Arian Mirzaali (born 4 November 1994), known professionally as Arian Nik, is an English actor and writer. He stars as the titular character of the ITVX horror sitcom '' Count Abdulla'' (2023).

Early life

Nik was born in

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

, and brought up by a single mother until age 6; he and his mother stayed at a Women's Aid Hostel before getting a council flat in Meanwood. Nik attended Roundhay Comprehensive School. He also took classes with the Television Workshop. He was originally going to study Broadcast Journalism at university, but instead convinced his parents to let him go to drama school. Nik graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in Acting from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in 2016, and served on the board of Mountview until 2019.

Career

Nik began his career in theatre, playing ''Remedial Remedies'' at

Upstairs at The Gatehouse Upstairs at The Gatehouse is a small pub theatre in Highgate in the London Borough of Camden. The venue is a refurbished 1895 auditorium, upstairs from the Gatehouse pub, which has served over the years as a music hall, cinema, Masonic lodge, a ...

in 2016. That same year, he voiced Ammar Elkady for the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' audio drama ''Absolute Power'' from

Big Finish Productions Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays (released straight to compact disc and for download in MP3 and m4b format) based, primarily, on cult science fiction properties. These include ''Doctor Who'', the ...

. This was followed by roles in ''The Ugly One'' at the Park Theatre and ''The Last Testament of Lillian Bilocca'' at Hull Truck Theatre in 2017, ''The Village'' at

Theatre Royal Stratford East The Theatre Royal Stratford East is a 460 seat Victorian producing theatre in Stratford in the London Borough of Newham. Since 1953, it has been the home of the Theatre Workshop company, famously associated with director Joan Littlewood, whose ...

in 2018, and ''Pufferfish'' for the 2019 VAULT Festival. He co-developed ''Cracked'' for the

Arcola Theatre Arcola Theatre is an Off West End theatre in the London Borough of Hackney. It presents plays, operas and musicals featuring established and emerging artists. The theatre building, in the former Colourworks paint factory on Ashwin Street, Dalst ...

. Also in 2019, Nik made his television debut with guest appearances in the BBC spy thriller ''

Killing Eve ''Killing Eve'' is a British spy thriller television series, produced in the United Kingdom by Sid Gentle Films for BBC America and BBC Three. The series follows Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh), a British intelligence investigator tasked with capturi ...

'' as Jay and the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

teen drama '' Ackley Bridge'' as Yusef Ibrahim. This was followed by his feature film debut in 2020 with small roles in the Disney adaptation of '' Artemis Fowl'' and the Irish comedy-drama ''

Dating Amber ''Dating Amber'' (originally titled ''Beards'') is an Irish comedy-drama film directed by David Freyne. The film features two closeted teenagers in 1990s Ireland who decide to start a fake relationship. The film was produced with assistance fro ...

''. He also appeared in an episode of the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

soap opera ''

Doctors Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

'' as Hamed Khan. In 2021, Nik joined the cast of the

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

crime drama '' The Bay'' for its second series as Theo Anvari and the

CBBC CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the bran ...

spinoff '' Still So Awkward'' as Josh Cooper. He appeared in the 2022 drama film '' Allelujah'' and was nominated for an Offie for his performance in the play ''Kabul Goes Pop''. After protesting in person in London, Nik wrote an article for ''BRICKS Magazine'' that November to spread awareness about the

death of Mahsa Amini On 16 September 2022, the 22-year-old Iranian woman Mahsa Amini, also known as Jina Amini,; ku, ژینا ئەمینی, Jîna Emînî died in a hospital in Tehran, Iran, under suspicious circumstances. The Guidance Patrol, the religious mor ...

and its aftermath. As of 2023, Nik leads the ITVX comedy horror series '' Count Abdulla'' as titular character Abdulla Khan, a Muslim doctor who gets bitten by a vampire ( Jaime Winstone).

Personal life

Nik lives in London with his long-term partner.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

Audio

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

*
Arian Nik
at Spotlight {{DEFAULTSORT:Nik, Arian Living people 1994 births Alumni of the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts British male actors of Asian descent English people of Iranian descent Male actors from Leeds People educated at Roundhay School People from Meanwood