Kunal Nayyar
{{short description|British actor (born 1981)}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Kunal Nayyar
| image = Kunal Nayyar at Berlinale 2024.jpg
| caption = Nayyar in 2024
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1981|4|30}}
| birth_place = London, England
| education = St. Columba's School
| alma_mater = {{Plainlist|
}}
| occupation = Actor
| years_active = 2004–present
| spouse = {{marriage|Neha Kapur|2011}}
}}
Kunal Nayyar ({{IPAc-en|k|ʊ|ˈ|n|ɑː|l|_|ˈ|n|aɪ|.|ər|}},{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bYNIY7m03w&t=32s |title= 'The Big Bang Theory' Cast Together For One Final Time|date=17 May 2019|access-date=22 January 2024|time=0:32 |author=The Late Show with Stephen Colbert|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}} {{respell|kuu|NAHL|_|NY|ər}}; born 30 April 1981) is a British-born Indian actor based in the United States.{{cite magazine|date=19 June 2016|url= https://www.broadway.com/buzz/185230/big-bang-theorys-kunal-nayyar-on-becoming-buddies-with-co-star-jesse-eisenberg-in-londons-the-spoils/|title= Big Bang Theory's Kunal Nayyar on Becoming Buddies with Co-Star Jesse Eisenberg in London's The Spoils|magazine=Broadway Buzz|access-date=22 December 2023|first=Matt|last=Wolf}} He gained recognition with his portrayal of the Indian character Raj Koothrappali on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory (2007–2019) and voiced Vijay on the Nickelodeon animated sitcom Sanjay and Craig (2013–2016). He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 2021 British Academy Television Awards for his role in Criminal: UK.
Forbes listed him as the world's third-highest-paid television actor in 2015 and 2018, with earnings of US$20 million and US$23.5 million, respectively.{{cite magazine|url=https://www3.forbes.com/business/the-worlds-highest-paid-tv-actors-2015/12/|title=The World's Highest-Paid TV Actors|magazine=Forbes|access-date=3 February 2020|first=Maggie|last=McGarth|archive-date=19 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319223831/http://www3.forbes.com/business/the-worlds-highest-paid-tv-actors-2015/12/|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/natalierobehmed/2018/10/24/highest-paid-tv-actors-2018-jim-parsons-leads-with-26-5-million/|title=Highest-Paid TV Actors 2018|magazine=Forbes|access-date=21 March 2019|first=Natalie|last=Robehmed|archive-date=2 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802113835/https://www.forbes.com/sites/natalierobehmed/2018/10/24/highest-paid-tv-actors-2018-jim-parsons-leads-with-26-5-million/|url-status=live}} His current net worth is estimated to be $45 million.{{Cite web |title=Kunal Nayyar - Latest News, Updates, Photos and Videos |url=https://www.yahoo.com/topics/kunal-nayyar/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240207031516/https://www.yahoo.com/topics/kunal-nayyar/ |archive-date=7 February 2024 |access-date=2024-02-07 |website=Yahoo}}
The asteroid 8627 Kunalnayyar is named after him.{{Cite web |title=IAU Minor Planet Center |url=https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=8627 |access-date=2024-10-11 |website=www.minorplanetcenter.net}}
Early life
Nayyar was born on 30 April, 1981 in the Hammersmith district of West London, to Indian immigrants.{{Cite web|url=https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=NShO606NpdTIkwEMm2DViQ&scan=1|title=Index entry|accessdate=18 January 2022|work=FreeBMD|publisher=ONS|archive-date=18 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220118143156/https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=NShO606NpdTIkwEMm2DViQ&scan=1|url-status=live}}{{Cite web |last=Mike Rose |first=cleveland com |date=2024-04-30 |title=Famous birthdays list for today, April 30, 2024 includes celebrities Kirsten Dunst, Ana de Armas |url=https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2024/04/famous-birthdays-list-for-today-april-30-2024-includes-celebrities-kirsten-dunst-ana-de-armas.html |access-date=2024-06-01 |website=cleveland}} When he was three years old, his family returned to India and he grew up in New Delhi, where his parents live.{{cite news|last=Kapoor|first=Kritika|title=I'd rather do social movies: Kunal Nayyar|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report_i-d-rather-do-social-movies-kunal-nayyar_1400993|access-date=21 October 2011|newspaper=Daily News and Analysis|date=25 June 2010|archive-date=23 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120923013018/http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report_i-d-rather-do-social-movies-kunal-nayyar_1400993|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Ahmed|first=Sana|title=Going places|url=http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/06/28/stories/2008062850570400.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005020234/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/06/28/stories/2008062850570400.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 October 2013|access-date=21 October 2011|newspaper=The Hindu|date=28 June 2008}} He attended St. Columba's School in Gole Market, where he played badminton for the school team.{{Cite web|title=25 Fun Facts About Kunal Nayyar {{!}} The Big Bang Theory|url=https://www.thefactsite.com/kunal-nayyar-facts/|date=8 March 2012|website=The Fact Site|access-date=19 May 2020|archive-date=25 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025112524/https://www.thefactsite.com/kunal-nayyar-facts/|url-status=live}}{{cite news |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/television/salman-khan-has-done-such-amazing-things-for-our-industry-kunal-nayyar/article1-1134835.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518125610/http://www.hindustantimes.com/television/salman-khan-has-done-such-amazing-things-for-our-industry-kunal-nayyar/article1-1134835.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 May 2015 |first=Prashant |last=Singh |title=Salman Khan has done such amazing things for our industry: Kunal Nayyar |work=Hindustan Times |date=14 October 2013 |access-date=5 January 2021 }}
