Utkarsh Ambudkar
{{Short description|American actor and rapper (born 1983)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Utkarsh Ambudkar
| alias = {{flatlist|
- UTK the INC
- UTK
}}
| image = UtkarshAmbudkar.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Ambudkar at the 2022 New York Comic Con
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1983|12|08}}
| birth_place = Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
| education = Wootton High School
| alma_mater = NYU Tisch School of Arts (BFA)
| spouse = {{marriage|Naomi Ambudkar|2019}}{{cite web| url=https://www.distractify.com/p/utkarsh-ambudkar-wife| title=Meet 'Ghosts' Star Utkarsh Ambudkar and His Cute Little Family| first=Allison| last=Degrushe| website=Distractify| date=7 October 2021| access-date=2023-09-27| archive-date=2023-04-25| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425011805/https://www.distractify.com/p/utkarsh-ambudkar-wife| url-status=live}}
| occupation = {{flatlist|
- Actor
- rapper
- singer
}}
| years_active = 2004–present
}}
Utkarsh Ambudkar ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ʊ|t|k|ɑːr|ʃ|_|æ|m|ˈ|b|ʊ|d|k|ɑːr}} {{respell|UUT|karsh|_|am|BUUD|kar}};{{cite web| url=https://headgum.com/lets-talk-about-me-baby| title=Let's Talk About Me, Baby with Utkarsh Ambudkar| website=Webgum| access-date=December 17, 2018| archive-date=December 18, 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181218011007/https://headgum.com/lets-talk-about-me-baby| url-status=dead}} born December 8, 1983),{{Cite web |last=Cartwright |first=Jamie |date=February 24, 2024 |title=Utkarsh Ambudkar shines in diverse roles across Hollywood and music |url=https://www.malangpost.net/utkarsh-ambudkar-shines-in-diverse-roles-across-hollywood-and-music/ |access-date=March 4, 2024 |website=Malang Post News |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=October 17, 2017 |title=Utkarsh Ambudkar |url=https://stellaadler.com/profiles/utkarsh-ambudkar/ |access-date=July 31, 2024 |website=Stella Adler Studio of Acting |language=en-US}} also known by his stage name UTK the INC, is an American actor, rapper, and singer. He is known for his film roles including Pitch Perfect (2012), Game Over, Man! (2018), Blindspotting (2018), Brittany Runs a Marathon (2019), The Broken Hearts Gallery (2020), Free Guy (2021), Tick, Tick... Boom! (2021), and World's Best (2023). His television roles include The Mindy Project, White Famous, Never Have I Ever, Mira, Royal Detective, and Ghosts. He also appeared in the Hulu limited series The Dropout (2022).
He made his Broadway debut in Lin-Manuel Miranda's improvisational hip-hop show Freestyle Love Supreme in 2019.
Early life
Utkarsh Ambudkar was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on December 8, 1983, into an Indian family to a Marathi father and a Tamil mother. He grew up in Gaithersburg, Maryland, where his parents, who had emigrated from India in the 1980s, were research scientists at the National Institutes of Health. He starred in comedy roles at Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville, Maryland, and he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University in 2004.{{cite news |last=Caramanica |first=Jon |date=September 26, 2019 |title=Utkarsh Ambudkar Finally Gets His Broadway Shot in 'Freestyle Love Supreme' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/26/theater/utkarsh-ambudkar-freestyle-love-supreme.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191001164200/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/26/theater/utkarsh-ambudkar-freestyle-love-supreme.html |archive-date=October 1, 2019 |access-date=October 4, 2019 |newspaper=The New York Times}}{{cite news |last1=Marks |first1=Peter |title=How chill can Broadway get? Lin-Manuel Miranda and company throw down some 'Freestyle Love' to find out. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_dance/how-chill-can-broadway-get-lin-manuel-miranda-and-company-throw-down-some-freestyle-love-to-find-out/2019/09/25/053c439c-ddfc-11e9-be96-6adb81821e90_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=September 26, 2019 |access-date=January 16, 2020 |archive-date=October 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191003122804/https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_dance/how-chill-can-broadway-get-lin-manuel-miranda-and-company-throw-down-some-freestyle-love-to-find-out/2019/09/25/053c439c-ddfc-11e9-be96-6adb81821e90_story.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Williams |first1=Elizabeth |title=A Comedy That'll Slay You |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2000/11/16/a-comedy-thatll-slay-you/6b6634f7-0f7b-45dd-b5e9-15f4eb45d9a4/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=November 16, 2000 |access-date=January 16, 2020 |archive-date=August 31, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200831165505/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2000/11/16/a-comedy-thatll-slay-you/6b6634f7-0f7b-45dd-b5e9-15f4eb45d9a4/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Wilcher |first1=Joel |title=An 'Anything' With Everything |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2001/03/29/an-anything-with-everything/891313d9-ae63-40ed-9c31-e6b4ab16af1d/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=March 29, 2001 |access-date=January 16, 2020 |archive-date=August 31, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200831165715/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2001/03/29/an-anything-with-everything/891313d9-ae63-40ed-9c31-e6b4ab16af1d/ |url-status=live }}
