Dev Patel

Dev Patel

Actor, producer, director and writer · Born April 23, 1990 (36) · Harrow, Greater London, England, UK

BAFTA Award winner · Screen Actors Guild Award winner · Oscar nominee · 4 other major award bodies

Dev Patel (born 23 April 1990) is a British actor. He began his career playing Anwar Kharral in the E4 teen drama Skins (2007). His breakthrough came with the leading role of teenager Jamal Malik in Danny Boyle's drama Slumdog Millionaire (2008), for which Patel was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Patel's career expanded with leading roles in the comedy-dramas The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) and The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015), the science fiction thriller Chappie (2015), and a supporting role in the HBO series The Newsroom (2012–2014). For his performance as Saroo Brierley in the drama Lion (2016), Patel won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He subsequently starred in the independent films Hotel Mumbai (2018), The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019) and The Green Knight (2021), and made his directorial debut with the action film Monkey Man (2024).

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
April 23, 1990 (36)
From
Harrow, Greater London, England, UK
Works as
Actor, producer, director and writer
Titles
22 on MovieCove · 32 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 36% in 30 days

What are Dev Patel's films like?

Across their 20 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Action5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 71st percentile
: browse their Action movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 62nd percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 73rd percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 93rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Short2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 86th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Short movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
29%
Bonds
25%
Morality
14%
Survival
13%
Society
7%
Ideas
7%
Power
6%
Family bonds7 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 18 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 6 · Serious 5 · Dark 7

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 9 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 8

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 5 · Charged 4 · Intense 9

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 6 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 3

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 12 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 11 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 4

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 5 · Engaged 10 · Full focus 3

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 5 · Affecting 6 · Heavy 7

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 12 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 2

Roles they play

17 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 9 of 17 analyzed roles.

Hero
9 of 17
Shadow
3 of 17
Ally
2 of 17
Trickster
1 of 17
Mentor
1 of 17
Herald
1 of 17
Show the 17 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
12
Hopeful
12
Melancholic
9
Dread
4
Warm
4
Other
16

How their films linger

Hopeful14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet12
  • Ambiguous5

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Dev Patel's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 18 of their 22 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Netflix (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Dev Patel's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

32 credits, 22 with a MovieCove page; 12 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Rabbit Trap(2025)

    Executive Producer · as Darcy Davenport

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • Companion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Executive Producer

  • Monkey Man(2024)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay · Story · as Kid

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    as Dr. Chatterjee / John Winston / Woods (archive footage)

  • To Kill a Tiger(2022)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Poison(2023)

    as Supervisor Woods

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar(2023)

    as Dr. Chatterjee / John Winston

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The Green Knight(2021)

    as Gawain

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Roborovski (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • India from Above(2020)

    Show 2 episodes · as Narrator

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • The Personal History of David Copperfield(2019)

    as David Copperfield

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Modern Love(2019)

    Show 1 episode · as Joshua

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all shows

  • Hotel Mumbai(2018)

    Executive Producer · as Arjun

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • The Wedding Guest(2018)

    Producer · as Jay

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Home Shopper (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Director

  • Lion(2016)

    as Saroo Brierley

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Man Who Knew Infinity(2015)

    as Srinivasa Ramanujan

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Chappie(2015)

    as Deon Wilson

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel(2015)

    as Sonny Kapoor

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • The Road Within(2014)

    as Alex

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • The Newsroom(2012)

    Show 25 episodes · as Neelamani Sampat

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel(2011)

    as Sonny Kapoor

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • About Cherry(2012)

    as Andrew

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • The Commuter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as The Commuter

  • The Last Airbender(2010)

    as Prince Zuko

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • Mister Eleven (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Show 1 episode · as Hotel Waiter

  • Slumdog Millionaire(2008)

    as Older Jamal

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Skins(2007)

    Show 19 episodes · as Anwar Kharral

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • It's All Going Very Well No Problems at All (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer

  • The Journeyman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

  • The Peasant (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director · Writer · Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 32 titles, 29 of them dated from 1992 to 2025; peak year 2015.

Biggest box office

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

$378M worldwide

Highest rated

Lion (2016)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

The Newsroom (2012)

Film career

MilestoneBreakoutAward winNomination
19922025

Peak 2015 · their film career is on the way up. Top draw in 17 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

Show 2 more milestones

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting27 of 32: 22 only acting, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score77thDirecting4 of 32: 1 only directing, 3 with another roleWriting3 of 32: 0 only writing, 3 with another roleProducing8 of 32: 3 only producing, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score77th

32 titles, 6 with more than one role — acting and producing overlap on 4 of them.

By decade

1990s1 · acting2000s3 · acting2010s15 · 14 acting · 3 crew2020s10 · 7 acting · 5 crew

Billing

usually 1st · top billed in 56% of 18 roles
0818

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

a BAFTA Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and 1 other major award from 15 major nominations, 2009–2025.

WinNomination
  1. 2025
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer
  2. 2021
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
  3. 2020
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television
  4. 2018
    • Sundance award, nominated
  5. 2017
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
    • BAFTA Award, won · Best Supporting Actor
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
  6. 2016
    • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Supporting Actor
  7. 2013
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
  8. 2009
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Leading Actor
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
    • +1 other major body · 1 win
      • Critics Choice Award, won · Best Young Actor/Actress (Under 21)

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Dev Patel's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 77th percentile, the median of all 18; across their 18 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 75th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

75thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Approval · how many liked their films

75thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Reach · how many have seen their films

96thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Midcredits score across 22 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up13
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th1
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

11 of their 22 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Crowd Pleaser11
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · actor

The Last Airbender (2010)

74th percentile spread · 58% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Lion (2016)

Midcredits 99th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the acting 72/100 in their films, across 18 reviewed titles; fans 79, detractors 52. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Dev Patel's work okay for kids?

Across up to 17 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore16 titles13–89 · median 41 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity17 titles6–65 · median 38 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity15 titles4–88 · median 56 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs15 titles25–62 · median 40 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense16 titles14–80 · median 43 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Dev Patel work with?

People who share at least 2 of Dev Patel's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Pravesh Sahni shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles