Dept. Q: Who plays Akram in the Netflix crime thriller? Actor's career and notable projects, explored

The audience is all praise for Netflix's latest Scottish crime series, Dept. Q, which is based on a 10-book series by Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen.

The series stars Matthew Goode as a troubled Detective Carl Morck, who is assigned a team of misfit officers to tackle old and pending cold cases.

While Goode's Carl Morck shines in the show, as he transforms from an arrogant and troubled individual to a brilliant detective who solves Merritt Lingard's missing case, his partner, Akram Salim, delighted the audience equally.

The fans cannot get enough of Akram, who was a revelation in Netflix's latest crime series and stole every scene he was in.

Swedish actor Alexej Manvelov played the character of Akram. Akram Salim is a Syrian immigrant who migrated to the UK with his two daughters after the death of his wife. Manvelov is famously known for playing Garo in HBO's Chernobyl.

More on Akram from Dept. Q in our story.

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Dept. Q star Alexej Manvelov worked in the construction industry before becoming an actor

Interestingly, Alexej Manvelov was not always in the acting industry.

As per Swedish publication Aftonbladet, while Alexej was always interested in acting, he worked in the construction industry for eight years before his dreams were realised. After Alexej moved to Stockholm to pursue acting, he worked as a sheet metal technician for eight years.

The Dept. Q actor also kept auditioning for roles while working in a physically demanding job. His will to act finally paid off, and his acting journey began in the theatre.

He starred in many Swedish thriller series, including Before We Die, where he played the role of Davor, a Croatian gang leader. He also starred in Stockholm Requiem, Jordskott, and Occupied.

After starring in a bunch of Swedish productions, Alexej finally had his breakthrough role in HBO's Chernobyl, where he played the character of Garo.

He later starred as Alexei Petrov in Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, The Contractor, and Top Dog, before starring as Akram in Netflix's latest series.

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Alexej Manvelov's Akram is a silent killer in Dept. Q

While Alexej Manvelov's Akram Salim starts as the silent one in Dept. Q, his relentless pursuit of truth and efforts to find Merritt Lingard made him a fan-favorite character.

While creator Scott Frank revealed only bits and pieces about Akram's tragic backstory in Syria, it only made his character more intriguing, and fans are excited to learn more about the character in Dept. Q's upcoming seasons.

Talking to Netflix's Tudum, Manvelov's co-star Matthew Goode praised the actor:

"Scott Frank assembled one of the finest casts I’ve ever gotten to work with. It’s just an incredible playpen for an actor...Alexej [Manvelov] is joy, pure joy, capital J.''

While Akram was deemed the silent one, there were moments in the show that proved that his character is just as dark and troubled as Morck's, but as he said, he does not let that darkness take control of him.

He was tough when the situation demanded him to be and proved his skills in the series finale, when he pretended to be dead and stabbed and eventually shot Lyle dead, saving Merritt Lingard with Carl.

Discussing his character on the show's press release, Manvelov said:

''When I read about him [Akram], I was just delighted by all the layers and um what the whole spectra of this character is just amazing. And the backstory that we came up with is very intricate, it's very dramatic.''

Catch Alexej Manvelov as Akram in Dept. Q on Netflix now.

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Also Read: ''A certain degree of laziness'': Dept. Q author reveals how he based his protagonist, Carl Morck, on some of his own characteristics