Commuters on the New York City Subway during rush hour.

Rush hour at Shinjuku Station, Yamanote Line

Traffic jam in Baltimore, Maryland

Commuting is regular travel between one's place of residence and place of work or full time study. It sometimes refers to any regular or often repeated traveling between locations when not work related.

History[link]

The word commuter derives from early days of rail travel in US cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago, where, in the 1840s, the railways engendered suburbs from which travellers paying a reduced or 'commuted' fare into the city. Later, the back formations "commute" and "commuter" were coined therefrom. Commuted tickets would usually allow the traveller to repeat the same journey as often as they liked during the period of validity: Normally, the longer the period the cheaper the cost per day.^[1]

Before the 19th century, most workers lived less than an hour's walk from their work. Today, many people travel daily to work a long way from their own towns, cities, and villages, especially in industrialised societies. Depending on factors such as the high cost of housing in city centres, lack of public transit, and traffic congestion, modes of travel may include automobiles, motorcycles, trains, aircraft, buses, and bicycles.

Suburbs[link]

Commuting has had a large impact on modern life. It has allowed cities to grow to sizes that were previously not practical, and it has led to the proliferation of suburbs. Many large cities or conurbations are surrounded by commuter belts, also known as metropolitan areas, commuter towns, dormitory towns, or bedroom communities. The prototypical commuter lives in one of these areas and travels daily to work or to school in the core city.

As urban sprawl pushes farther and farther away from central business districts, new businesses can appear in outlying cities, leading to the existence of the reverse commuter who lives in a core city but works in the suburbs, and to a type of secondary commuter who lives in a more distant exurb and works in the outlying city or industrial suburb.

Education[link]

Institutions that have few dormitories or low student housing populations are called commuter schools in the United States.

Traffic[link]

Most commuters travel at the same time of day, resulting in the morning and evening rush hours, with congestion on roads and public transport systems not designed or maintained well enough to cope with the peak demands. As an example, Interstate 405 located in Southern California, is one of the busiest freeways in the United States. Commuters may sit up to two hours in traffic during rush hour. Construction or accidents on the freeway distract and slow down commuters, contributing to even longer delays.

Pollution[link]

The suburbs in the United States and elsewhere tend to have less air pollution than their neighboring inner cities, even though more workers in the inner cities use public transport. Some governments and employers have introduced employee travel reduction programs that encourage such alternatives as car-pooling and telecommuting. Some are also carpooling using Internet sites to save money.^[2] Alternatives like personal rapid transit have also been proposed to reap the energy-efficiency benefits of a mass transit system while maintaining the speed and convenience of individual transport.

Cars not carrying passengers use fuel and roads less efficiently than shared cars or public transport, and increase traffic congestion. However,alone by car is often a more efficient method for people doing so, as their travel times tend to be lower. Commuting by car is a major factor contributing to air pollution. Carpool lanes help commuters reach their destinations more quickly, encourage people to drive together, and reduce air pollution.

See also[link]

• Short Commute Vehicle

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Commuting

Look up commuting in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• US Commuting Averages (2002)
• Some Commuters are travelling from France to London
• Platform 11 - Ireland's National Rail Commuter Group
• Identifying the 12 types of drivers during a work commute

Pamela Anderson
Anderson attending "The 6th Annual Hollywood Style Awards", Beverly Hills, California on October 10, 2009
Born	Pamela Denise Anderson (1967-07-01) July 1, 1967 (age 44) Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada
Other names	Pamela Anderson Lee Pam Anderson
Occupation	Actress, model, producer, activist, author, former showgirl,UK Reality TV Participant (Big Brother 2011)
Years active	1989–present
Spouse	Tommy Lee (m. 1995–1998) «start: (1995)–end+1: (1999)»"Marriage: Tommy Lee to Pamela Anderson" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Pamela_Anderson) (divorced) Kid Rock (m. 2006–2007) «start: (2006)–end+1: (2008)»"Marriage: Kid Rock to Pamela Anderson" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Pamela_Anderson) (divorced) Rick Salomon (m. 2007–2008) «start: (2007)–end+1: (2009)»"Marriage: Rick Salomon to Pamela Anderson" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Pamela_Anderson) (annulled)
Partner	Tommy Lee (1999–2001; 2008–2009) Marcus Schenkenberg (2000–2001) Kid Rock (2001–2003)
Website
http://pamelaanderson.com/

Pamela Denise Anderson (born July 1, 1967) is a Canadian actress, model, producer, author, activist, and former showgirl, known for her roles on the television series Home Improvement, Baywatch, and V.I.P. She was chosen as a Playmate of the Month for Playboy magazine in February 1990.^[1] For a time, she was known as Pamela Anderson Lee (or Pamela Lee) after marrying Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee. She maintains dual American and Canadian citizenship.^[2]

Early life[link]

Anderson was born in Ladysmith, British Columbia, the daughter of Barry, a furnace repairman, and Carol (née Grosco) Anderson, a waitress.^[3] Her great-grandfather, Juho Hyytiäinen, was Finnish, a native of Saarijärvi, and left the Grand Duchy of Finland (which was a part of the Russian Empire at the time) in 1908,^[4] changing his name to Anderson when he arrived as an immigrant. Anderson also has Russian ancestry on her mother's side.^[5]

Career[link]

After graduating from Highland Secondary School in 1985, Anderson moved to Vancouver and worked as a fitness instructor. During the summer of 1989, Anderson went with her friends to a BC Lions game at BC Place, and during the game she was shown on the stadium screen wearing a Labatt's t-shirt, causing the crowd to cheer for the 21-year-old Anderson. She was taken down to the field to receive an ovation from the crowd. Her photographer boyfriend Dan Ilicic produced the Blue Zone Girl poster on his own.^[6] In October 1989 she appeared as the cover girl on Playboy magazine. At this stage in her modelling career, she had decided to live in Los Angeles to further pursue her career ambitions. She became a centrefold for Playboy when the magazine chose her to be their Playmate of the Month for their February 1990 issue. She then chose to get breast implants. Anderson has since appeared in Playboy several times in the 1990s and 2000s.

Acting and modeling[link]

This article is in a list format that may be better presented using prose. You can help by converting this article to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (August 2011)

After her move to Los Angeles, she won a minor role as the original "Tool Time girl" on the hit television sitcom, Home Improvement. She left the show after two seasons and won the role of C. J. Parker on Baywatch, a role she played between 1992 and 1998. Anderson was still modeling for Outdoor Life and appearing on the cover of the magazine each year. In 1993, Anderson appeared in a music video "Can't Have Your Cake" by Vince Neil to promote his first solo album Exposed.

In 1994, she was cast in her first starring role in Raw Justice also known as Good Cop, Bad Cop, a film in which she costarred with Stacy Keach, David Keith and Airplane! star Robert Hays. The film won the Bronze Award at the Worldfest-Charleston in the category for dramatic theatrical films under the title Good Cop, Bad Cop. The notable cast was the focus of many reviewers. ^[7][8]

In 1996, she appeared in Barb Wire playing Barbara Rose Kopetski, which was later claimed by some sources to be Anderson's real name, although it is not. The movie, a thinly veiled futuristic remake of Casablanca, was not a commercial success. In April 1997, she guest-hosted Saturday Night Live. She appeared on one of two covers for the September issue of Playboy.

In September 1998, Anderson starred as Vallery Irons in the Sony Pictures Entertainment hit syndicated show V.I.P. created by J. F. Lawton.^[9] Blending action and humor in a fast-paced adventure series, with Anderson often poking fun at her tabloid image, the show explored the exciting and sometimes treacherous lives of the rich and famous.^[10] The series lasted through a successful four year run.^[11] In 1999, she appeared as a giantess in the music video for "Miserable" by California alternative rock band Lit. Her role as C.J. Parker gave her more popularity and gained her attention from international viewers. She returned to Baywatch for the 2003 reunion movie, Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding. She appeared on The Nanny as Fran's rival, Heather Biblow.

