Education
Originally from Kansas, he studied at The Theatre School at DePaul University.
Originally from Kansas, he studied at The Theatre School at DePaul University.
In Chicago, he received acclaim for lead roles in Tennessee Williams" The Glass Menagerie and Sam Shepard"s Buried Child. Dastmalchian"s feature film debut came in the late 2000s, as the Joker’s deranged henchman, Thomas Schiff, in Christopher Nolan"s movie The Dark Knight. His turn as Bob Taylor in Denis Villeneuve"s Prisoners 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.
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 an authenticity often lacking in films about drug abuse." 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 lieutenant"
Dastmalchian appeared in Michel Franco"s Chronic alongside Tim Roth.
He has been on television as Simon on the Fox sci-fi series Almost Human episode "Simon Says", as a chess expert and murder suspect on Computer Society of India: Crime Scene Investigation and as Oz Turner on the new British Broadcasting Corporation series Intruders. Other television appearances include the Forex comedy The League, the new Showtime series Ray Donovan, and National Broadcasting Company"s long-standing medical drama Emergency.