Ray Panthaki (; born 20 January 1979) is a British actor, producer, screenwriter and director.

Early life

Panthaki was born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

to second-generation

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

parents. His parents belong to India's

Parsi Parsis () or Parsees are an ethnoreligious group of the Indian subcontinent adhering to Zoroastrianism. They are descended from Persians who migrated to Medieval India during and after the Arab conquest of Iran (part of the early Muslim conq ...

minority community.

Career

Panthaki is best known for the roles he played on ITV and

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

Original Series ''

Marcella Marcella is a Roman cognomen and Italian given name, the feminine version of Marcello (Mark in English). Marcella means warlike, martial, and strong. It could also mean 'young warrior'. The origin of the name Marcella is Latin. Marcella may refer ...

'' and

Original Series '' Away'' alongside

Hilary Swank Hilary Ann Swank (born July 30, 1974) is an American actress and film producer. She first became known in 1992 for her role on the television series '' Camp Wilder'' and made her film debut with a minor role in ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1992 ...

and as Hassan B in Sacha Baron Cohen's ''

Ali G Indahouse ''Ali G Indahouse'' is a 2002 British comedy film written by Sacha Baron Cohen and Dan Mazer, directed by Mark Mylod, and starring Baron Cohen as Ali G, the character he originally played on the Channel 4 comedy series '' The 11 O'Clock Show'' ...

''. He also appeared in the films ''

Colette Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (; 28 January 1873 – 3 August 1954), known mononymously as Colette, was a French author and woman of letters. She was also a mime, actress, and journalist. Colette is best known in the English-speaking world for her ...

'', '' Boiling Point'', ''

28 Days Later ''28 Days Later'' is a 2002 British post-apocalyptic horror film directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland. It stars Cillian Murphy as a bicycle courier who awakens from a coma to discover the accidental release of a highly contagiou ...

'', Official Secrets,

Convenience Convenient procedures, products and services are those intended to increase ease in accessibility, save resources (such as time, effort and energy) and decrease frustration. A modern convenience is a labor-saving device, service or substance ...

Tube Tales ''Tube Tales'' is a 1999 British anthology film of nine short films based on the true-life experiencesThe person who submitted the details of the experience to Time Out magazine being credited as 'Originator'. of London Underground passengers as ...

'', '' Provoked'', ''

Interview with a Hitman ''Interview with a Hitman'' is a 2012 British action film written and directed by Perry Bhandal. The film tells the story of Viktor (Luke Goss), a professional Romanian hitman who agrees to tell his story to a disgraced film director desperate ...

'', ''

It's a Wonderful Afterlife ''It's a Wonderful Afterlife'' is a 2010 British comedy film directed by Gurinder Chadha. The screenplay centres on an Indian mother whose obsession with marrying off her daughter leads her into the realm of serial murder. It was filmed primarily ...

'' and the 2006 film ''

Kidulthood ''Kidulthood'' (stylised as ''KiDULTHOOD'') is a 2006 British crime drama film directed by Menhaj Huda and written by Noel Clarke, who appeared in the film alongside Aml Ameen, Red Madrell, Adam Deacon, Jaime Winstone, Femi Oyeniran, Madelei ...

'', which he also produced. In 2006, he was nominated for "Best Supporting Actor in a Play" at the TMA Theatre Awards for his role in ''Gladiator Games''. Later that year, he set up the London-based production company Urban Way. Panthaki made his West End theatrical debut in July 2008 in the play ''In My Name'' at the

Trafalgar Studios Trafalgar Theatre is a new West End theatre in Whitehall, near Trafalgar Square, in the City of Westminster, London. It is set to open in spring 2021 following a major multi-million pound restoration project aiming to reinstate it back to its ...

