
Kal Penn
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
Gallery



Known For
Acting History
2025
Celebrity Weakest Link as Self - Contestant
2024The Underdoggs as Ryan Kauffman
2023Scott Pilgrim Takes Off as Ventakish (voice)
2023Schoolhouse Rock! 50th Anniversary Singalong as Self
2022The Santa Clauses as Simon Choksi
2022Smile as Dr. Morgan Desai
2021Hot Mess Holiday as Kal Penn
2021Untitled Horror Movie as Mark
2021Clarice as Shaan Tripathi
2021Clarice: Behind the Scenes with Stars and Producers as Self
2021Celebrity Wheel of Fortune as Self - Contestant
2021Name That Tune as Self - Contestant
2020Kal Penn Approves This Message as Self - Host
2020The Girl in the Woods
2020Who Wants to Be a Millionaire as Self - Contestant
2020Mira, Royal Detective as Mikku (voice)
2019Sunnyside as Garrett Modi
2019A Little Late with Lilly Singh as Self
2019The Kelly Clarkson Show as Self
2019The Kelly Clarkson Show as Self - Guest Host
2019Tamron Hall as Self - Guest
2018Fancy Nancy as Mr. Singh (voice)
2018The Ashram as Nitin
2018Lie Detector as Self
2017The Problem with Apu as Self
2017The Layover as Anuj
2017Superhuman as Self - Host
2017Once Upon a Time in Venice as Rajeesh
2017Speech & Debate as James
2016Better Off Single as Brice
2016Designated Survivor as Seth Wright
2016The $100,000 Pyramid as Self
2016Match Game as Self - Panelist
2016To Tell the Truth as Self - Panelist
2015The Girl in the Photographs as Peter Hemmings
2015The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015Emily & Tim as Tim (Segment 2)
2015The Sisterhood of Night as Gordy Gambhir
2015The Big Picture with Kal Penn as Himself - Host
2015The Late Late Show with James Corden as Self - Guest
2015Battle Creek as Detective Fontanelle
2014A Prayer for Rain as Motwani
2014Deadbeat as Clyde
2014Late Night with Seth Meyers as Self
2013We Are Men as Gil Bartis
2013Dementamania
2013Hollywood Game Night as Self
2013The Big Brain Theory as Self - Host
2012Finding Your Roots as Self
2011Impractical Jokers as Self
2011A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas as Kumar Patel
2011Harold & Kumars Yuletide Jamz as Kumar Patel
2011American Horror Story as Mac Marzara
2011New Girl as Tripp
2010Top Gear
2009Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen as Self - Guest
2009We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial as Self
2008Harold & Kumar Go to Amsterdam as Kumar
2008Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay as Kumar Patel
2007The Big Bang Theory as Kevin Campbell
2007Epic Movie as Edward
2006Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj as Taj Mahal Badalandabad
2006Deck the Halls as Amit Sayid (uncredited)
2006The Namesake as Gogol / Nikhil
2006Superman Returns as Stanford
2006Man About Town as Alan Fineberg
2006Bachelor Party Vegas as Z-Bob
2006Awesometown as Guy Reading Newspaper
2005Sueno as Raj
2005How I Met Your Mother as Kevin Venkataraghavan
2005A Lot Like Love as Jeeter
2005Son of the Mask as Jorge
2005The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson as Self
2005Dancing in Twilight as Sam
2004House as Lawrence Kutner
2004Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle as Kumar Patel
2004The Soup as Self
2004Where's the Party Yaar? as Mo
2004Ball and Chain as Bobby
2004Homeland Security as Harrison
2003Love Don't Co$t a Thing as Kenneth Warman
2003Tru Calling as Steven
2003All About the Andersons as Doctor George
2003Malibu's Most Wanted as Hadji
2003Regarding Ardy as Fred
2003Jimmy Kimmel Live! as Self - Guest
2003Cosmopolitan as Vandana's Fiancee
2002National Lampoon's Van Wilder as Taj Mahal Badalandabad
200124 as Ahmed Amar
2001The Agency as Malek
2001American Desi as Ajay Pandya
1999Angel as Young Man in Fez
1999Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Henry Chanoor
1999Freshmen as Ajay
1999Independent Lens as Jagdesh
1999Independent Lens as Vandana's Fiancee
1998Express: Aisle to Glory as Jackie Newton
1997The View as Self - Guest
1997Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Hunt
1996Sabrina, the Teenage Witch as Prajeeb
1996Spin City as Buddy
1996The Daily Show as Self - Guest Host
1994ER as Narajan
1992The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1988LIVE with Kelly and Mark as Self - Guest
1979CBS News Sunday Morning as Self
1969Sesame Street
—Contra as Dale Stone
—Brookfield as Kumar Zimmerman
—Trust Me, I'm a Doctor as Dr. Sandeep Kapoor
—What the F*ck Is My Password?!
—Patel
—Untitled Harold & Kumar Sequel as Kumar Patel








