David Dastmalchian | |
|---|---|
 Dastmalchian in 2023 | |
| Born | (1975-07-21)July 21, 1975 (age 49) Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Education | DePaul University (BFA) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2002–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
David Dastmalchian (/dəstˈmɑːltʃən/dəst-MAHL-chən;[1] born July 21, 1975) is an American actor, writer, and producer. He has had supporting roles in a number ofsuperhero franchises: he portrayed Thomas Schiff inThe Dark Knight (2008),Kurt and Veb in theAnt-Man franchise,Abra Kadabra inthe CW'sThe Flash, andPolka-Dot Man inThe Suicide Squad (2021).[2][3]
Dastmalchian has appeared in three films directed byDenis Villeneuve:Prisoners (2013),Blade Runner 2049 (2017), andDune (2021). Although he is best known for his work as acharacter actor, Dastmalchian had leading roles in the 2014 semi-autobiographical filmAnimals, which he wrote, and the 2023 horror filmLate Night with the Devil, which he produced. He is also set to portrayMr. 3 in theNetflix seriesOne Piece, and he will have aguest appearance on the upcomingDexter: Resurrection revival series.
David Dastmalchian was born on July 21, 1975,[4][5] inAllentown, Pennsylvania,[5] to Priscilla and Hossein Dastmalchian. His father was anIranian-American engineer who worked at the engineering firmBlack & Veatch.[6][7][8] He has two sisters and a brother. His parents divorced, which he described as "tumultuous", and both later remarried. He was raised inOverland Park,Kansas, where he attendedShawnee Mission South High School from which he graduated in 1994, having been part of the drama club.[9][10] 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."[11]
In his childhood, Dastmalchian developedvitiligo, for which he suffered ridicule from his peers.[12] 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][13][14] He studied atThe Theatre School at DePaul University and graduated in 1999.[15][16][17][18] 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,[10] and continues to advocate for mental health and substance abuse treatment programs.[19] Shortly after becoming sober, he worked at a seafood restaurant in Kansas City.[13] He was also briefly a fisherman inAlaska.[20]
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 inTennessee Williams'sThe Glass Menagerie andSam Shepard'sBuried Child at Chicago's Shattered Globe Theatre.[21] He was involved with a number of Chicago theater companies and was an artistic associate at Caffeine Theatre.[22]
His feature film debut came in the late 2000s, as theJoker's deranged henchman, Thomas Schiff, inChristopher Nolan'sThe Dark Knight. His portrayal of Bob Taylor in Denis Villeneuve'sPrisoners[23] received strong reviews. Richard Corliss ofTime called Dastmalchian's performance "excellent – chatty, modest with some subtle telltale psychopathy" andThe Guardian's Paul MacInnes likened his introduction as a new suspect toKevin Spacey's entrance inSeven.[24]
In March 2014, Dastmalchian was awarded the Special Jury Prize for Courage in Storytelling at theSouth by Southwest Film Festival. He wrote and starred in the feature filmAnimals, directed by Collin Schiffli. Ashley Moreno ofThe Austin Chronicle credits Dastmalchian's screenplay with "present[ing] an authenticity often lacking in films about drug abuse."[25]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."[26]
Other feature film appearances include starring roles in the psychological thrillerThe Employer,[27] the indie grindhouse hitSushi Girl, the dramaCass (winner,San Diego Black Film Festival),Girls Will Be Girls 2012 (a sequel to the 2003 cult hitGirls Will Be Girls),Saving Lincoln,Virgin Alexander,Ant-Man, and Michel Franco'sChronic.
He has also appeared on television: in an eleven-episode arc as Murdoc, the nemesis of the title character inMacGyver; as Simon on theFox sci-fi seriesAlmost Human, in the episode "Simon Says"; as a chess expert and murder suspect on theCBS forensics procedural drama seriesCSI: Crime Scene Investigation; and as Oz Turner on theBBC drama seriesIntruders. Other television appearances include theFX sitcomThe League, theShowtime crime drama seriesRay Donovan, andNBC's medical dramaER.
Dastmalchian has appeared in severalDC Studios television shows; he portrayed DC Comics villainAbra Kadabra in seasons 3 and 7 ofThe Flash[28] and Dwight Pollard in the second season of the TV seriesGotham.
In 2017, Dastmalchian had a small role inBlade Runner 2049, also directed by Denis Villeneuve. The following year, Dastmalchian once again portrayedKurt inAnt-Man and the Wasp, the sequel toAnt-Man.[29] In 2021, he portrayedPolka-Dot Man inThe Suicide Squad,[30] 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.[12] Later that same year, he appeared in his third collaboration with Villeneuve when he portrayedPiter De Vries inDune.[31] In 2023, Dastmalchian starred in the horror filmsLate Night with the Devil andThe Boogeyman, as well asThe Last Voyage of the Demeter. Also in 2023, he had a minor role asWilliam L. Borden inChristopher Nolan's biopic epicOppenheimer. He is set to appear asMr. 3 in the second season of theNetflix seriesOne Piece, alive-action adaptation of theanime series of the same name.[32] In 13th of March 2025 it was revealed that Dastmalchian has been cast in the upcomingDexter (TV series) sequelDexter: Resurrection byShowtime (TV network) coming in 2025 summer as a guest starring role Gareth.
In addition to his acting career, Dastmalchian is a comic book writer. In 2019, he debuted hisDark Horse Comics seriesCount Crowley, illustrated by Lukas Ketner.[33] He made his video game voice acting debut with theVR gameBatman: Arkham Shadow, where he voicedVic Sage / The Question.[34]
Dastmalchian married artist Evelyn "Eve" Leigh[35] in 2014. They live inLos Angeles[36] with their two children.[2][22][37]
| † | Denotes productions that have not yet been released |
| 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[46] | |
| 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 | One Piece | Mr. 3 | Season 2; filming |
| 2025 | Dexter: Resurrection | Gareth | Filming |
| TBA | Murderbot | Gurathin | Filming |
| 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 |
| 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 |
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