Anderson aboard USS Ronald Reagan, (2004)

In early 2004, Anderson returned to the spotlight. In May, she appeared naked on the cover of Playboy magazine. It was the first time she had appeared naked on any magazine cover. Later, she posed naked for Stuff and GQ magazines.

Anderson became a naturalized citizen of the United States on May 12, 2004, while retaining her Canadian citizenship. She has lived in Southern California since 1989.

In 2004, she released the book Star, co-written by Eric Shaw Quinn, about a teenager trying to become famous. After this, she began touring the United States, signing autographs for fans at Wal-Mart stores nationwide. Her second book, the sequel Star Struck, released in 2005, is a thinly veiled look at her life with Tommy Lee and the trials of celebrity life. In April 2005, Anderson starred in a new Fox sitcom Stacked as Skyler Dayton, a party girl who goes to work at a bookstore. It was canceled on May 18, 2006, after two seasons, although some episodes were never aired. On August 14, 2005, Comedy Central created the Roast of Pamela Anderson to honor the sex symbol for the past decade. During her final speech at the Roast, Anderson referred to her breasts as "Pancho and Lefty".

In December 2005, NBC cut off a video of Anderson pole dancing on Elton John's "The Red Piano." NBC said that the footage was inappropriate for prime time. The video was shown on huge screens during the event, while John played "The Bitch is Back". In March 2006, it was announced that Anderson would receive a star on Canada's Walk of Fame thanks to her many years as a model and actress. She is only the second model to receive a star. In April 2006, Anderson hosted Canada's Juno Awards, becoming the first non-singer and model to do so.

She was referenced in the 2006 mockumentary, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, as the title character becomes obsessed with her, and plans to abduct and marry her. She appears as herself at a book signing at the end of the film, confronted by Borat in a staged botched abduction.^[12]

She performed on February 13–14, 2008 in a Valentine's Day striptease act at the Crazy Horse cabaret in Paris.^[13] Anderson then starred in Pam: Girl on the Loose, which debuted on August 3, 2008 on E! in the United States.

In December 2009, Anderson guest-starred as Genie of the Lamp in the pantomime Aladdin at the New Wimbledon Theatre in Wimbledon, south-west London, England.^[14][15] Anderson took over the role from comedienne Ruby Wax, with former EastEnders actress Anita Dobson and comedian Paul O'Grady also booked for the role.^[16]

Anderson is due to star in a short film The Commuter directed by the McHenry Brothers to promote the Nokia N8 smartphone in the UK^[17] Fans of Anderson, who won a Nokia UK run competition, will be starring alongside Anderson in the short film.

[edit] Playboy career

Pamela Anderson
Playboy centerfold appearance
February 1990
Preceded by	Peggy McIntaggart
Succeeded by	Deborah Driggs
Personal details
Born	July 1, 1967
Measurements	Bust: 36 in (91 cm)[1] Waist: 22 in (56 cm) Hips: 34 in (86 cm)
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[1]
Weight	105 lb (48 kg; 7.5 st)[1]

Anderson's Playboy career spans three decades (1989–2011), and she has appeared on more Playboy covers than anyone else.^[18] She has also made appearances in the publication's newsstand specials. Anderson wrote the foreword in the Playboy coffee table book Playboy's Greatest Covers.

Pro wrestling[link]

• During an appearance at the World Wrestling Federation's Royal Rumble in 1995, Anderson promised that she would accompany the winner of the Royal Rumble to WrestleMania. Anderson returned for her appearance at the World Wrestling Federation's WrestleMania XI on April 2, but as the guest valet for WWF World Heavyweight Champion Diesel and not the Royal Rumble winner, his opponent Shawn Michaels; Michaels ended up being accompanied to the ring by Jenny McCarthy. After pinning Michaels, Diesel left with both Anderson and McCarthy.
• In anticipation of her appearance at the Royal Rumble, several skits were produced featuring wrestlers fawning over Anderson. One commercial featured Anderson coming home and checking her answering machine. As Anderson strips down behind a curtain, messages from wrestlers such as Shawn Michaels, Diesel, and Doink the Clown can be heard.
• At the 2006 Canada's Walk of Fame induction ceremony, Anderson shared a kiss with WWE diva and fellow Canadian Trish Stratus.
• She appeared on former Pro Wrestling commentator Mark Madden's Pittsburgh-based sports talk radio show in October, 2006.

