Known for Acting
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.
Born
September 18, 1980 (age 46)
Birthplace
London, England, UK
Filmography
34 films, 22 shows


Elsinore
2026 · 1h 51m · IT
The deeply emotional and inspirational true story of Ian Charleson, a gifted actor whose greatest challenge becomes his greatest triumph. Facing his own mortality with unflinching honesty, wit, and grace, Charleson delivers a courageous performance that becomes a source of healing and inspiration for those around him.
Letters to My Younger Future Self
Letters to My Younger Future Self
2026
A one-night performance marking the U.K.’s National Youth Theatre organization’s 70th anniversary.


National Theatre Live: The Estate
2025 · 2h 1m · UK
The leader of the opposition has been forced to resign in a scandal. Against the odds Angad Singh emerges as the favourite. He could win, he could make history, he could really change things – as long as his sisters keep their mouths shut.


Dickens: Phantoms and Fiction
2023 · 44m · UK
Captivating documentary exploring the haunting world of Charles Dickens' supernatural tales through actor readings, archive footage and immersive visuals


The Walk
2023 · 11m · UK
Pilgrimage or purgatory? Every Wednesday Amar endures a 24-mile round trip on foot to the JobCentre and back to sign on.


The Puppet Asylum
2023 · 33m · UK
Otto Baxter, a filmmaker with Down's Syndrome, directs and stars in this musical horror-comedy short based on his life, set in Victorian London.


Murder Mystery 2
2023 · 1h 31m · US
After starting their own detective agency, Nick and Audrey Spitz land a career-making case when their billionaire pal is kidnapped from his wedding.


Enola Holmes 2
2022 · 2h 11m · US
Enola takes on her first official case as a detective, but to solve the mystery of a missing girl, she'll need help from friends — and brother Sherlock.


Ali & Ava
2022 · 1h 35m · UK
Sparks fly after Ali and Ava meet through their shared affection for Sofia, the child of Ali’s tenants whom Ava teaches. Ali finds comfort in Ava’s warmth and kindness while Ava finds Ali’s complexity and humour irresistible. As the pair begin to form a deep connection they have to find a way to keep their newfound passion from being overshadowed by the stresses and struggles of their separate lives and histories.


Save the Cinema
2022 · 1h 49m · UK
The true story of Liz Evans, a hairdresser and leader of a youth theatre in Carmarthen, Wales, who began a campaign in 1993 to save the Lyric theatre from closure. Alongside then Mayor of Carmarthen Richard Goodridge, they enlisted the help of Steven Spielberg, securing a special premiere of Jurassic Park.


The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
2021 · 1h 51m · UK
The extraordinary true story of eccentric British artist Louis Wain, whose playful, sometimes even psychedelic pictures helped to transform the public's perception of cats forever.


Robin Robin
2021 · 30m · UK
A bird raised by mice begins to question where she belongs and sets off on a daring journey of self-discovery.


Everybody's Talking About Jamie
2021 · 1h 55m · UK
Jamie New is 16 and doesn’t quite fit in—instead of pursuing a "real" career he dreams of becoming a drag queen. Uncertain about his future, Jamie knows one thing for sure: he is going to be a sensation. Supported by his loving mom and his amazing friends, Jamie overcomes prejudice, beats the bullies and steps out of the darkness, into the spotlight.


Enola Holmes
2020 · 2h 4m · US
While searching for her missing mother, intrepid teen Enola Holmes uses her sleuthing skills to outsmart big brother Sherlock and help a runaway lord.


The Nest
2020 · 1h 47m · CA
Rory is an ambitious entrepreneur who brings his American wife and kids to his native country, England, to explore new business opportunities. After abandoning the sanctuary of their safe American suburban surroundings, the family is plunged into the despair of an archaic '80s Britain and their unaffordable new life in an English manor house threatens to destroy the family.


Raagni - The Movie
2019 · 1h 48m · UK
RAAAGNI THE MOVIE - is a British bilingual film for cinema release, dialogues (English /Urdu, though mainly in English). The film is set in London and is based on the struggles of an unknown aspiring musician.
The Show
The Show
2019 · 1h 26m · UK
Sometimes the drama backstage is better than anything on it... Sometimes the drama backstage threatens to destroy everything on it.


Murder Mystery
2019 · 1h 38m · US
On a long-awaited trip to Europe, a New York City cop and his hairdresser wife scramble to solve a baffling murder aboard a billionaire's yacht.


Swimming with Men
2018 · 1h 34m · UK
A man who is suffering a mid-life crisis finds new meaning in his life as part of an all-male, middle-aged, amateur synchronised swimming team.


Victoria & Abdul
2017 · 1h 52m · IN
Queen Victoria strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk named Abdul Karim.