. He has performed twice at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England ...

in London in ''Where Do We Live'' by Christopher Shinn and ''The Westbridge'' by Rachel De-Lehay. He went on to play a leading role in Tanika Gupta's ''The Empress'' for the Royal Shakespeare Company directed by Emma Rice. In 2013, Panthaki's directorial debut ''Life Sentence'', a film which he also wrote, won Best UK Short at the

East End Film Festival The East End Film Festival was one of the UK's largest film festivals. It ceased all operations on 4 March 2020. The owner, Alison Poltock, explained that "the push to provide a more mainstream commercial offering is not for us." Founded in 200 ...

2013. In 2013, Panthaki produced and starred in the comedy film ''

'' starring alongside

Vicky McClure Victoria Lee McClure (born 8 May 1983) is an English actress, model and presenter. She is known for her roles as Detective Inspector Kate Fleming in the BBC series ''Line of Duty'' (2012–present) and Lol Jenkins in Shane Meadows' film ''Thi ...

and

Adeel Akhtar Adeel Akhtar (born 18 September 1980) is a British actor. In 2017, he won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor for his role in ''Murdered by My Father''. He was also nominated for a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor for his role o ...

. The film's director Keri Collins won 'Best Breakthrough' at the 2014 BAFTA Cymru for his work on the film. In 2014, he was announced as one of 18 BAFTA 'Breakthrough Brits' a celebration of Britain's stars of tomorrow alongside fellow actors

Stacy Martin Stacy Martin (born 20 March 1990) is a French actress. Her breakthrough role was playing Joe as a young woman in Lars von Trier's 2013 drama film ''Nymphomaniac''. Early life Martin was born in Paris, where she spent her early childhood. She m ...

Katie Leung Katie Leung (born 8 August 1987; ) is a Scottish actress. Initially famous for playing Cho Chang, the titular character's first love interest in the ''Harry Potter'' film series, she is also known for her roles as Caitlyn in the animated ser ...

and

Callum Turner Callum Robilliard Turner (born 15 February 1990) is a British actor and model. He is known for his roles as Theseus Scamander in '' Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald'' and '' Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore'', Bill Rohan in ...

. In 2016, Panthaki was cast as DCI Rav Sangha in Hans Rosenfeldt's

Nordic noir Nordic noir, also known as Scandinavian noir or Scandi noir, is a genre of crime fiction usually written from a police point of view and set in Scandinavia or Nordic countries. Plain language avoiding metaphor and set in bleak landscapes results ...

detective series ''

''. In 2017, it was announced that Panthaki had signed on to Wash Westmoreland's ''

'' alongside

Keira Knightley Keira Christina Righton (; née Knightley, born 26 March 1985) is an English actress. Known for her work in both independent films and blockbusters, particularly period dramas, she has received several accolades, including nominations for ...

and

Dominic West Dominic Gerard Francis Eagleton West (born 15 October 1969) is an English actor, director and musician. He is best known for playing Jimmy McNulty in HBO's ''The Wire'' (2002–2008), Noah Solloway in Showtime's '' The Affair'' (2014–2019), ...

to play real-life French playwright Pierre Veber, in the biopic based on the French novelist

Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (; 28 January 1873 – 3 August 1954), known mononymously as Colette, was a French author and woman of letters. She was also a mime, actress, and journalist. Colette is best known in the English-speaking world for her ...

. Panthaki attended the world premier at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival alongside co-stars Keira Knightley and Dominic West, where the film received positive reviews. In 2020 Panthaki appeared in the Netflix Original series '' Away'', alongside

, as Group Captain Ram Arya, second in command on a mission to Mars. In 2021 Panthaki was nominated for a

British Independent Film Award The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) is an organisation that celebrates, supports and promotes British independent cinema and filmmaking talent in United Kingdom. Nominations for the annual awards ceremony are announced in early November, ...

for his role as Freeman in '' Boiling Point'' alongside Stephen Graham.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Panthaki, Ray 1979 births Living people British male actors of Indian descent English male actors English producers English screenwriters English writers English actors English people of Indian descent English people of Parsi descent Male actors from London