Kal Penn
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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
Known for
Credits
Smile (2022)
as Dr. Morgan Desai
Superman Returns (2006)
as Stanford
Epic Movie (2007)
as Edward
National Lampoon's Van Wilder (2002)
as Taj Mahal Badalandabad
Son of the Mask (2005)
as Jorge
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008)
as Kumar Patel
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)
as Kumar Patel
Love Don't Co$t a Thing (2003)
as Kenneth Warman
Deck the Halls (2006)
as Amit Sayid (uncredited)
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (2011)
as Kumar Patel
Sueno (2005)
as Raj
Once Upon a Time in Venice (2017)
as Rajeesh
The Layover (2017)
as Anuj
Malibu's Most Wanted (2003)
as Hadji
A Lot Like Love (2005)
as Jeeter
The Underdoggs (2024)
as Ryan Kauffman
Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj (2006)
as Taj Mahal Badalandabad
American Desi (2001)
as Ajay Pandya
Emily & Tim (2015)
as Tim (Segment 2)
Trust Me, I'm a Doctor (2026)
as Dr. Sandeep Kapoor
Hot Mess Holiday (2021)
as Kal Penn
Awesometown (2006)
as Guy Reading Newspaper
The Girl in the Photographs (2015)
as Peter Hemmings
Freshmen (1999)
as Ajay
Regarding Ardy (2003)
as Fred
The Decline of F*cking Western Civilization (—)
Actor
The Namesake (2007)
as Gogol / Nikhil
Man About Town (2006)
as Alan Fineberg
Bachelor Party Vegas (2006)
as Z-Bob
Ball and Chain (2004)
as Bobby
Cosmopolitan (2003)
as Vandana's Fiancee
The Ashram (2018)
as Nitin
Where's the Party Yaar? (2003)
as Mo
We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial (2009)
as Self
Untitled Horror Movie (2021)
as Mark
Speech & Debate (2017)
as James
The Sisterhood of Night (2015)
as Gordy Gambhir
Harold & Kumars Yuletide Jamz (2011)
as Kumar Patel
Harold & Kumar Go to Amsterdam (2008)
as Kumar
Clarice: Behind the Scenes with Stars and Producers (2021)
as Self
A Prayer for Rain (2014)
as Motwani
The Problem with Apu (2017)
as Self
Schoolhouse Rock! 50th Anniversary Singalong (2023)
as Self
Better Off Single (2016)
as Brice
Brookfield (—)
as Kumar Zimmerman
The Girl in the Woods (2020)
Actor
What the F*ck Is My Password?! (—)
Actor
Homeland Security (2004)
as Harrison
Express: Aisle to Glory (1998)
as Jackie Newton
Untitled Harold & Kumar Sequel (—)
as Kumar Patel
Contra (—)
as Dale Stone
Dementamania (2013)
Actor
Patel (—)
Actor
Dancing in Twilight (2005)
as Sam