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Annet Mahendru

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Annet Mahendru
Born
Anita Devi Mahendru

(1985-11-05) November 5, 1985 (age 39)
Kabul, DR Afghanistan
NationalityAmerican
OccupationActress
Years active2006–present
SpouseLouie Gibson
Children1
WebsiteAnnet Mahendru

Anita Devi "Annet" Mahendru[1] (born November 5, 1985) is an American actress.[2][3][4] She is known for playing Nina Sergeevna Krilova on the FX period drama series The Americans (2013–2016),[5] for which she garnered a nomination for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2014 and as Jennifer "Huck" Mallick in the AMC series The Walking Dead: World Beyond in 2020.

Early life and education

Mahendru was born on November 5, 1985,[6] in Kabul, then in the DR Afghanistan. Her mother, Olga, is Russian, and her father, Ghanshan "Ken" Mahendru,[1] is a Punjabi Hindu[4][7] Indian educator and journalist with roots from Delhi, did his studies from Kabul University and later met her mother in Russia where he was working. The Mahendru family had moved to Afghanistan where her grandfather had a sweets business in Kabul and her grandmother originally hailed from Nepal.[3][5][1][8] She had what she calls a "gypsy" childhood, spending her first seven years of her childhood between Afghanistan and Saint Petersburg.[9] She then lived with her mother at Saint Petersburg[3] and regularly travelled between there and Frankfurt, before moving with her father to East Meadow, New York, at age 13, after her parents separated.[10]

Mahendru attended East Meadow High School, where she was active in competitive cheerleading and kick line teams; she graduated in 2004.[1][11] She went on to earn an English degree from St. John's University in New York City.[3]

Mahendru grew up speaking Persian, Russian, German, English,[5][7] and also speaks conversational Hindi and French.[12][13] She also uses Dari to speak with her relatives.[3] She initially wanted to use what she has called her "ethnic ambiguity" to work for the United Nations.[14] She was enrolled at New York University for a master's degree in international relations as she wanted to work for the women in Afghanistan, but dropped out to pursue acting.[15][10] She then moved to Los Angeles and studied improv at The Groundlings.[10]

Career

Mahendru began her acting career in 2006, appearing in an episode of the sitcom Love Monkey, an episode of the drama Conviction, a Law & Order spinoff[which?], and the short film "The Art of Love". The following year, she appeared in an episode of the HBO comedy-drama Entourage. Her next significant roles came in 2011, in episodes of the sitcoms Big Time Rush and 2 Broke Girls. In 2012, she starred in an episode of the sitcom Mike & Molly.

In 2013, Mahendru began playing the recurring character Nina Sergeevna Krilova on the FX drama The Americans,[16] appeared in an episode of the crime series White Collar, and played Agent Rosen in two episodes of the crime drama The Blacklist. She also starred in her first film, the fantasy horror Escape from Tomorrow, which drew attention because most of it was filmed on location at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland without permission from The Walt Disney Company, owner and operator of both parks.[8][17]

In 2014, Mahendru was promoted to a series regular for the second season of The Americans.[18][19][20] She also starred in the comedy-drama film Bridge and Tunnel, had a voice role in the 2014 animated film Penguins of Madagascar, and guest-starred in the 2016 X-Files miniseries as Sveta, a possible UFO abductee. She played Nafisa Al-Qadi on the FX series Tyrant.

Mahendru stars in the title role of the independent feature film Sally Pacholok (2015), which premiered at and won Best Feature at the DC Independent Film Festival, in Washington, DC.[21][22]

Mahendru has also performed at theatre works at LATW. In 2017, she performed in Seven as an Afghan refugee and women's rights activist Farida Azizi at the LA Theatre Works. The play was a collaboration between 7 playwrights and female activists each from around the globe that portrays inspiring stories of overcoming adversities to bring about real change and improve the lives of women.[23][24]

Mahendru stars in the seventh episode of the anthology series The Romanoffs, which began streaming on Amazon Video on November 16, 2018.[25]

She plays a lead role as Jennifer "Huck" Mallick in the AMC series The Walking Dead: World Beyond, which premiered in 2020.[26][27]

Personal life

Mahendru is married to Louie Gibson, an Australian writer and director and a son of Mel Gibson.[28] The couple has a son born c. 2018.[29][30]

Despite both her parents' families not being from Afghanistan and having lived across the world since she was young, Mahendru maintains strong ties to her Indian and Russian roots as well as her connection to her birthplace:

I feel my Afghan roots deeply in my temperament, as I do my Indian and Russian colours. I feel at home equally at an Afghan wedding as I do at Holi or Fourth of July.[3]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2006 The Art of Love Kala Short film
2008 El Padrino 2 Serge's Wife
2009 Erza: Fear of a Faceless God Erza
2010 Ungu Narrator Short film
2010 Duel of the Overmen Ausler Short film
2011 El Padrino II: Border Intrusion Serge's Wife
2011 American Badass: Bernie's Back! Janet
2011 The Hollow Katie Short film
2011 Missed Call Steph Short film
2011 Love, Gloria Katie
2011 Almaz Natasha Short film
2012 Got Rights? Afghan Woman Short film
2012 Captain Planet 4 Scripty Short film
2013 Escape from Tomorrow Isabelle
2013 Metropolitan Stories Esmeralda Short film
2014 Bridge and Tunnel Kelly Jones
2014 Smokey Eyes Barbara Short film
2014 Penguins of Madagascar Eva Voice
2015 Sally Pacholok Sally Pacholok [1]
2021 Grow Kitty / Locasta
2021 Jack London’s Martin Eden Lizzie Connolly [31]
2022 Father Stu Virgin Mary
2022 Manifest West Alice Hayes (post-production)[32]

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2006 Love Monkey Groupie Episode: "The Onone That Got Away"
2006 Conviction Waitress Episode: "180.80"
2007 Entourage French Girlfriend Episode: "The Cannes Kids"
2011 Torchwood: Web of Lies Pilot Voice
Episode: "Missing Day: Part 1"
2011 Big Time Rush Princess Svetlana Episode: "Big Time Wedding"
2011 2 Broke Girls Robin Episode: "And the Pop-Up Sale"
2012 Mike & Molly Flight Attendant Episode: "The Honeymoon is Over"
2013–2016 The Americans Nina Sergeevna Krilova 35 episodes
Nominated—Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
2013 The Blacklist Agent Rosen 2 episodes
2013 White Collar Katya Episode: "Ice Breaker"
2014 Grey's Anatomy Ana Episode: "Only Mama Knows"
2015 The Following Eliza 4 episodes
2016 The X-Files Sveta Episode: "My Struggle: Part 1"
2016 Tyrant Nafisa Al-Qadi 8 episodes
2017 Neo Yokio Mila Malevich 2 episodes
2018 Lethal Weapon Layla Khudari Episode: "Get the Picture"
2018 The Romanoffs Elena Evanovich Episode: "End of the Line"
2020–2021 The Walking Dead: World Beyond Jennifer "Huck" Mallick Main role; 18 episodes
2020 Prodigal Son Fiona Episode: "Scheherazade"