[edit] Big Brother

On July 9, 2008, Anderson entered the Australian Big Brother house for a three-day visit.^[19] This was Anderson's first foray into reality television. In November 2010, Anderson appeared on season 4 of Bigg Boss, the Indian version of the Big Brother television franchise. She stayed as a guest in the house for three days for a reported sum of Rs. 2.5 crores (approx $ 550,000 USD).^[20] Furthering her involvement in the franchise, In September 2011, Anderson took part in the 12th series of the UK version of Big Brother.^[21]

[edit] Dancing with the Stars

Anderson was a contestant on the tenth season of Dancing with the Stars, partnered with professional dancer Damian Whitewood. The season premiered on Monday, March 22, 2010,^[22] and after seven weeks, Anderson was eliminated.^[23]

In 2011, she appeared on the Argentinian version of Dancing with the Stars, entitled Bailando por un sueño (Bailando 2011). She withdrew from the competition after the fourth round.^[24]

Personal life[link]

Relationships[link]

In addition to her fame from modelling and acting, Anderson has received a great deal of press attention for her well-publicized personal life. Her relationships have made headlines in gossip magazines for years. Anderson married Tommy Lee, drummer of Mötley Crüe, on February 19, 1995, after knowing him for only 96 hours and the couple eventually had two sons, Brandon Thomas Lee and Dylan Jagger Lee, named for Anderson's great grandfather, Dale Jagger Grosco who fought in World War II. During this time, she was known professionally as Pamela Anderson Lee. Anderson filed for divorce from Lee twice and reconciled with him twice, before the couple finally broke up for good, however, she admitted to newspapers that she still often had sex with him since their divorce.^[25]

In March 2002, Anderson publicly stated that she had contracted the Hepatitis C virus from Lee (supposedly from sharing tattoo needles), and began writing a regular column for Jane magazine. In October 2003, Anderson jokingly said on Howard Stern's radio show that she does not expect to live more than 10 or 15 years,^[26] but this was misconstrued and taken seriously by many websites and tabloids.

Anderson and Kid Rock in 2003

Since her divorce, she has been engaged to the model Marcus Schenkenberg and to the singer Kid Rock (Robert J. Ritchie). She broke up with Schenkenberg in 2001 and with Kid Rock in 2003. It was announced on July 18, 2006 that she would marry Kid Rock on July 29, 2006, on a yacht near St Tropez, France. "Feels like I've been stuck in a time warp," said Anderson in her blog entry. "Not able to let go of MY family picture ... it's been sad and lonely and frustrating ... I've raised my kids alone in hope of a miracle. Well my miracle came and went. And came back and back because he knew that I'd wake up one day and realize that I was waiting for nothing." "I'm moving on," she declared. "I feel like I'm finally free ... I'm in love." There was extensive unconfirmed media speculation that the marriage was pregnancy-related, but the theory was based only on Anderson's representative's refusal to comment on the question.^[27]

On November 10, 2006, it was announced that Anderson had miscarried while in Vancouver shooting a new film, Blonde and Blonder.^[28] Seventeen days later, on November 27, 2006, Anderson filed for divorce in Los Angeles County Superior Court from Kid Rock, citing irreconcilable differences.^[29] Some news reports have suggested that Kid Rock's outrage during a screening of Borat, in which she plays a cameo role, led to the filing for divorce two weeks later.^[30]

Anderson told talk show host Ellen DeGeneres in September 2007 that she was engaged. On September 29, Anderson and Rick Salomon, applied for a marriage license in Las Vegas.^[31] Anderson married Salomon between her two nightly appearances at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Hans Klok's magic show in a small wedding ceremony at The Mirage on October 6, 2007.^[32] However, the couple separated on December 13, and on February 22, 2008, Anderson requested through the courts that the marriage be annulled citing fraud.^[33]

