David Dastmalchian
American-Iranian actor (born 1975)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
David Dastmalchian (/dəstˈmɑːltʃən/ dəst-MAHL-chən;[1] born July 21, 1975) is an American actor, writer, and producer, known especially for his work in science fiction and superhero films and television series. He has had roles in three films directed by Denis Villeneuve: Prisoners (2013); Blade Runner 2049 (2017); and Dune (2021), in which he portrayed Piter De Vries. He stars as Gurathin in the Apple TV+ series Murderbot (2025) and appears as Mr. 3 in the Netflix series One Piece (2026).
- Actor
- writer
- producer
David Dastmalchian | |
|---|---|
Dastmalchian in 2026 | |
| Born | July 21, 1975 Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Education | DePaul University (BFA) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Spouse |
Evelyn Leigh (m. 2014) |
| Children | 2 |
Dastmalchian has had supporting roles in numerous superhero films and series, including the feature films The Dark Knight (2008) in his first film role, Ant-Man (2015) and Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) as Kurt, and The Suicide Squad (2021) as Polka-Dot Man, direct-to-video animated superhero films, and the television series Gotham (2017) and The Flash (2017–2021).[2][3] He appeared again in a Christopher Nolan film in Oppenheimer (2023).
Although he is best known for his work as a character actor,[4] Dastmalchian had leading roles in the 2014 semi-autobiographical film Animals, which he also wrote, and the 2023 horror film Late Night with the Devil.
Early life
David Dastmalchian was born on July 21, 1975,[5] in Allentown, Pennsylvania,[6] to Priscilla and Hossein Dastmalchian. His father was an Iranian-American engineer who worked at the engineering firm Black & Veatch while his mother was of Irish, English, Italian and French descent.[7][8][9][10] He has two sisters and a brother. His parents divorced, which he described as "tumultuous", and both later remarried. He was raised in Overland Park, Kansas, where he attended Shawnee Mission South High School from which he graduated in 1994, having been part of the drama club.[11][12] He described growing up in the Kansas City metropolitan area as "very traditional in one sense, and a conservative community that also had a rad, fringe, artistic, progressive tribe of people who were finding connectivity through the arts and the culture of KC and the surrounding suburbs."[13]
In his childhood, Dastmalchian developed vitiligo, for which he suffered ridicule from his peers.[14] Consequently, he experienced depression throughout his childhood. Growing up, he enjoyed football, theater, and comics. He would mow lawns, saving money to buy comics.[2][15][16] He studied at The Theatre School at DePaul University and graduated in 1999.[17][18][19][20] Prior to beginning his career as an actor, he dealt with a heroin addiction for five years. He wrote about his experiences in his screenplay, Animals,[12] and continues to advocate for mental health and substance abuse treatment programs.[21] Shortly after becoming sober, he worked at a seafood restaurant in Kansas City.[15] He was also briefly a fisherman in Alaska.[22]
Career
2008–2014: Early film and television work
Dastmalchian began his professional career in the mid-2000s in Chicago, working on stage and in commercials.[2] He has received acclaim for lead roles in Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie and Sam Shepard's Buried Child at Chicago's Shattered Globe Theatre.[23] He was involved with a number of Chicago theater companies and was an artistic associate at Caffeine Theatre.[24]
His feature film debut came in the late 2000s, as the Joker's deranged henchman, Thomas Schiff, in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. His portrayal of Bob Taylor in Denis Villeneuve's Prisoners[25] received strong reviews. Richard Corliss of Time called Dastmalchian's performance "excellent – chatty, modest with some subtle telltale psychopathy" and The Guardian's Paul MacInnes likened his introduction as a new suspect to Kevin Spacey's entrance in Seven.[26]
In March 2014, Dastmalchian was awarded the Special Jury Prize for Courage in Storytelling at the South by Southwest Film Festival. He wrote and starred in the feature film Animals, directed by Collin Schiffli. Ashley Moreno of The Austin Chronicle credits Dastmalchian's screenplay with "present[ing] an authenticity often lacking in films about drug abuse."[27] Film Threat's Brian Tallerico similarly sings the praises of Dastmalchian's breakout performance, noting his ability to "capture that sense of self-loathing that comes through in the body language of an addict without overselling it".[28]
Other feature film appearances include starring roles in the psychological thriller The Employer,[29] the indie grindhouse hit Sushi Girl, the drama Cass (winner, San Diego Black Film Festival), Girls Will Be Girls 2012 (a sequel to the 2003 cult hit Girls Will Be Girls), Saving Lincoln, and Virgin Alexander.
He has also appeared on television: as Simon on the Fox sci-fi series Almost Human, in the episode "Simon Says"; as a chess expert and murder suspect on the CBS forensics procedural drama series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation; and as Oz Turner on the BBC drama series Intruders.
Other television appearances include the FX sitcom The League, the Showtime crime drama series Ray Donovan, and NBC's medical drama ER. He portrayed DC Comics villain Abra Kadabra in seasons 3 and 7 of The Flash.[30]
2015–2022: Ant-Man, The Suicide Squad, and Dune
In 2015 Dastmalchian appeared in Ant-Man as Kurt and in Michel Franco's Chronic.
He continued to appear in television: in an eleven-episode arc as Murdoc, the nemesis of the title character in MacGyver; and as Dwight Pollard in the second season of the TV series Gotham.