Theatre

Year Title Role Notes
2017 Seven Farida Azizi LATW

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result Ref
2014 Critics' Choice Television Award Best Supporting Actress in a Drama The Americans Nominated [33]
Gold Derby TV Award Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Nominated [34]
Showbiz India's Trailblazer award 'Emerging Leader' as a rising South Asian Female Actor in Hollywood Herself Won [35]
2015 Television, Internet and Video Association of DC (TIVA-DC) Peer Awards Acting on Camera - Fiction, Female - Gold Sally Pacholok Won [36]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Fast Chat: Annet Mahendru". Newsday (Interview). Interviewed by Lovece, Frank. May 4, 2014. p. 91. Retrieved May 5, 2014 – via Scribd. ...dad Ghanshan 'Ken' Mahendru.... Currently in Baltimore shooting the title role of the fact-based medical drama 'Sally Pacholok'..."
  2. ^ "Multiple Identities". SBJCT Journal (Interview). Interviewed by de Croisset, Phoebe. December 16, 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2021. I am an Indian-Russian-Afghan-American
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Afghan-American actress looks back at her childhood in Afghanistan". Ariana Magazine. January 1, 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2022 – via PressReader.
  4. ^ a b "Annet Mahendru Talk Dead to Me Interview". Talk Dead To Me Skybound. December 8, 2020. Event occurs at 05:46. Retrieved March 5, 2021 – via YouTube.
  5. ^ a b c Masih, Archana (January 27, 2015). "Nina! The 'spy' with designs on India". Rediff.com. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  6. ^ "Celebrity birthdays for the week of Nov. 1-7". Associated Press. October 26, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2022. Actor Annet Mahendru ("The Americans") is 35
  7. ^ a b "Annet Mahendru on Playing 'The Americans'' Seductress". Maxim (Interview). Interviewed by Guy, Mike. April 8, 2015. Archived from the original on January 10, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  8. ^ a b Goldman, Eric (April 16, 2013). "Annet Mahendru Discusses Nina's Future on The Americans and Covertly Filming Escape From Tomorrow at Walt Disney World". IGN. Archived from the original on May 13, 2016.
  9. ^ "DP/30 Emmy Watch: Annet Mahendru on The Americans". DP/30: The Oral History Of Hollywood. June 11, 2014. Event occurs at 02:51. Retrieved March 1, 2021 – via YouTube. I spent my first seven years between Afghanistan and St. Petersburg
  10. ^ a b c Leeds, Sarene (April 2, 2014). "Annet Mahendru: 'The Americans' International Woman of Mystery". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  11. ^ "Graduation 2004". Newsday. June 19, 2004. Archived from the original on May 5, 2014. Retrieved May 5, 2014. (subscription required)
  12. ^ "Annet Mahendru". (Resume) Actors Access (Breakdown Services, Ltd.). Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  13. ^ "Annet Mahendru Interview". Annet Mahendru. March 2, 2019. Event occurs at 06:57. Retrieved March 1, 2021 – via YouTube. It's Russian, German and English and Hindi, Farsi and French.
  14. ^ "Annet Mahendru: A Funny Joke from a Beautiful Woman". Esquire. February 24, 2014. Archived from the original on January 12, 2016. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  15. ^ Le Vine, Lauren (April 22, 2015). "The Americans' Breakout Star On How Acting Is Just Like Spying". Refinery29. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  16. ^ Fatima Elidrissi (April 4, 2015). "Espías entre la realidad y la ficción en 'The Americans'". El Mundo. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  17. ^ Zeitchik, Steven (January 19, 2013). "Sundance 2013: How did a newbie make an unapproved film in Disney parks?". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 25, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
  18. ^ Sarene Leeds (April 6, 2016). "'The Americans' Star Annet Mahendru on Nina's Last Stand". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  19. ^ Anne Easton (July 4, 2016). "Annet Mahendru of 'The Americans' Talks This Week's Shocking Death". The Observer. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  20. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (May 7, 2013). "FX's The Americans Promotes Two for Season 2". TVLine.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  21. ^ "Sally Pacholok". DC Independent Film Festival. 2015. Archived from the original on April 3, 2016.
  22. ^ "Chevy Chase filmmaker takes 'Best Feature'". The Gazette. Maryland: Post Community Media, LLC. March 18, 2015. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015.
  23. ^ Seven, 2017, retrieved February 14, 2021
  24. ^ Lauren Young (January 26, 2017), The Women of "Seven", Msmagazine, retrieved February 14, 2021
  25. ^ Alan Sepinwall (November 16, 2018). "'The Romanoffs' Recap: From Russia With Love". Rolling Stone.
  26. ^ Katie Harden (January 8, 2021). "Annet Mahendru is multi-faceted Huck in The Walking Dead: World Beyond". FanSided. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  27. ^ Cynthia Vinney (November 30, 2020). "The Walking Dead: World Beyond's Annet Mahendru Talks All Things Huck". CBR. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  28. ^ Grant, Justin (January 2, 2019). ""The Romanoffs" Actress Annet Mahendru Draws On Her Relationship To Her Character and More". Cliche Mag. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2019. My husband, Louie Gibson, who is a writer and director.
  29. ^ Menon, Nikitha (January 28, 2019). "Toggling Between Two Cultures: An Interview with Annet Mahendru". Brown Girl Magazine. Archived from the original on December 2, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019. I did Bharatanatyam for a while in LA and my son would love to watch.
  30. ^ Chen, Valerie (March 27, 2020). "Elegant Enigma". Venice: Fort Lauderdale's Magazine. Florida. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020. ...and being a mom to her 2-year-old son.
  31. ^ Lowe, Jim (December 30, 2021). "Film Review: 'Jack London's Martin Eden': Intimate and poignant storytelling". Rutland Herald.
  32. ^ "'Manifest West' To Close Mammoth Film Fest". VideoAge International. January 26, 2022.
  33. ^ "2014 winners and nominees". criticschoice.com. Archived from the original on March 25, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  34. ^ "Critics' Choice TV Awards: Complete list of winners". GoldDerby.com. June 19, 2014. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  35. ^ "Annet Mahendru". Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  36. ^ "2015 TIVA PEER AWARDS". TIVADC. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
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