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From 5 May to 29 June 2015, Nayyar performed in an off-Broadway production ''The Spoils'', written by and starring actor [[Jesse Eisenberg]]. Nayyar plays Kalyan, a Nepalese student and roommate of the protagonist Ben, played by Eisenberg. <ref>{{cite news|url=http://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|accessdate=June 16, 2015|newspaper=New York Times|date=June 2, 2015}}</ref>
From 5 May to 29 June 2015, Nayyar performed in an off-Broadway production ''The Spoils'', written by and starring actor [[Jesse Eisenberg]]. Nayyar plays Kalyan, a Nepalese student and roommate of the protagonist Ben, played by Eisenberg. <ref>{{cite news|url=http://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|accessdate=June 16, 2015|newspaper=New York Times|date=June 2, 2015}}</ref>


Nayyar published a book about his career journey, ''Yes, My Accent Is Real'' in September 2015.<ref name= accent/>
In September 2015, Nayyar published a book about his career journey, ''Yes, My Accent Is Real''.<ref name= accent/>


==Personal life==
==Personal life==

Revision as of 19:04, 14 May 2016

Kunal Nayyar
Nayyar at PaleyFest 2013 for The Big Bang Theory.
Born
Kunal Nayyar

(1981-04-30) April 30, 1981 (age 43)
Hammersmith, London, England, UK
Alma materTemple University (MFA),
University of Portland
Occupation(s)Actor, writer
Years active2004–present
Spouse
​
(m. 2011)​

Kunal Nayyar (/kʊˌnɑːl ˈnaɪər/; Punjabi: ਕੁਨਾਲ ਨੈਯ੍ਯਰ, born 30 April 1981) is a British-Indian actor and writer known for his role as Rajesh Koothrappali in the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory.

According to Forbes, Nayyar was third on the list of World’s Highest-Paid TV Actors for 2015 with earnings of $US20 million.[1]

Early life

Nayyar was born in Hammersmith, London to a Punjabi[2] family and was brought up in New Delhi, India.[3] He attended St Columba's School in New Delhi, where he played badminton for the school team.[4][5]

In 1999, Nayyar moved to the US to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Business (Finance) from the University of Portland, Oregon.[6] Working on his degree, he started taking acting classes and appeared in several school plays.[3]

After participating in the American College Theater Festival, Nayyar decided to become a professional actor. He then attended Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he received a Master of Fine Arts in Acting.[7]

Career

Nayyar on a tour with the rest of The Big Bang Theory cast in 2008

After graduating, Nayyar found work doing American television ads and plays on the London stage.[8] 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.[7] In 2006, Nayyar teamed up with Arun Das to write the play Cotton Candy, which premiered in New Delhi to positive reviews.[9]

Nayyar made a guest appearance on the CBS drama NCIS in the episode "Suspicion" (season 4, episode 12), in which he played Youssef Zidan, an Iraqi terrorist.[10]

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 plays astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali.[2]

In 2011, he co-hosted the Tribute to Nerds show with co-star Simon Helberg at the comedy festival Just for Laughs.[11]

In 2012, Nayyar voiced Gupta in Ice Age: Continental Drift. That same year, he completed the shooting of his first film Dr. Cabbie in Toronto, Canada. The film was produced by Bollywood actor Salman Khan.[12]

From 5 May to 29 June 2015, Nayyar performed in an off-Broadway production The Spoils, written by and starring actor Jesse Eisenberg. Nayyar plays Kalyan, a Nepalese student and roommate of the protagonist Ben, played by Eisenberg. [13]

In September 2015, Nayyar published a book about his career journey, Yes, My Accent Is Real.[3]

Personal life

Nayyar married Miss India 2006 winner, Neha Kapur, in December 2011.[14] They live in Los Angeles.

Filmography

Film

Year Film Role Notes
2004 S.C.I.E.N.C.E Pizza Man
2012 Ice Age: Continental Drift Gupta Voice
2014 The Scribbler Karem
2014 Dr. Cabbie Tony
2014 Consumed Serge Negani post-production
2015 A Momentary Lapse of Reason Ashwin Reddy filming
2016 A Bollywoof Tale Santoosh pre-production
2016 Trolls Guy Diamond Voice

Television

Year Series Role Notes
2007 NCIS Youssef Zidan Uncredited
Episode: "Suspicion"
2007–present The Big Bang Theory Dr. Rajesh Koothrappali Main role
2010 The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson Rajesh Koothrappali
2013–present Sanjay and Craig Vijay (voice) Main role
2013–14 Sullivan & Son Sanjay/Neal Episode: "Ladies Night", "Sexual Healing"
2015 The Late Late Show host February 25, 26, & 27
2015 The Mindy Project Sendhil Episode: "While I Was Sleeping"
2016 Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade Gupta TV special

Theatre

Year Title Role Notes
2006 Huck and Holden Navin Dahlia Theater, Los Angeles, United States
Love's Labour's Lost Other Parts Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford upon Avon, United Kingdom
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

Awards

Year Award Category Title Result
2006 Garland Award Best Male Lead in a Play on the West Coast Huck and Holden Won
2012 Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series The Big Bang Theory Nominated

References

  1. ^ "The World's Highest-Paid TV Actors".
  2. ^ a b Banerjee, Sudeshna (July 7, 2008). "Mr Big Bang". The Telegraph. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c Nayyar, Kunal (2015). Yes, My Accent Is Real: And Some Other Things I Haven't Told You. Atria Books. ISBN 978-1476761824.
  4. ^ Kapoor, Kritika (June 25, 2010). "I'd rather do social movies: Kunal Nayyar". Daily News and Analysis. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  5. ^ Ahmed, Sana (June 28, 2008). "Going places". The Hindu. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  6. ^ Successful Actors Talk About Their Training. backstage.com. Retrieved on 2012-11-17.
  7. ^ a b "Making it as a nerd". Rediff. November 19, 2007. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  8. ^ Sahgal, Natasha (September 16, 2009). "Geek God". Indian Express. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  9. ^ Chander, Romesh (June 16, 2006). "Staging the fluff of dreams". The Hindu. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  10. ^ D'Arminio, Aubry (29 March 2016). "7 NCIS Guests Who Went on to Become Stars (PHOTOS)". tvinsider.com. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  11. ^ Wyatt, Nelson (July 26, 2011). "'Big Bang Theory' stars say most people can relate to being nerds". Winnipeg Free Press. Archived from the original on September 14, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2011. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ Dr. Cabbie at IMDb
  13. ^ Brantley, Ben (June 2, 2015). "'Review: 'The Spoils' Stars Jesse Eisenberg as Narcissist". New York Times. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  14. ^ "The Talk, CBS". Retrieved 3 March 2012.
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