Rik Makarem (born 18 January, 1982 in Chesterfield, Derbyshire), has been appearing as Nikhil Sharma since September 2009.
Born to an English mother and Lebonese father, Rik has three elder sisters. He is a classically trained actor who graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, and won the Laurence Olivier bursary in 2004 in association with the Society of London Theatre. His theatrical roles include playing Orsino in Twelth Night and Jesus in The Life of Christ.
Following his lead role in TV-phone drama C-JAQ and short film Without Walls in 2006, Rik appeared in TV movie Consent in 2007. Since then his roles have included parts in Torchwood: Children of Earth, Foyle's War and Anton Chekhov's The Duel, before landing the role in Emmerdale.
Rik is keen on martial arts and has gained black belt status in Tae Kwon-Do, and in 2011 he was part of Team Emmerdale, who cycled the 224 miles from the sets of Emmerdale to EastEnders in under 22 hours.
In February 2012, Rik appeared on All Star Family Fortunes.