Through his mother, Ambudkar is a descendant of the lawyer and jurist Sir Vembakkam Bhashyam Aiyangar.{{cite news |last=Mathai |first=Kamini |title=Utkarsh Ambudkar, rapper who stole the show at Oscars, has a Chennai connection|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/utkarsh-ambudkar-rapper-who-stole-the-show-at-oscars-has-a-chennai-connection/articleshow/74071394.cms |date=February 14, 2020 |access-date=May 28, 2022 |newspaper=The Times of India |location=Mumbai |language=en}}
Career
Ambudkar is a former VJ for MTV Desi. He appeared in the comedy film Pitch Perfect, as the character Donald, and in the television shows The Mindy Project and The Muppets.{{cite web| last1=Peitzman| first1=Louis| title="Pitch Perfect" Breakout Utkarsh Ambudkar Takes On "The Mindy Project"| url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/pitch-perfect-breakout-utkarsh-ambudkar-takes-on| website=BuzzFeed| access-date=7 May 2017| date=8 January 2013| archive-date=21 July 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170721115041/https://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/pitch-perfect-breakout-utkarsh-ambudkar-takes-on| url-status=live}} He was set to star in the Fox series Eat, Pray, Thug,{{cite web| url=https://deadline.com/2015/09/utkarsh-ambudkar-star-heems-eat-pray-thug-fox-comedy-1201555481/| title=Utkarsh Ambudkar To Star In Fox Comedy 'Eat Pray Thug' Inspired By Rapper Heems| author=Andreeva, Nellie| website=Deadline Hollywood| date=28 September 2015| access-date=17 April 2020| archive-date=21 November 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191121201850/https://deadline.com/2015/09/utkarsh-ambudkar-star-heems-eat-pray-thug-fox-comedy-1201555481/| url-status=live}} but the show was not picked up.{{cite web |last=Sodomsky |first=Sam |date=October 20, 2016 |title=Heems' TV Show Is Not Happening |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/69154-heems-tv-show-is-not-happening/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128083226/https://pitchfork.com/news/69154-heems-tv-show-is-not-happening/ |archive-date=January 28, 2020 |access-date=October 4, 2019 |website=Pitchfork}} Ambudkar originated the role of Aaron Burr in the developmental readings of Hamilton.{{Citation| title=Utkarsh Ambudkar and Nisha Ganatra Reveal What Has (and Hasn't) Changed in Hollywood| date=2 February 2019| url=https://open.spotify.com/episode/3BbyMMhFjguVC4koJBwxhW| website=Spotify| access-date=2023-09-27| archive-date=2023-05-27| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230527083511/https://open.spotify.com/episode/3BbyMMhFjguVC4koJBwxhW| url-status=live}} He formerly played Raj on the sitcom Brockmire. He played Jern in the 2019 film Brittany Runs a Marathon.{{cite web |last=N'Duka |first=Amanda |date=November 22, 2017 |title=Jillian Bell To Star In 'Brittany Runs A Marathon'; Michaela Watkins, Utkarsh Ambudkar & Lil Rel Howery Also Cast |url=https://deadline.com/2017/11/jillian-bell-brittany-runs-a-marathon-michaela-watkins-utkarsh-ambudkar-lil-rel-howery-cast-1202204952/ |access-date=April 23, 2018 |website=Deadline Hollywood |archive-date=April 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180422110458/http://deadline.com/2017/11/jillian-bell-brittany-runs-a-marathon-michaela-watkins-utkarsh-ambudkar-lil-rel-howery-cast-1202204952/ |url-status=live }}
He played Skatch, a con artist, in a deleted scene of the 2020 Disney live-action remake of Mulan.{{cite news |last=Ford |first=Rebecca |date=June 6, 2018 |title=Disney Casts 'Mulan' Love Interest (Exclusive) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/mulan-disney-casts-yoson-an-as-love-interest-live-action-movie-1116949 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180606230631/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/mulan-disney-casts-yoson-an-as-love-interest-live-action-movie-1116949 |archive-date=June 6, 2018 |access-date=October 4, 2019 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}} That same year, he appeared in Disney's Godmothered, and then in the 2021 action comedy Free Guy.{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Lillian |date=May 15, 2019 |title=Ryan Reynolds strikes a pose with 'Free Guy' cast as filming ramps up in Boston |url=https://www.boston.com/culture/celebs/2019/05/15/ryan-reynolds-free-guy |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230428154651/https://www.boston.com/culture/celebs/2019/05/15/ryan-reynolds-free-guy/ |archive-date=April 28, 2023 |access-date=September 27, 2023 |newspaper=The Boston Globe}}{{cite press release| url=https://press.disneyplus.com/news/godmothered-starts-production| title=Production Has Begun on New Disney+ Movie "Godmothered| date=January 30, 2019| publisher=Disney| access-date=September 28, 2023| archive-date=September 28, 2023| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230928041846/https://press.disneyplus.com/news/godmothered-starts-production| url-status=live}} In 2020, Ambudkar debuted as the mongoose Chikku in the Disney Junior animated series Mira, Royal Detective. He is currently starring in the CBS supernatural sitcom Ghosts (2021).{{cite web| title=Utkarsh Ambudkar To Star Opposite Rose McIver In CBS Comedy Pilot 'Ghosts'| url=https://deadline.com/2020/07/utkarsh-ambudkar-rose-mciver-cbs-comedy-pilot-ghosts-1202974936/| website=Deadline Hollywood| first=Nellie| last=Andreeva| date=July 1, 2020| access-date=October 28, 2021| archive-date=May 27, 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210527110812/https://deadline.com/2020/07/utkarsh-ambudkar-rose-mciver-cbs-comedy-pilot-ghosts-1202974936/| url-status=live}}