Sex tapes[link]

A sex tape of Anderson and Tommy Lee on their honeymoon was stolen from their home, and made a huge stir on the Internet. Anderson sued the video distribution company, Internet Entertainment Group. Ultimately, the Lees entered into a confidential settlement agreement with IEG. Thereafter, the company began making the tape available to subscribers to its Web sites again, resulting in triple the normal traffic on the site.^[34]

A second tape, which was made before the Tommy Lee tape, involving Anderson and musician Bret Michaels from Poison was later announced, and an abridged version of less than 60 seconds appeared on the internet. Frames of the video first appeared in Penthouse magazine in March 1998. The tape was successfully blocked by Michaels, but a four-minute sex tape is still available on the Internet.

Legal[link]

The California Franchise Tax Board cited Anderson as delinquent in state income taxes owing nearly $525,000, in a list of Top 500 Delinquent Taxpayers^[35], updated on April 12, 2012. The tax board had filed a lien against Anderson on April 7, 2009.

Charitable work, activism and advocacy[link]

Anderson promoting vegetarianism

Anderson is a vegan, an advocate for animal rights, and an active member of the animal protection organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), taking part in several campaigns for animal rights.^[36][37] She became a vegetarian in her early teens when she saw her father cleaning an animal he had hunted.^[38]

One of Anderson's campaigns as a member of PETA has been against the use of fur. In 1999, Anderson received the first Linda McCartney Memorial Award for animal rights protectors, in recognition of her campaign. In 2003, Anderson stripped down for PETA's "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" advertising campaign. On June 28, 2006, Anderson posed naked with other protesters on a window display of the Stella McCartney boutique in London, England. It was a PETA gala event before the PETA Humanitarian Awards. Anderson went inside the boutique and said she would take her clothes off if the event raised enough money for PETA, which it did. She campaigned against Kentucky Fried Chicken. In 2001, Anderson released a letter in support of PETA's campaign against Kentucky Fried Chicken, stating "What KFC does to 750 million chickens each year is not civilized or acceptable." She later made a video about KFC's treatment of chickens.^[39] In January 2006, Anderson requested that the Governor of Kentucky remove a bust of Colonel Sanders, the founder of KFC, from display but her request was refused even when she offered her own bust in exchange. In February 2006, Anderson decided to boycott the Kentucky Derby because of its support for Kentucky Fried Chicken.

She has also campaigned against seal hunting in Canada. In March 2006, Anderson asked to speak to Prime Minister Stephen Harper about the annual seal hunt but she was refused. In May 2006, she petitioned random individuals on the street for their opinion on the Canadian Seal Hunt. In December, 2009, Anderson, photographed in a t-shirt with a drawn picture of a seal pup on it, was featured in a new ad campaign for PETA. She appears next to the headline "Save the Seals" in the ad and urges the public to help end "Canada's annual seal slaughter." She joined forces with PETA in a campaign for the boycott of fruit-juice maker POM. The "Pom Horrible Campaign"^[40] has resulted in the company halting animal tests. In March 2005, Anderson became a spokesperson for MAC Cosmetics's MAC AIDS Fund, which helped people affected by AIDS and HIV. After becoming the official spokesmodel, Anderson raised money during events in Toronto, Tokyo, Dublin, and Athens. Anderson became the celebrity spokesperson for the American Liver Foundation, and served as the Grand Marshal of the SOS motorcycle ride fundraiser. She wrote an open letter to President Barack Obama urging the legalization of cannabis.^[41]

Anderson became the center of controversy when she posed in a bikini nearly nude for a PETA ad that was banned in Montreal, Canada on grounds that the ad was sexist. Anderson retorted saying, "In a city that is known for its exotic dancing and for being progressive and edgy, how sad that a woman would be banned from using her own body in a political protest over the suffering of cows and chickens. In some parts of the world, women are forced to cover their whole bodies with burqas – is that next? I didn't think that Canada would be so puritanical." ^[42]

