| Birth Name: | Rishi Kumar Nair |
| Birth Date: | 22 January 1991 |
| Birth Place: | Ealing, London, England |
| Years Active: | 2013–present |
Rishi Kumar Nair (born 22 January 1991) is an English actor. On television, he is known for his role in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks (2017–2021) and the ITVX comedy Count Abdulla (2023). He has joined the cast of the ITV detective drama Grantchester (2024) for its ninth series.
Nair was born in the West London Borough of Ealing.[1]
Nair made his television debut in 2015 with appearances episodes of the BBC One police procedurals Silent Witness and New Tricks. He also had stage roles in The Jungle Book at the Emporium Theatre in Brighton,[2] The Sawyer Studies at the Etcetera Theatre in London,[3] and Bring on the Bollywood at Belgrade Theatre in Coventry.[4] He appeared in the independent films I'm Still Here (2013), The Forbidden Note (2016), and Retribution (2017).
Also in 2017, Nair joined the cast of the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks as lawyer Sami Maalik, a new member of the Maalik family, making his debut in September 2017.[5] [6] For his performance, Nair was shortlisted for Best Newcomer at the 2018 Inside Soap Awards. He exited the soap at the end of 2021 after four years.[7]
After leaving Hollyoaks, Nair appeared in the 2022 comedy film Brian and Charles[8] and had guest roles in the Acorn TV crime drama Whitstable Pearl and the Netflix series Treason. In 2023, Nair played Maajid in the ITVX vampire sitcom Count Abdulla.[9] In July 2023, it was announced Nair would join the cast of the ITV detective drama Grantchester for its ninth series[10] as vicar Alphy Kottaram, replacing the outgoing Tom Brittney (who plays Reverend Will Davenport) in the main ensemble.[11]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | I'm Still Here | Visitor | |
| 2016 | The Forbidden Note | Ali | |
| 2017 | Retribution | Rohit | |
| 2022 | Brian and Charles | Stephen Alderton | |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Silent Witness | Dean's Heavy | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | New Tricks | AJ Da Silva | Episode: "Prodigal Sons" |
| 2017–2021 | Hollyoaks | Sami Maalik | 256 episodes |
| 2020 | The Duchess | Receptionist | 1 episode |
| 2022 | Whitstable Pearl | Adnan | Episode: "To Those We Love" |
| 2022 | Treason | Met Officer | 1 episode |
| 2023 | Count Abdulla | Maajid | 5 episodes |
| 2024 | Grantchester | Alphy Kotteram | Main role |
| TBA | The Marlow Murder Club | Shamil Malik | |
| TBA | Romeo Hotel Eleven | Jaye | |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | The Jungle Book | Shere Khan | Emporium Theatre, Brighton |
| 2015 | The Sawyer Studies | Connor | Etcetera Theatre, London |
| 2016 | Bring on the Bollywood | Amit | Belgrade Theatre, Coventry |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | scope=col class=unsortable | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Inside Soap Awards | Best Newcomer | Hollyoaks | [12] | ||
| 2019 | Inside Soap Awards | Best Actor | Hollyoaks | [13] | ||
| 2020 | 25th National Television Awards | Serial Drama Performance | Hollyoaks | [14] |