Kal Penn

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Born

1977-04-23

Place of Birth

Montclair, New Jersey, USA

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

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Acting History

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