Himesh Jitendra Patel (born 13 October 1990) is a British actor, musician, and singer. He is known for portraying Tamwar Masood on the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 2007 to 2016, for starring in the 2019 musical romantic comedy film Yesterday, and for the 2020 science fiction action film Tenet with John David Washington. In 2020, he had a recurring role in the HBO comedy series Avenue 5. In 2021, he starred in the HBO miniseries Station Eleven earning a nomination for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. That same year, he also starred in Adam McKay's Netflix satirical comedy film Don't Look Up, earning a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture nomination. Early life Patel was born on 13 October 1990 in Sawtry, Cambridgeshire. His parents are both Indian Gujaratis. His mother was born in Zambia and his father was born in Kenya. He grew up speaking Gujarati. Patel attended Prince William School in Oundle, Northamptonshire. As a child, he began impersonating his favourite characters on television and film. When he was 11, he was cast in a school play, This Is Your Life, Santa Claus, as Michael Aspel. Upon the suggestion by a teacher, his parents then signed him up for a local theatre group, the Key Youth Theatre in Peterborough. Later, he became a member of The Young Actors' Company in Cambridge, where he also took film classes. He took piano lessons and bought himself an electric guitar and taught himself to play at the age of 13. His parents ran a newsagent's shop in Cambridgeshire. Patel ran a paper route until he was 21. Career EastEnders When he was 16, Patel received a call on the day of his GCSEs saying he had landed an audition for the British soap opera EastEnders through an agency in The Young Actors' Company. He finished his last exam and had his parents rush him to his audition. After his first audition a casting assistant saw him waiting outside the audition room and asked him to read for the casting director. Patel won the part of Tamwar Masood, and 1 October 2007 marked his first appearance on EastEnders. In 2011 Patel and Meryl Fernandes won the Inside Soap Award for Best Wedding. Patel has also appeared in EastEnders: E20 as Tamwar. In 2011 he co-wrote episode one of