Antonio Aakeel

Antonio Aakeel is an English actor, known for starring in the Apple TV Series Slow Horses and leading the film Eaten by Lions, for which he was named a Screen International Star of Tomorrow by Screen Daily. He also appeared in Tomb Raider and the BAFTA award-winning series Three Girls.

Early life Antonio Aakeel was born Antonio Khela in Wolverhampton, England, and moved around the West Midlands as a child. He was inspired to pursue acting after being given a one-line role in a school nativity play and subsequently began acting in local theatre. He speaks Punjabi and Hindi.

Career

Film

Aakeel gained his first leading feature role in the film Eaten by Lions as Omar, a young man in search of his estranged father. The film had a wide cinematic release in April 2019 and also starred comedians Johnny Vegas, Jack Carroll and Asim Chaudhry.

Screen Daily announced Aakeel would be leading Abid Khan's debut feature Granada Nights as Ben, a heartbroken British tourist on a journey of hedonism and discovery in Granada, Spain.

He appeared opposite Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander in Warner Bros.' 2018 Tomb Raider reboot, directed by Roar Uthaug.

In 2016, Aakeel was cast alongside Riz Ahmed and Billie Piper in the London crime thriller City of Tiny Lights directed by BAFTA winner Pete Travis. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival 2016 and released in UK cinemas April 2017.

Later that year, Aakeel landed a supporting role in The Hungry, Film London's contemporary feature adaptation of Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus playing troubled brother to Life of Pi's Suraj Sharma. The Film premiered under special presentations at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.

In 2015, he appeared as Raza in feature film The Contract, written by David Marconi and directed by Nic Auerbach.

Aakeel starred as Nasir Baloch in the political short film The Line of Freedom, directed by David Whitney. The film depicts the true story of a murdered student rights activist and premiered at the Dubai International Film Festival. Upon its release, the film immediately met with controversy and was subsequently prohibited in Pakistan.

Television Aakeel gained his first television role in the E4 series Skins. He then led an episode of BBC One's Moving On playing Mati, a young refugee whose leave to remain is revoked on his eighteenth birthday. Directed by Reece Dinsdale, the episode won 'Best Daytime Programme' at the Royal Television Society Awards in 2018.

In May 2017, he appeared in BBC One's three-part BAFTA winning drama Three Girls directed by Philippa Lowthorpe. In 2019, Aakeel appeared in two episodes of the Channel 4 drama series Ackley Bridge as Anwar Wazir. Later that year, Aakeel began portraying the recurring role of Rafael Hyland in the BBC One thriller series Dublin Murders.

Video game Aakeel gained his first video game role in the Immortals of Aveum as Devyn.

Theatre

Aakeel was cast in the title role in the stage adaptation of Guantanamo Boy. The play ran at the Half Moon Theatre and toured nationally at Middle Temple Hall, Almeida Theatre, The Hat Factory, Mercury Theatre, Burnley Youth Theatre and The Drum Theatre. The Stage's Susan Elkin wrote Aakeel "is great as the distraught, anguished, terrified Khalid. The downhill spiral followed by the final return of a damaged-for-life boy to Rochdale is well handled too. He has a very expressive face."

In 2015, he played the lead role of Artie in Waiting for Garbo at the Crescent Theatre as part of the Birmingham Theatre Festival. Love Midlands Theatre reviewed the performance, commenting his "portrayal of a brash New Yorker falling apart is utterly convincing."

Antonio has also performed locally with Midlands based theatre company Round Midnight.

Filmography Film Year Film Role Notes 2012 Duty of Care Rashid Short film 2013 Dry the River Boy Short film; Director also The Line of Freedom Nasir Baloch Kick About Ben Short film 2016 The Contract Raza Guilty Pleasures Imi Television film City of Tiny Lights Young Lovely 2017 The Hungry Chirag Joshi 2018 Tomb Raider Nitin 2019 Eaten by Lions Omar Badla Sunny Singh Toor White Girl Short film 2021 Granada Nights Ben 2022 I Came By Faisal 2023 Footprints on Water Rehan In Camera Actor All the Lights Still Burning Musa Short film Sahela Vir Oza 2024 Let It Flow Anwar Short film 2025 Sleep Chris Short film Good Behaviour Sal Short film

Television Year Title Role Notes 2009 Skins Shop Security Episode: "Katie and Emily" 2014 Doctors Aasim Masood Episode: "Redirect the Heart" 2016 Moving On Mati Episode: "Eighteen" Doctors Mark 'Stotty' Stott Episode: "Life Unexpected" 2017 Three Girls Immy Miniseries; 3 episodes Man Like Mobeen Shahid Recurring role; 2 episodes 2019 Almost Never Frankie Episode: "The Ice Cream" Ackley Bridge Anwar Wazir Recurring role; 2 episodes Dublin Murders Rafe Lahiri Recurring role; 4 episodes 2021 Octonauts: Above & Beyond Paani Series regular; Voice role 2022 Slow Horses Hassan Ahmed Recurring role; 6 episodes 2025 Sherlock & Daughter Swann Recurring role; 5 episodes Too Much Raven Miniseries; 3 episodes Mr. Bigstuff Matt Episode: "Series 2, Episode 4"