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
Filmography
Smile
as Dr. Morgan Desai 2022
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
as Kumar Patel 2004
Son of the Mask
as Jorge 2005
National Lampoon's Van Wilder
as Taj Mahal Badalandabad 2002
Epic Movie
as Edward 2007
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
as Kumar Patel 2008
A Lot Like Love
as Jeeter 2005
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas
as Kumar Patel 2011
Deck the Halls
as Amit Sayid (uncredited) 2006
The Layover
as Anuj 2017
Once Upon a Time in Venice
as Rajeesh 2017
Love Don't Co$t a Thing
as Kenneth Warman 2003
Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj
as Taj Mahal Badalandabad 2006
Malibu's Most Wanted
as Hadji 2003
The Underdoggs
as Ryan Kauffman 2024
The Namesake
as Gogol / Nikhil 2006