Dev Patel was born on 23 April 1990 in Harrow, the son of Anita, a care worker, and Raju, an IT consultant. His parents are Gujarati Indian Hindus, though they were both born in Nairobi, Kenya, where there is a significant Indian community; they emigrated to England separately in their teens, and first met in London. Patel was raised in the Hindu faith. He speaks some Gujarati. His ancestors hail from Jamnagar and Unjha in Gujarat. He grew up in the Rayners Lane district of Harrow and attended Longfield Primary School and then Whitmore High School. Patel had his first acting role as Sir Andrew Aguecheek in the school's production of "Twelfth Night".