She became a company spokesperson for FrogAds, Inc. in March 2012.^[43]

Filmography[link]

Film[link]

Television[link]

• The Flintstones: Little Big League (1978)
• Charles in Charge episode "Teacher's Pest" (1990)
• Married... with Children episode "Al With Kelly" (1990)
• Married... with Children episode "Route 666: Part 2" (1991)
• Home Improvement (cast member from 1991–1993)
• Baywatch (cast member from 1992–1997)
• Days of our Lives (cast member in 1992)
• Come Die with Me: A Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Mystery (1994)
• The Nanny episode "Danny's Dead and Who's Got the Will?" (1997)
• The Nanny episode "The Heather Biblow Story" (1997)
• V.I.P. (1998–2002)
• Futurama (voice) episode "A Fishful of Dollars" (1999)
• Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding (2003)
• Less Than Perfect episode "All About Claude" (2003)
• Stripperella (voice) (2003–2004)
• Stacked (2005–2006)
• Comedy Central Roast of Pamela Anderson (2005)
• 8 Simple Rules episode "C.J.'s Temptation" (2005)
• 8 Simple Rules episode "Torn Between Two Lovers" (2005)
• MADtv (2005)
• Pam: Girl on the Loose (2008)
• The Sunday Night Project – Guest Host (2008)
• Big Brother Australia – House Guest for 3 days (2008)
• Dancing with the Stars (2010) – As contestant
• Comedy Central Roast of David Hasselhoff (2010) – As roaster
• Magic Numbers (in the United Kingdom) (2010) – as guest
• Bigg Boss India – House Guest for 4 days (2010)
• Celebrity Juice – As a Guest
• Bailando 2011 (2011) – As contestant
• Les Anges de la télé-réalité (France, season 2) (2011) – as guest in Miami house
• Big Brother UK – as guest in the house (2011)
• Yalan Dünya episode number 9 (2012) – guest appearance as herself
• RuPaul's Drag Race – guest judge

In popular culture[link]

'Newman House' in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda, Australia

Newman House is a pop architecture building constructed in 2003 in St Kilda, Victoria, Australia, which features a large image of Anderson's face. Sam Newman commissioned local architect Cassandra Fahey to design the building, and used the image with Anderson's permission. Permits were issued retroactively when it became a major local landmark and won the award for Best New Residential Building in the RAIA Victorian Architecture Awards.^[44]

Serbian comedy rock band Prljavi Inspektor Blaža i Kljunovi released the song "Lepa si, Pamela" (trans. "You're Beautiful, Pamela") on their 1998 album Seks, droga i Bodiroga (Sex, Drugs and Bodiroga). In the song the band's frontman Igor "Prljavi Inspektor Blaža" Blažević declares his love to Pamela and makes threats to Tommy Lee, and the album cover features an image of Anderson and Blažević in bed.^[45] In 2009 Blažević met Anderson in Belgrade, presenting her with the Seks, droga i Bodiroga disc.^[46]

Anderson is also seen on the television series, Invader Zim, appearing in "Walk of Doom", "Dib's Wonderful Life of Doom", "Mortos de Soulstealer", and "The Girl Who Cried Gnome". However, she did not speak in her appearances on the show.^{[citation needed]}

References[link]

Further reading[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pamela Anderson (category)

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Pamela Anderson

• Official website
• Pamela Anderson at Playboy.com
• Pamela Anderson at the Internet Movie Database

Dev Patel
Dev Patel in 2008
Born	(1990-04-23) 23 April 1990 (age 22) Harrow, London, United Kingdom
Nationality	British
Ethnicity	Indian
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2006–present

Dev Patel (born 23 April 1990)^[1] is a British actor. He is best known for playing Jamal Malik in Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire (2008), for which Patel won a number of awards, including a Critics' Choice Award^[2] and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Patel is also known for his role as Anwar Kharral in the British teen drama series Skins.

