Behzad Dabu

Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department alumnus Behzad Dabu ’08, a graduate of the Theatre Department’s Acting Program, “is among the most hated characters in television this fall,” according to an article on Syracuse.com, a digital publication in Dabu’s hometown of Syracuse, New York.

Behzad Dabu and Viola Davis.

As previously reported in this blog, Dabu is featured in a recurring role on the ABC TV series How to Get Away with Murder. Dabu plays Simon Drake, a student of law professor Annalise Keating, who’s played by series star Viola Davis. Dabu is winning fans with his portrayal of the antagonistic character — a guy viewers love to hate. “The hate is flowing,” Dabu told Syracuse.com. “I got to Twitter an hour after the show aired. . . . People really hate this guy, which is I think the point.”

Behzad Dabu (center) in the ABC TV series “How to Get Away with Murder.”

Dabu came to the attention of the series’ producers when he appeared in the Los Angeles production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Disgraced, playing a role he had created in the play’s world premiere at the American Theatre Company in Chicago.