In 1999, Nayyar moved to the United States to pursue a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance at the University of Portland in Oregon.[http://www.backstage.com/news/successful-actors-talk-about-their-training Successful Actors Talk About Their Training] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111171926/http://www.backstage.com/news/successful-actors-talk-about-their-training/ |date=11 November 2012 }}. backstage.com. Retrieved on 17 November 2012. He started taking acting classes and appeared in several school plays while working on his degree.{{cite book |title= Yes, My Accent Is Real: And Some Other Things I Haven't Told You |first= Kunal |last= Nayyar |date= 2015 |publisher= Atria Books |isbn= 978-1476761824 }}
After participating in the American College Theater Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Nayyar decided to become an actor. He then attended Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he received his Master of Fine Arts degree in Acting.{{cite news|url=http://inhome.rediff.com/movies/2007/nov/19look.htm|title=Making it as a nerd|access-date=21 October 2011|newspaper=Rediff|date=19 November 2007|archive-date=21 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120621213617/http://inhome.rediff.com/movies/2007/nov/19look.htm|url-status=live}}
Career
File:Kunal Nayyar.png in 2008]]
After graduating, Nayyar found work doing American television ads and plays on the London stage.{{cite news|last=Sahgal|first=Natasha|title=Geek God|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/geek-god/517505/1|access-date=21 October 2011|newspaper=Indian Express|date=16 September 2009|archive-date=2 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220302112448/https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/geek-god/|url-status=live}} He first gained attention in the US for his role in the West Coast production of Rajiv Joseph's 2006 play Huck & Holden, where he portrayed an Indian exchange student anxious to experience American culture before returning home. In 2006, Nayyar teamed up with Arun Das to write the play Cotton Candy, which premiered in New Delhi to positive reviews.{{cite news|last=Chander|first=Romesh|title=Staging the fluff of dreams|url=http://www.hindu.com/fr/2006/06/16/stories/2006061601800300.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110417090654/http://www.hindu.com/fr/2006/06/16/stories/2006061601800300.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 April 2011|access-date=21 October 2011|newspaper=The Hindu|date=16 June 2006}}
Nayyar made a guest appearance on the CBS drama NCIS in the season four episode "Suspicion", in which he played Youssef Zidan, an Iraqi terrorist.{{cite web |first=Aubry |last=D'Arminio |title=7 NCIS Guests Who Went on to Become Stars (PHOTOS) |date=29 March 2016 |url=http://www.tvinsider.com/gallery/76497/ncis-guest-stars-before-fame-photos/#2 |publisher=tvinsider.com |access-date=5 May 2016 |archive-date=2 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160502020454/http://www.tvinsider.com/gallery/76497/ncis-guest-stars-before-fame-photos/#2 |url-status=live }}
In 2007, Nayyar's agent heard about a role for a scientist in an upcoming CBS pilot and encouraged him to audition for the part. This led to his casting in the sitcom The Big Bang Theory, where he played the role of astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali from its premiere in September 2007 to the show's conclusion in May 2019.{{cite news|last=Banerjee|first=Sudeshna|title=Mr Big Bang|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080707/jsp/entertainment/story_9512204.jsp|access-date=21 October 2011|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=7 July 2008|archive-date=29 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120529002914/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080707/jsp/entertainment/story_9512204.jsp|url-status=dead}}
In 2011, he co-hosted the Tribute to Nerds show with co-star Simon Helberg at the comedy festival Just for Laughs.{{cite news|url=http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/TV/126179733.html |last=Wyatt |first=Nelson |title='Big Bang Theory' stars say most people can relate to being nerds |access-date=21 October 2011 |newspaper=Winnipeg Free Press |date=26 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110914120224/http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/TV/126179733.html |archive-date=14 September 2011 }}
Nayyar voiced Gupta in Ice Age: Continental Drift in 2012. During the same year, he completed the shooting of the film, Dr. Cabbie, produced by Bollywood actor Salman Khan.