In 2017, Dastmalchian had a small role in Blade Runner 2049, also directed by Denis Villeneuve. The following year, Dastmalchian once again portrayed Kurt in Ant-Man and the Wasp, the sequel to Ant-Man.[31] In 2021, he portrayed Polka-Dot Man in The Suicide Squad,[32] a character with whom he said he connected on a personal level due to the childhood bullying he suffered as a result of his vitiligo.[14] Later that same year, he appeared in his third collaboration with Villeneuve when he portrayed Piter De Vries in Dune.[33]
2023–present: Late Night with the Devil, Murderbot, and One Piece
In 2023, Dastmalchian starred in the horror films Late Night with the Devil and The Boogeyman, as well as The Last Voyage of the Demeter. Also in 2023, he had a minor role as William L. Borden in Christopher Nolan's biopic epic Oppenheimer. On March 13, 2025, it was revealed that Dastmalchian had been cast in the upcoming Dexter series sequel Dexter: Resurrection by Showtime coming later that summer in a guest starring role as Gareth.
In 2025 he played Gurathin, one of the main characters in the Apple TV+ series Murderbot. He also appeared in the Bryan Fuller film Dust Bunny.
In October of that year, Dastmalchian expressed an interest in playing Morbius the Living Vampire in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.[34] In the same interview, he stated that he would like to play either Solomon Grundy or Dr. Jonathan Crane in the DCU.
In 2026, he appeared as Mr. 3 in the second season of the Netflix series One Piece, a live-action adaptation of the anime series of the same name;[35] he was introduced to the franchise by his son through the original manga and had watched the live-action series before being approached for the role.[36]
Other work
In addition to his acting career, Dastmalchian is a comic book writer. In 2019, he debuted his Dark Horse Comics series Count Crowley, illustrated by Lukas Ketner.[37] He made his video game voice acting debut with the VR game Batman: Arkham Shadow, where he voiced Vic Sage / The Question.[38] Since April 2024, he has also hosted the talk show Grave Conversations, where he and other celebrities lie in caskets while discussing topics of morality and death.[39][40]
Personal life
Graphic novels
Dastmalchian has written multiple graphic novels for different publishing houses including:
Darkhorse Comics:
- Count Crowley
- Headless Horseman Halloween Annual (2023)[49]
- Headless Horseman Halloween Annual (2024)[50]
Image Comics:
- Knights Vs. Samurai[51]
DC Comics:
Marvel Comics:
Monstrous Books:
Z2 Comics:
Panick Entertainment:
Filmography
Film
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | ER | Young Man | Episode: "Heal Thyself" |
| 2012 | The League | Morgue Worker | Episode: "Judge MacArthur" |
| 2013 | Ray Donovan | English Teacher | Episode: "Black Cadillac" |
| 2014 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Lee Crosby | Episode: "Killer Moves" |
| Almost Human | Simon | Episode: "Simon Says" | |
| Intruders | Oz Turner | Episode: "She Was Provisional" | |
| 2015 | CSI: Cyber | Logan Reeves | Episode: "Family Secrets" |
| 2016 | 12 Monkeys | Kyle Slade | 2 episodes |
| 2016–21 | MacGyver | Murdoc | 11 episodes |
| 2017 | Gotham | Dwight Pollard | 2 episodes, "Ghosts" and "Smile Like You Mean It" |
| Twin Peaks | Pit Boss Warrick | 3 episodes[75] | |
| Svengoolie | Himself | 2 episodes | |
| 2017, 2021 | The Flash | Abra Kadabra | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | Reprisal | Johnson | Main role, 9 episodes |
| 2021 | What If...? | Kurt (voice) | Episode: "What If... Zombies?!" |
| 2022 | The Boulet Brothers' Dragula: Titans | Himself | Guest judge, episode: "Science-Fiction (Horror) Double Feature" |
| 2023 | Miracle Workers | Ugulus Sleeze | Episode: "H.O.A" |
| The Boulet Brothers' Dragula | Himself | Guest judge, episode: "Pleasure Planet X" | |
| 2024 | The Rookie | Ray Watkins | Episodes: "The Vow" and "Secrets and Lies" |
| 2025 | Dexter: Resurrection | Gareth Pike / The Gemini Killer | Guest Star, 3 episodes: "Call Me Red", "Cats and Mouse", & "Course Correction" |
| Murderbot | Gurathin | 10 episodes[76] | |
| The Boulet Brothers' Dragula: Titans | Himself | Guest judge, episode: "Halloween House Party, Part II" | |
| The Creep Tapes | Joseph | Guest Star, 1 episode: "Joseph" | |
| 2026 | One Piece | Mr. 3 | 2 episodes |
Video game
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Batman: Arkham Shadow | Vic Sage | [77] |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Role | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | "Constant Conversations" | Passion Pit | |
| 2015 | "Everyone's Summer of '95" | Iron & Wine | |
| 2018 | "Catch It" | Iceage | |
| "Dark Speed" | Failure | ||
| "GALAKTIKON: Nightmare" | Triton | Brendon Small | |
| 2019 | "Steve Jobs" | Xia Xia Technique | |
| 2020 | "Obsession" | Puddles Pity Party | |
| "Sword and Shield" | Ken Andrews |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Role | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | To Live As Variously As Possible | Larry Rivers | TimeLine Theatre | Chicago production |
| 2005 | Salome | The Side Project Theatre | ||
| 2007 | Bach at Leipzig | Johann Martin Steindorff, Georg Lenck (u/s) | Writers' Theatre | |
| Othello | Montano | |||
| Suddenly, Last Summer | George Holly | Shattered Globe Theatre | ||
| 2008 | As You Like It | Le Beau | Writers' Theatre | |
| The Glass Menagerie | Tom Wingfield | Shattered Globe Theatre | ||
| 2009 | Buried Child | Vince | ||
| 2010 | Hamlet, Prince of Puddles | Claudius | Bootleg Theater | Los Angeles production |