Personal life[link]

Patel was born in Harrow, England, to Hindu Indian parents, both of whom were born in Nairobi, Kenya, where there is a significant Indian community.^[3][4] His parents both emigrated from Kenya separately in their teens, and only met in London.^[4] His mother, Anita, is a carer, and his father, Raj, an IT consultant.^[4][5] He was raised in the Hindu faith.^[6] Patel grew up in Rayners Lane, Harrow, and attended Longfield Middle School. He had his first acting role as Sir Andrew Aguecheek in the school's production of Twelfth Night.^[4] Patel was given the Best Actor award for his performance. He later attended Whitmore High School, receiving an A* in GCSE Drama, for his "self-penned portrayal of a child in the Beslan school siege". His drama teacher Niamh Wright has stated: "Dev was a gifted student who quickly impressed me with his innate ability to communicate a wide variety of characters imaginatively and creatively. He was awarded full marks for his GCSE performance to a live audience and the visiting examiner was moved to tears by his honest portrayal".^[7] He completed his AS Levels in PE, Biology, History and Drama in 2007, while he was working in Skins. He has been dating his Slumdog Millionaire co-star Freida Pinto since 2009.^[8]

Martial arts[link]

Patel said that as a kid, he was "bloody energetic" and used to get in trouble at school because of it. His mottel started training at the Rayners Lane Academy of Taekwon-do in 2000. He competed regularly in both national and international championships, including the 2004 AIMAA (Action International Martial Arts Association) World Championships in Dublin, where he won a bronze medal.^[3][9][10] The World Championships took place in October 2004, when he was a red belt competing in the junior division against other red and black belts. He made it to the semi-finals, where he lost to an Irish black belt named Niall Fitzmaurice in "a very close and tough fight", and ended up winning a bronze medal.^[9] He later gained a 1st dan black belt on 11 March 2006.^[11]

Acting career[link]

Patel with Slumdog Millionaire co-star Freida Pinto at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival

Patel began his acting career in late 2006, when he auditioned for the E4 teen drama television series Skins. Patel's mother saw the casting ad in a newspaper and took him to the audition even though he had a science exam the next day.^[4] After two auditions, he was cast in the role of Anwar Kharral, a British Pakistani Muslim teenager.^[4] According to fellow actors Mike Bailey (who played Sid Jenkins) and Hannah Murray (who played Cassie Ainsworth), the characterization of Anwar was partly based on the personality of Patel and the role was written specifically for him after he was cast in Skins.^[12] Patel, who had no professional acting experience, said that on "the first day of shooting I didn't really know what to do."^[4] The first series of the show aired in January 2007 and went on to win the Rose d'Or for Drama in 2008 and receive a nomination for Best Drama Series at the 2008 BAFTA Television Awards.^[13][14] Patel reprised his role as Anwar for the second series of Skins, which aired in February 2008. The second series of Skins won the Philips Audience Award at t]he 2009 BAFTA Television Awards in April 2009.^[15] In 2010 it was released that he would star in the Skins movie showing in summer 2011.

Patel made his feature film debut when he was cast in the role of Jamal Malik, the central character in Danny Boyle's film Slumdog Millionaire. The character Jamal Malik is an Indian Muslim boy born and raised in the poverty of Bombay (known now as Mumbai) India.^[16] Boyle considered hundreds of young male actors, but found that Bollywood leads were generally "strong, handsome hero-types", not the personality he was looking for.^[17] Boyle's 17-year-old daughter Caitlin pointed him to the British television ensemble drama Skins, of which Patel was a cast member.^[17][18] After five auditions for the role,^[19] the actor was eventually cast in August 2007.^[20] The film's producer found the original choice for the lead role, Ruslaan Mumtaz, too good looking for the role.^[21] Boyle said "I wanted a guy who didn't look like a potential hero; I wanted him to earn that in the film."^[4] To prepare for the role, Patel went along with Boyle while scouting for filming locations, where he was able to observe the Dharavi slums for himself. He also worked at a call centre for a day and in a hotel, where he washed dishes.^[22][23]

