Dileep Rao
Dileep Rao is an American actor who has appeared in feature films and television series. He starred in Sam Raimi's 2009 horror film Drag Me to Hell and stars in the upcoming James Cameron film Avatar.
Rao was born in Los Angeles, CA and grew up in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, Denver, Colorado, and Claremont, California. He graduated from the University of California, San Diego with his BA and an MFA from the American Conservatory Theater. His first role after graduating was in the American Premiere of Indian Ink by Tom Stoppard. Rao moved to Los Angeles and began working in regional theater including the Berkeley Rep, South Coast Rep and for the Manhattan Theater Club. His upcoming film roles include James Cameron's science fiction film Avatar and Christopher Nolan's Inception.
He competed on Jeopardy! on June 7th, 2002, winning $34,400. On June 8, 2008, Rao was randomly selected from over 1600 entrants to play the NPR Weekend Edition Sunday puzzle on air with Will Shortz. Rao claimed that he had been playing the puzzle at home for "infinity years."[1] Before booking roles, he taught summer acting classes at the Marlborough school. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.
Film Roles
- Drag Me to Hell as Rham Jas (2009)
- Avatar as Dr. Max Patel (2009)
- Inception as Yusef (2010)
TV Roles
- Brothers & Sisters as Arlo Natterson (2008)
- Standoff as Robert (2006)