David Dastmalchian

David Dastmalchian (; born July 21, 1975) is an American film and stage actor. He has had supporting roles in a number of superhero franchises; he portrayed Thomas Schiff in ''The Dark Knight'', Kurt in the first two Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) ''Ant-Man'' films and the animated series '' What If…?'', Abra Kadabra in the CW's ''The Flash'', and Abner Krill / Polka-Dot Man in '' The Suicide Squad'' (2021). He has also appeared in three of Denis Villeneuve's films: ''Prisoners'', ''Blade Runner 2049'', and ''Dune''. Dastmalchian wrote and starred in the semi-autobiographical film ''Animals''.

Early life and career

David Dastmalchian was born on July 21, 1975, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, to Priscilla (née Doran; 1941–2020) and Hossein Dastmalchian (1937–2021), an Iranian-American engineer who worked at engineering firm Black & Veatch. He has 2 sisters and a brother. His parents divorced, which he described as "tumultuous", and both remarried. He was raised in Overland Park, Kansas, where he attended Shawnee Mission South High School, becoming part of the drama club. He described growing up in the Kansas City metropolitan area as " icvery traditional in one sense, and a conservative community that also had a rad, fringe, artistic, progressive tribe of people who were finding connectivity through the arts and the culture of KC and the surrounding suburbs."

In his childhood, Dastmalchian developed vitiligo, for which he suffered ridicule from his peers. As such, he suffered depression throughout his childhood. Growing up, he enjoyed football, theater, and comics. He would mow lawns and would buy comics with the money he earned mowing lawns. He studied at The Theatre School at DePaul University and graduated in 1999. Prior to beginning his career as an actor, he dealt with a heroin addiction for five years. He wrote about his experiences in his screenplay, ''Animals,'' and continues to advocate for mental health and substance abuse treatment programs. Shortly after becoming sober, he worked at a seafood restaurant in Kansas City. He was also briefly a fisherman in Alaska.

Career

Dastmalchian began his professional career in the mid-2000s in Chicago, working on stage and in commercials. He has received acclaim for lead roles in Tennessee Williams's ''The Glass Menagerie'' and Sam Shepard's ''Buried Child'' at Chicago's Shattered Globe Theatre. He was involved with a number of Chicago theater companies and was an artistic associate at Caffeine Theatre.

His feature film debut came in the late 2000s, as the Joker's deranged henchman, Thomas Schiff, in Christopher Nolan's ''The Dark Knight''. His portrayal of Bob Taylor in Denis Villeneuve's ''Prisoners'' received strong reviews. Richard Corliss of ''Time'' called Dastmalchian's performance "excellent – chatty, modest with some subtle telltale psychopathy" and ''The Guardian''s Paul MacInnes likened his introduction as a new suspect to Kevin Spacey's entrance in ''Seven''.

In March 2014, Dastmalchian was awarded the Special Jury Prize for Courage in Storytelling at the South by Southwest Film Festival. He wrote and starred in the feature film ''Animals'', directed by Collin Schiffli. Ashley Moreno of ''The Austin Chronicle'' credits Dastmalchian's screenplay with "present ngan authenticity often lacking in films about drug abuse." ''Film Threat''s Brian Tallerico similarly sings the praises of Dastmalchian's breakout performance, noting his ability to "capture that sense of self-loathing that comes through in the body language of an addict without overselling it."

Other feature film appearances include starring roles in the psychological thriller '' The Employer'', the indie grindhouse hit ''Sushi Girl'', the drama ''Cass'' (winner, San Diego Black Film Festival), ''Girls Will Be Girls 2012'' (a sequel to the 2003 cult hit '' Girls Will Be Girls''), ''Saving Lincoln'', ''Virgin Alexander'', ''Ant-Man'', and Michel Franco's ''Chronic''.

He has also appeared on television: as Simon on the Fox sci-fi series '' Almost Human'', in the episode "Simon Says"; as a chess expert and murder suspect on the CBS forensics procedural drama series ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation''; and as Oz Turner on the BBC
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