Patel at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival

After the release of Slumdog Millionaire at the end of 2008, Patel went on to receive a number of awards for his performance, including a British Independent Film Award,^[24] National Board of Review (NBR) Award,^[25] Chicago Film Critics Association Award,^[26] and two Black Reel Awards for Best Actor and Best Breakthrough Performance.^[27] Patel was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 2009 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards. The award eventually went posthumously to Heath Ledger for his performance in The Dark Knight, though Patel did win the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, which he shared with ten other cast members from Slumdog Millionaire.^[28][29] On 8 January 2009, Patel won the Critics' Choice Award for Best Young Performer.^[2] He was also nominated for two London Critics Circle Film Awards,^[30] the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor,^[31] the 2009 BAFTA Award for Best Leading Actor,^[32] and European Film Award for Best Actor.^[33] The film itself won four Golden Globes,^[32] including Best Drama Film, and eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture.^[34]

Patel played Zuko in M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender, a feature film adaptation of the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender,^[35][36][37] which was released July 1, 2010, to extremely negative reviews. Despite being a commercial success, the film was a critical failure and Patel even received a Razzie Award nomination as worst supporting actor that year.

Patel starred in the short film, "The Commuter",^[38] which was directed by the McHenry Brothers to promote the Nokia N8 smartphone in the U.K.^[39] Fans who won a Nokia UK run competition starred alongside Dev Patel in the short film.^[40][41]

Patel stars in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, directed by John Madden, with Judi Dench, Bill Nighy and Maggie Smith. For this role he had to take lessons in perfecting an Indian-English accent, as his native English accent was so strong the producers felt if he kept the accent the film would be less believable.^[42]

Filmography[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

Won[link]

• 2008 Black Reel Award — "Best Actor" — Slumdog Millionaire^[27]
• 2008 Black Reel Award — "Best Breakthrough Performance" — Slumdog Millionaire^[27]
• 2008 British Independent Film Award (BIFA) — "Most Promising Newcomer" — Slumdog Millionaire^[24]
• 2008 Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA) Award — "Most Promising Performer" — Slumdog Millionaire^[26]
• 2008 National Board of Review (NBR) Award — "Best Breakthrough Performance" — Slumdog Millionaire^[25]
• 2008 Phoenix Film Critics Society Award — "Break Out On Camera" — Slumdog Millionaire^[43]
• 2008 Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) Award — "Best Breakthrough Performance" — Slumdog Millionaire^[44]
• 2009 Critics' Choice Award — "Best Young Performer (Actor/Actress)" — Slumdog Millionaire ^[2]
• 2009 Richard Attenborough Film Award — "Best Breakthrough" — Slumdog Millionaire^[45]
• 2009 Richard Attenborough Film Award — "Rising Star of the Year" — Slumdog Millionaire^[45]

Nominated[link]

• 2008 Black Reel Award — "Best Ensemble" — Slumdog Millionaire
• 2008 Detroit Film Critics Society Award — "Best Newcomer" — Slumdog Millionaire^[46]
• 2009 BAFTA Award — "Best Actor in a Leading Role" — Slumdog Millionaire^[32]
• 2009 Evening Standard British Film Award — "Most Promising Newcomer" — Slumdog Millionaire^[47]
• 2009 London Critics' Circle Film Award — "British Actor of the Year" — Slumdog Millionaire^[30]
• 2009 London Critics' Circle Film Award — "Young British Performer Of The Year" — Slumdog Millionaire^[30]
• 2009 NAACP Image Award — "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture" — Slumdog Millionaire^[31]
• 2009 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award — "Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role" — Slumdog Millionaire^[29]
• 2009 MTV Movie Awards — Best Kiss — Slumdog Millionaire
• 2009 MTV Movie Awards — Breakthrough Performance Male — Slumdog Millionaire
• 2009 European Film Awards — Best Actor — Slumdog Millionaire^[33]
• 2010 Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor and Worst Screen Couple with the entire cast - The Last Airbender

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Dev Patel