Hampstead
2017 · 1h 42m · UK
Emily Walters is an American widow living a peaceful, uneventful existence in the idyllic Hampstead Village of London, when she meets local recluse, Donald Horner. For 17 years, Donald has lived—wildly yet peacefully—in a ramshackle hut near the edge of the forest. When Emily learns his home is the target of developers who will stop at nothing to remove him, saving Donald and his property becomes her personal mission. Despite his gruff exterior and polite refusals for help, Emily is drawn to him—as he is to her—and what begins as a charitable cause evolves into a relationship that will grow even as the bulldozers close in.


The Big Sick
2017 · 2h · US
Pakistan-born comedian Kumail Nanjiani and grad student Emily Gardner fall in love but struggle as their cultures clash. When Emily contracts a mysterious illness, Kumail finds himself forced to face her feisty parents, his family's expectations, and his true feelings.


The Last Dragonslayer
2016 · 1h 41m · UK
In a fantasy world where magic is being superceded by technology, an orphaned teen discovers her destiny to become a dragonslayer.


The Circuit
2016 · 40m · UK
Newly arrived in town Nat and Gabe accept a dinner invitation from the volatile Hungarian Helene and her boorish husband Sasha. Whilst the other guests, ex-Bananarama member Marty, Angie, who 'makes bullets' and the supposedly suicidal Danny are affable enough, Nat and Gabe are shocked by their hosts' very public rows and Gabe's attempt at peace-making is awkwardly received. Nat is taken aback when virtual stranger Helene confides in her about Sasha's suspected infidelity and Gabe is rudely rebuffed when he tries to have a heart to heart with Sasha. After Helene physically attacks her husband the newcomers are desperate to leave but when Danny drops a bombshell Gabe is torn between responsibility and the easy way out.


Murdered by My Father
2016 · 1h 15m · UK
Every parent wants the best for their kids, and Shahzad is no exception. Ever since his wife died, he's been trying to keep his two kids Salma and Hassan on track. Salma is growing up quickly, and Shahzad wants to make sure she's set up with the right guy to settle down with It's a promise he made his wife, and part of what he considers his duty as a dad. But what does Salma want? Unbeknown to Shahzad, she's caught up in a whirlwind romance with charismatic charmer Imi. Salma knows Imi is not what her dad is expecting, but can she find a way to make everyone happy? A hard-hitting drama with a devastating finale, Murdered by My Father is a story about the power and the limits of love in communities where 'honour' means everything.


Convenience
2015 · 1h 27m · UK
Two friends attempt to rob a petrol station but are so useless that they end up working there all night.


Pan
2015 · 1h 51m · UK
Living a bleak existence at a London orphanage, 12-year-old Peter finds himself whisked away to the fantastical world of Neverland. Adventure awaits as he meets new friend James Hook and the warrior Tiger Lily. They must band together to save Neverland from the ruthless pirate Blackbeard. Along the way, the rebellious and mischievous boy discovers his true destiny, becoming the hero forever known as Peter Pan.


War Book
2015 · 1h 35m · UK
Government officials practice their response and decisions in a simulated escalation of nuclear threat.


Keeping Up with the Joneses
2013 · 28m · UK
MP's wife Celia discovers her husband's true colours when she is taken hostage by his criminal business associates.


Jadoo
2013 · 1h 24m · UK
This comedy revolves around two brothers, both wonderful chefs, who fall out catastrophically. At the climax of their dispute they rip the family recipe book in half - one brother gets the starters and the other gets the main courses. They set up rival restaurants, across the road from each other, and spend the next twenty years trying to out-do each other. Neither brother will admit it but they both know they are not entirely successful in the 'other half' of the menu. It takes a daughter - a successful corporate lawyer marrying a man from a very different background - to reunite them. She is planning her marriage and is determined that they will both cook the wedding banquet.


Stranger Things
2013 · 1h 17m · US
Oona, a recent graduate in anthropology, has returned to her dead mother’s seaside cottage in southern England to prepare it for sale. Her arrival disturbs Mani, a wary vagrant who has been squatting on the property.


The Dictator
2012 · 1h 23m · US
The heroic story of a dictator who risks his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed.


Four Lions
2010 · 1h 37m · UK
Four Lions tells the story of a group of British jihadists who push their abstract dreams of glory to the breaking point. As the wheels fly off, and their competing ideologies clash, what emerges is an emotionally engaging (and entirely plausible) farce.


Traitor
2008 · 1h 54m · US
When straight arrow FBI agent Roy Clayton heads up the investigation into a dangerous international conspiracy, all clues seem to lead back to former U.S. Special Operations officer Samir Horn.