Dev Patel was born in London's Harrow district to Anita, a caregiver, and Raj, who works in IT; originally from Nairobi, Kenya, they are both of Gujarati-Indian descent. His first professional acting job was playing Anwar Kharral for two seasons of the cult hit television series, Skins (2007). His breakout role came soon thereafter, when he was cast as Jamal Malik in Danny Boyle's Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire (2008), for which he received a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor.

Subsequent film projects have included The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011), Chappie (2015), Hotel Mumbai (2018), and The Green Knight (2021). For his portrayal of real-life Australian businessman Saroo Brierley in Lion (2016), Patel was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. His directorial debut came with the critically lauded Monkey Man (2024), in which he also starred.