Amit Shah (actor)


Amit Kaushik Shah is a British actor who was BAFTA nominated for his role as Faisal Bhatti in the AMC/BBC hit third series of Happy Valley. He is known for his roles in the ITV series Mr Bates vs The Post Office and the Channel 4 comedy-drama Crashing. His films include Pain Hustlers, Final Score, and The Courier.
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Early life

Amit Shah was born in Enfield, England. Shah's parents were originally from Kenya, and his grandparents from Gujarat, India. His father is an accountant, and his mother is a health-food shop manager. Shah was cast as the lead in a school play at the age of 16. He read drama at Staffordshire University and then went on to train at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in West London. In 2003 he was given permission by the principal to graduate early so that he could begin rehearsals for Bombay Dreams, a West-End musical produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Acting career

In 2006, Shah was offered a part in The Royal Hunt of the Sun at the National Theatre; the same part that Derek Jacobi played in the original production in 1964. He stayed on at the National Theatre to perform three plays, including The Alchemist directed by Nicholas Hytner, for which he was nominated for an Ian Charleson Award. He also portrayed a principal role in The Man of Mode, alongside Tom Hardy, Rory Kinnear and Hayley Atwell.
Shah has starred in a variety of television shows since 2006. His most notable roles include Sunny in BBC One's Hospital People, Fred in Channel 4's Crashing, Torque in The Witcher for Netflix, and Faisal Bhatti in Happy Valley.
Shah's first major part in a feature film was in 2014 for The Hundred-Foot Journey in which he starred alongside Helen Mirren and Om Puri. He has since been cast in Johnny English Strikes Again, Ordinary Love, and Last Christmas. In 2025, he played a leading role in the TV series Murder Before Evensong, based on the novel by Richard Coles.

Filmography

Film

YearFilmRoleDirectorNotes
2006Like MindsRaj MehtaGregory J. Read
2008The Blue TowerNeranSmita Bhide
200913 SemesterAswinFrieder Wittich
2010It's a Wonderful AfterlifeSpeed Dating Man 6Gurinder Chadha
2010The InfidelRashid NasirJosh Appignanesi
2011Lost ParadiseJavadWaleed Akhtar
2011Looking For NeilNeilGeorgi Banks-Davis
2012The FacilityArifIan Clark
2013All StarsTeacherBen Gregor
2014CutThe DirectorBilly Mullaney
2014The Hundred-Foot JourneyMansurLasse Hallström
2014The ListenerJeremyMichael Gilhooly
2015HowlMatthewPaul Hyett
2016The Break-up of DaveDaveBilly Mullaney
2017BreatheDr. KhanAndy Serkis
2017To Wendy Who Kicked Me When I Said I Love YouSiddDan Castella
2018Final ScoreFaisalScott Mann
2018Johnny English Strikes AgainSamirDavid Kerr
2018The OrgyJohnSam Baron
2019ParasomniacErrolOliver Hill
2019Quiet CarriageDerekBen S. Hyland
2019Ordinary LoveSteveLisa Barros D'Sa, Glenn Leyburn
2019End-ODr.MannAlice Seabright
2019Last ChristmasAndyPaul Feig
2019The CourierNick MurchZackary Adler
2022KlokkenluiderEwanNeil Maskell
2023Pain HustlersEric PaleyDavid Yates
20247 KeysNazJoy Wilkinson
2024Paddington in PeruZaydenDougal Wilson
2025Bank of Dave 2: The Loan RangerOliverChris Foggin

Theatre

YearTitleRoleVenueDirector
2003Bombay DreamsCastApollo Victoria TheatreAndrew Lloyd Webber
2006The Royal Hunt of The SunCastRoyal National TheatreTrevor Nunn
2007The AlchemistAbel DruggerRoyal National TheatreNicholas Hytner
2011King LearOswaldRoyal National TheatreRobin Lough
2012The Comedy of ErrorsAngeloRoyal National TheatreDominic Cooke
2014East is EastAbdul KhanTrafalgar StudiosSam Yates
2023"Never Have I Ever"KasChichester Festival Theatre