DAVID DASTMALCHIAN

The character actor racking up blockbuster roles in movies like Dune

- Tara Bennett

BIODATA

From Overland Park, Kansas.

Greatest Hits Thomas Schiff in The Dark Knight; cult leader Dwight Pollard in Gotham; hacker Kurt in Ant-Man, Abra Kadabra in The Flash; pit boss Warwick in Twin Peaks: The Return.

Random Fact Dastmalchian is currently working on the script for his first horror feature. Called Hide Your Eyes, it will “wrestle with addiction and mental illness”.

Two decades into his acting career, it’s safe to say David Dastmalchian is hitting his stride. A theatre grad from Chicago, he’s done a bit of everything to reach the position he’s in, where he’s sought out by directors like Denis Villeneuve, Peyton Reed and David Lynch. To get here, he’s overcome drug addiction (19 years sober), while doing the work to make sure every role he landed was at least memorable. This year, he appears in a slate of projects, including Dune and The Suicide Squad, which reflect his deep love for genre and fantastical storytelling.

As an actor, you’ve done your share of bit parts and odd jobs. What did landing a role as a henchman in The Dark Knight do for your career?