Like his Skins co-stars Jack O'Connell and Nicholas Hoult, the rise of 26-year-old Londoner Dev Patel (pictured, above) was inevitable.
Now, nearly a decade since his film debut in director Danny Boyle's award-winning Slumdog Millionaire, he's ready for his next big moment.
The lead in new film Lion (out 20 January), Dev plays Saroo, a young man adopted by an Australian family as a child who uses Google Earth to track down his birthplace in India. From the producers of Shame and The King's Speech, it's a celebration of courage, and a fierce Oscar contender.
So, with a Best Supporting Actor Oscar on the cards, and this month marking a decade since he first launched full throttle into the world of acting in the teen-drama Skins, we thought it only fair to pay tribute Dev Patel. Here are five reasons why he needs to be on your radar…
1) Because we all grew up with an Anwar-from-Skins character
The clownish character of Anwar Kharral injected lightheartedness into the most outlandish and disarmingly raw scenes in the teen-drama Skins.
2) We defy you not to be moved by his performance in Lion
The oscar-nominated actor has definitely moved on to pastures new since Skins. Transported from the streets of Bristol to the streets of Kolkata, India, for his latest role in Lion, starring alongside the utterly adorable mini-him, Sunny Pawar, the pair enacted the biographical story of Saroo Brierley on a quest to find his lost family. This tear-jerker will be your film of the season.
3) Next up, he's writing his own film
The 26-year-old has now embarked upon writing his very own film. The hyper-modern action will be based on 5,000-year-old Hindu mythology and set in Bombay.
4) He's a taekwondo pro
If our love for Dev needed any further justification, here it is: he is a black belt in taekwondo. Of course he is.
5) He was named 2017's Sexiest Man Alive by Ellen DeGeneres
After appearing on the show last month to promote the film Lion – Ellen called him 'The Sexiest Man Alive'. Hey, we're not protesting.
Lion is out nationwide 20 January
