Raoul Bhaneja was born in Manchester, United Kingdom but was raised in Bonn, Germany. He studied at Canterbury Arts High School and attended the National Theater School of Canada. At the age of 15, he became a founding member of the Shakespearean street-theater group called A Company of Fools. Moreover, his successful work in theater garnered him several awards such as the Christopher Plummer Artistic Fellowship Award and a Canadian Comedy Award nomination in 2002. Ultimately, he became part of the fantasy-mystery series The Dresden Files as Kirmani. Kirmani is a police officer and Murphy's former partner. Later, he is killed by a loup-garou.