He was a member of the musical group "The Beatards." Since 2005, Ambudkar has been a part of hip-hop improv group Freestyle Love Supreme under the name UTK the INC. As part of the group, he participated in the limited television series for Pivot in 2014{{cite news |last=Zuckerman |first=Esther |date=October 17, 2014 |title=Lin-Manuel Miranda on bringing Freestyle Love Supreme to TV |url=https://ew.com/article/2014/10/17/lin-manuel-miranda-freestyle-love-supreme/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230527083521/https://ew.com/article/2014/10/17/lin-manuel-miranda-freestyle-love-supreme/ |archive-date=May 27, 2023 |access-date=September 27, 2023 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}} and made his Broadway debut in the group's self-titled show on October 2, 2019.{{cite news |last=Peikert |first=Mark |date=June 18, 2019 |title=Lin-Manuel Miranda's Freestyle Love Supreme Coming to Broadway |url=http://www.playbill.com/article/lin-manuel-mirandas-freestyle-love-supreme-coming-to-broadway |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190924011310/http://www.playbill.com/article/lin-manuel-mirandas-freestyle-love-supreme-coming-to-broadway |archive-date=September 24, 2019 |access-date=October 4, 2019 |magazine=Playbill}}
Ambudkar has appeared in several Youtube sketch comedy skits including the comedy groups CollegeHumor and Key & Peele. Ambudkar starred in Force Grey: Giant Hunters (2016) and Force Grey: Lost City of Omu (2017), a Dungeons & Dragons actual play web series with Matthew Mercer as the Dungeon Master, where he played the character Hitch, a rogue with a nefarious past. In 2023, he appeared as a guest player in Critical Role{{'s}} third campaign, also hosted by Mercer, as the sorcerer Bor'Dor.{{Cite episode |title=Somewhere Out There |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22phdGcSO6k |access-date=May 18, 2023 |series=Critical Role |date=May 18, 2023 |series-no=3 |number=59 |time= |archive-date=May 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230519070908/https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1823703983 |url-status=live}}
Personal life
Ambudkar married in 2019, and has three children.
He struggled with alcoholism in the early 2010s. In a 2023 interview, he revealed that he has been sober for eight and a half years. He also stated that his lack of sobriety at the time was why he was replaced as Aaron Burr in Hamilton.{{cite web |last=Rice |first=Lynette |date=June 4, 2023 |title='Ghosts' Star Utkarsh Ambudkar on His Path from Rapper to a TV Series Lead & and the Big Opportunity That Got Away |url=https://deadline.com/2023/06/ghosts-utkarsh-ambudkar-interview-worlds-best-1235398432/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605195212/https://deadline.com/2023/06/ghosts-utkarsh-ambudkar-interview-worlds-best-1235398432/ |archive-date=June 5, 2023 |access-date=June 5, 2023 |website=Deadline Hollywood}}{{cite web |date=June 30, 2023 |title='World's Best' Star Utkarsh Ambudkar on His Tanking Wizards & Resurgent Orioles {{!}} Rich Eisen Show |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-b8w6iMLY4 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704004826/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-b8w6iMLY4 |archive-date=July 4, 2023 |access-date=September 27, 2023 |publisher=ESPN |language=en}} He told The New York Times in 2019: "It was ego, it was being a daily marijuana user, it was partying at night, it was being preoccupied, growing up as a brown person, feeling unattractive, and seeking validation of the opposite sex to sort of fill a hole, my self-worth."
Discography
- The Gold Tusk EP (2006)
- Members Only EP (2012){{cite web |url=http://utktheinc.bandcamp.com/album/members-only-ep |title=Members Only EP by UTK the INC |website=Bandcamp}}
- Vanity (2019)
- Petty (2019)
Filmography
=Film=
=Television=
=Web=
Theatre
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|2064295}}
- {{IOBDB name|36140}}
- {{IBDB name|522987}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ambudkar, Utkarsh}}
Category:21st-century American male actors
Category:21st-century American male rappers
Category:Actual play performers
Category:American male actors of Indian descent
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male stage actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:American male voice actors
Category:American people of Indian descent
Category:American people of Indian Tamil descent
Category:American people of Marathi descent
Category:Male actors from Baltimore