Kal Penn
- Acting
- April 23, 1977 · Montclair, New Jersey, USA
Biography
Kalpen Suresh Modi (born April 23, 1977) is an American actor, author, comedian, and former White House staff member in the Obama administration. He is best known for his role as Kumar Patel in the Harold & Kumar movie franchise. He is also known for his roles as Lawrence Kutner on the television program House, White House staffer Seth Wright on Designated Survivor, Kevin in How I Met Your Mother and Nikhil Ganguli in the film The Namesake (2006). In early 2009, Penn was offered the position of Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs, which he accepted, necessitating his character Lawrence Kutner being written out of the TV series House. In 2020, Penn wrote a memoir called "You Can't Be Serious". While promoting this memoir, Penn announced that he and his boyfriend of 11 years, named Josh, were engaged
Known for
Filmography
- Trust Me, I'm a Doctor · Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, Executive producer
- Celebrity Weakest Link · Self
- The Underdoggs · Ryan Kauffman
- Scott Pilgrim Takes Off · Ventakish (Voice)
- Schoolhouse Rock! 50th Anniversary Singalong · Self
- The Santa Clauses · Simon Choksi
- Smile · Dr. Morgan Desai
- Hot Mess Holiday · Kal Penn
- Untitled Horror Movie · Mark
- Clarice · Shaan Tripathi
- Clarice: Behind the Scenes with Stars and Producers · Self
- Celebrity Wheel of Fortune · Self
- Name That Tune · Self
- Industry · Jay 'Jonah' Atterbury
- Kal Penn Approves This Message · Self
- The Girl in the Woods
- Who Wants to Be a Millionaire · Self
- Mira, Royal Detective · Mikku (Voice)
- Sunnyside · Garrett Modi, Creator
- A Little Late with Lilly Singh · Self
- The Tamron Hall Show · Self
- The Kelly Clarkson Show · Self
- Fancy Nancy · Mr. Singh (Voice)
- The Ashram · Nitin
- The Problem with Apu · Self
- The Layover · Anuj
- Superhuman · Self
- Once Upon a Time in Venice · Rajeesh
- Speech & Debate · James
- Better Off Single · Brice
- Designated Survivor · Seth Wright
- The $100,000 Pyramid · Self
- Match Game · Self
- To Tell the Truth · Self
- The Girl in the Photographs · Peter Hemmings
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
- Emily & Tim · Tim (Segment 2)
- The Sisterhood of Night · Gordy Gambhir
- The Big Picture with Kal Penn · Self
- The Late Late Show with James Corden · Self
- Battle Creek · Detective Fontanelle
- A Prayer for Rain · Motwani
- Deadbeat · Clyde
- Late Night with Seth Meyers · Self
- We Are Men · Gil Bartis
- Dementamania
- Hollywood Game Night · Self
- The Big Brain Theory · Self
- Finding Your Roots · Self
- Impractical Jokers · Self
- A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas · Kumar Patel
- Harold & Kumars Yuletide Jamz · Kumar Patel
- American Horror Story · Mac Marzara
- New Girl · Tripp
- Top Gear
- Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen · Self
- We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial · Self
- Harold & Kumar Go to Amsterdam · Kumar
- Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay · Kumar Patel
- The Big Bang Theory · Kevin Campbell
- The Namesake · Gogol / Nikhil
- Epic Movie · Edward
- Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj · Taj Mahal Badalandabad, Executive producer
- Deck the Halls · Amit Sayid (uncredited)
- Superman Returns · Stanford
- Man About Town · Alan Fineberg
- Bachelor Party Vegas · Z-Bob
- Awesometown · Guy Reading Newspaper
- Sueno · Raj
- How I Met Your Mother · Kevin Venkataraghavan
- A Lot Like Love · Jeeter
- Son of the Mask · Jorge
- The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson · Self
- Dancing in Twilight · Sam
- House · Lawrence Kutner
- Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle · Kumar Patel
- The Soup · Self
- Ball and Chain · Bobby
- Homeland Security · Harrison
- Love Don't Co$t a Thing · Kenneth Warman