In 2013, he produced a documentary called Beyond All Boundaries, which focuses on three individuals and their love for cricket in India: Sudhir bikes across the country to support his team; Prithvi is a young cricket prodigy; and Akshaya is a female cricketer from the Mumbai slums.{{Cite web |title=Kunal Nayyar |url=https://alumni.temple.edu/s/705/alumni/16/interior.aspx?pgid=7705 |access-date=2024-02-07 |website=alumni.temple.edu}}
From 5 May to 29 June 2015, Nayyar performed in an off-Broadway production, The Spoils, written by and starring actor Jesse Eisenberg. Nayyar played Kalyan, a Nepalese student and roommate of the protagonist Ben, played by Eisenberg.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/03/theater/review-the-spoils-stars-jesse-eisenberg-as-narcissist.html?_r=0|last=Brantley|first=Ben|title='Review: 'The Spoils' Stars Jesse Eisenberg as Narcissist|access-date=16 June 2015|newspaper=New York Times|date=2 June 2015|archive-date=5 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171205093142/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/03/theater/review-the-spoils-stars-jesse-eisenberg-as-narcissist.html?_r=0|url-status=live}} The production transferred to London's West End in 2016.
Nayyar published a book about his career journey, titled Yes, My Accent is Real: and Some Other Things I Haven’t Told You, in September 2015.
He voiced another animated movie character named Guy Diamond in DreamWorks' Trolls, released in November 2016.
In 2020, Nayyar played a convicted serial killer named Sandeep on the Netflix UK production Criminal: UK. He appeared in the final episode of Season 2, which was released in August 2020. In the same year, he joined the cast of the thriller TV series Suspicion on Apple TV+, based on the Israeli thriller TV series False Flag, alongside Uma Thurman, Elizabeth Henstridge and Elyes Gabel.{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2020/03/uma-thurman-apple-drama-series-suspicion-israeli-false-flag-remake-1202879240/ |title=Uma Thurman To Headline Apple Drama Series 'Suspicion', Based On Israeli Thriller 'False Flag' |work=Deadline |date=11 March 2020 |access-date=1 September 2021 |archive-date=12 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200312060926/https://deadline.com/2020/03/uma-thurman-apple-drama-series-suspicion-israeli-false-flag-remake-1202879240/ |url-status=live |last1=White|first1=Peter}}
In 2021, he was announced as having been picked to play the title role of A. J. Fikry in the upcoming comedy-drama The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, alongside Lucy Hale and Christina Hendricks, an adaptation of the best-selling novel by Gabrielle Zevin.{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2021/06/kunal-nayyar-lucy-hale-christina-hendricks-to-star-in-the-storied-life-of-a-j-fikry-mister-smith-launching-sales-cannes-market-1234776179/ |title=Kunal Nayyar, Lucy Hale & Christina Hendricks To Star In 'The Storied Life Of A. J. Fikry', Mister Smith Launching Sales – Cannes Market |work=Deadline |author=Diana Lodderhose |date=16 June 2021 |access-date=1 September 2021 |archive-date=1 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901105619/https://deadline.com/2021/06/kunal-nayyar-lucy-hale-christina-hendricks-to-star-in-the-storied-life-of-a-j-fikry-mister-smith-launching-sales-cannes-market-1234776179/ |url-status=live }}
In 2024, Nayyar reunited with Big Bang Theory costar, Melissa Rauch, making a guest appearance on an episode of Night Court.{{Cite web |date=2024-02-06 |title=Everything to Know About Actor Kunal Nayyar |url=https://www.nbc.com/nbc-insider/who-is-kunal-nayyar-night-court |access-date=2024-02-07 |website=NBC Insider Official Site}} Night Court is a revival of the '80s NBC sitcom of the same name.
Personal life
In December 2011, Nayyar married Neha Kapur, a model and Femina Miss India 2006.{{cite web|title=The Talk, CBS|website = YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoR5Xdk7kbs| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022155132/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoR5Xdk7kbs| archive-date=22 October 2013 | url-status=dead|access-date=3 March 2012}} According to the University of Portland, Nayyar and his wife have given scholarships for University of Portland students in Performing & Fine Arts and paid for guest artists at the university.{{Cite web |title=Kunal Nayyar {{!}} University of Portland |url=https://www.up.edu/commencement/honorary-degrees/nayyar.html |access-date=2024-02-07 |website=www.up.edu}}
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ |
| style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;" |
| Year
! Film ! Role ! Director(s) ! Notes |
|---|
| 2004
| S.C.I.E.N.C.E | Pizza Man | Jordan Noce | |
| 2012
| Gupta | Steve Martino & Mike Thurmeier | Voice |
| 2013
| Beyond All Boundaries | Narrator | | |
| rowspan=2 | 2014
| Karim | John Suits | |
| Dr. Cabbie
| Tony | |
| 2015
| Consumed | Serge Negani | |
| 2016
| Trolls | Guy Diamond | Voice |
| 2019
| Dr. Robin Sathi | |
| rowspan=2 | 2020
| Guy Diamond | Voice |
| Think Like a Dog
| Mr. Mills | |
| 2022
| The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry | A.J. Fikry | |
| 2023
|Guy Diamond |Walt Dohrn |
| 2024
| Spaceman | Peter | |
| 2024
|Rupert Brown | | |
| TBA
| | |
=Television=
| class="wikitable" |
| style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;"
! Year ! Series ! Role ! Notes |
| 2007
| NCIS | Youssef Zidan | Episode: "Suspicion" |
| 2007–2019
| Main role |
| 2010
| The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson | Himself | |
| 2013–2016
| Vijay (voice) | Main role |
| 2013–2014
| Sanjay/Neal | Episode: "Ladies Night", "Sexual Healing" |
| rowspan=2 | 2015
| Host | 25–27 February |
| The Mindy Project
| Sendhil | Episode: "While I Was Sleeping" |
| 2016
| Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade | Gupta (cameo/flashback) | TV special |
| rowspan=2 | 2017
| Guy Diamond (voice) | TV special |
| Drop the Mic
| Himself | Episode: "Mayim Bialik vs. Kunal Nayyar / Ashley Tisdale vs. Nick Lachey" |
| 2020
| Sandeep Singh | Episode: "Sandeep" |
| 2021
| Guy Diamond (voice) | TV special |
| 2022
| Aadesh Chopra | Main role |
| 2024
| Martini Toddwallis | Episode: "A Crime of Fashion" |
Theatre
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| rowspan=3 | 2006
| Huck and Holden | Naveen | Dahlia Theater, Los Angeles, United States |
| Love's Labour's Lost
| Other Parts | Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford upon Avon, United Kingdom |
| Love's Labour's Lost
| Other Parts | Shakespeare Theatre Company, Lansburgh Theatre, Washington, DC, United States |
| 2015
| The Spoils | Kalyan | The New Group at The Pershing Square Signature Center, New York, United States |
| 2016
| The Spoils | Kalyan | Trafalgar Studios, London |
Awards
| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year ! Award ! Category ! Title ! Result |
| 2006
| Best Male Lead in a Play on the West Coast | Huck and Holden | {{won}} |
| 2011
| rowspan="7"| Screen Actors Guild Awards | rowspan="7"| Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | rowspan="7"| The Big Bang Theory | {{nom}} |
| 2012
| {{nom}} |
| 2013
| {{nom}} |
| 2014
| {{nom}} |
| 2015
| {{nom}} |
| 2016
| {{nom}} |
| 2017
| {{nom}} |
| 2021
| British Academy Television Awards | {{nom}} |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Kunal Nayyar}}
- {{IMDb name|id=2471798|name=Kunal Nayyar}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nayyar, Kunal}}
Category:British male film actors
Category:British male television actors
Category:British male voice actors
Category:British people of Indian descent
Category:21st-century British male actors
Category:British expatriate male actors in the United States
Category:British expatriate actors in India
Category:Expatriate male actors in India
Category:Male actors from London
Category:People from Hammersmith
Category:Male actors from New Delhi
Category:St. Columba's School, Delhi alumni
Category:Temple University alumni
Category:University of Portland alumni
Category:Actors from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham