Kal Penn
Acting • Born 1977-04-23
Biography
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
Filmography
113 credits
Superman Returns
Movie • 2006
Stanford
Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj
Movie • 2006
Taj Mahal Badalandabad
Schoolhouse Rock! 50th Anniversary Singalong
Movie • 2023
Self
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
Movie • 2004
Kumar Patel
Love Don't Co$t a Thing
Movie • 2003
Kenneth Warman
Smile
Movie • 2022
Dr. Morgan Desai
National Lampoon's Van Wilder
Movie • 2002
Taj Mahal Badalandabad
Where's the Party Yaar?
Movie • 2003
Mo
American Desi
Movie • 2001
Ajay Pandya
A Lot Like Love
Movie • 2005
Jeeter
Epic Movie
Movie • 2007
Edward
Man About Town
Movie • 2006
Alan Fineberg
Express: Aisle to Glory
Movie • 1998
Jackie Newton
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
Movie • 2008
Kumar Patel
Malibu's Most Wanted
Movie • 2003
Hadji
Bachelor Party Vegas
Movie • 2006
Z-Bob
Deck the Halls
Movie • 2006
Amit Sayid (uncredited)
Ball and Chain
Movie • 2004
Bobby
The Namesake
Movie • 2006
Gogol / Nikhil
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas
Movie • 2011
Kumar Patel
Dementamania
Movie • 2013
The Sisterhood of Night
Movie • 2015
Gordy Gambhir
Regarding Ardy
Movie • 2003
Fred
A Prayer for Rain
Movie • 2014
Motwani
Harold & Kumars Yuletide Jamz
Movie • 2011
Kumar Patel
Hot Mess Holiday
Movie • 2021
Kal Penn
Harold & Kumar Go to Amsterdam
Movie • 2008
Kumar
The Underdoggs
Movie • 2024
Ryan Kauffman
Emily & Tim
Movie • 2015
Tim (Segment 2)
Better Off Single
Movie • 2016
Brice
The Layover
Movie • 2017
Anuj
Trust Me, I'm a Doctor
Movie
Dr. Sandeep Kapoor
Awesometown
Movie • 2006
Guy Reading Newspaper
The Girl in the Photographs
Movie • 2015
Peter Hemmings
Once Upon a Time in Venice
Movie • 2017
Rajeesh
Speech & Debate
Movie • 2017
James
We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial
Movie • 2009
Self
Son of the Mask
Movie • 2005
Jorge
Sueno
Movie • 2005
Raj
Cosmopolitan
Movie • 2003
Vandana's Fiancee
The Ashram
Movie • 2018
Nitin
The Problem with Apu
Movie • 2017
Self
Dancing in Twilight
Movie • 2005
Sam
The Girl in the Woods
Movie • 2020
Untitled Horror Movie
Movie • 2021
Mark
Homeland Security
Movie • 2004
Harrison
Brookfield
Movie
Kumar Zimmerman
Clarice: Behind the Scenes with Stars and Producers
Movie • 2021
Self
Patel
Movie
What the F*ck Is My Password?!
Movie
Freshmen
Movie • 1999
Ajay
Contra
Movie
Dale Stone
Untitled Harold & Kumar Sequel
Movie
Kumar Patel
How I Met Your Mother
TV • 2005
Kevin Venkataraghavan
House
TV • 2004
Lawrence Kutner
Spin City
TV • 1996
Buddy
24
TV • 2001
Ahmed Amar
Angel
TV • 1999
Young Man in Fez
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
TV • 1988
Self - Guest
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
TV • 1999
Henry Chanoor
Mira, Royal Detective
TV • 2020
Mikku (voice)
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
TV • 1992
Finding Your Roots
TV • 2012
Self
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
TV • 2005
Self
Independent Lens
TV • 1999
Jagdesh
Impractical Jokers
TV • 2011
Self
The Big Brain Theory
TV • 2013
Self - Host
Battle Creek
TV • 2015
Detective Fontanelle
The Big Picture with Kal Penn
TV • 2015
Himself - Host
Tru Calling
TV • 2003
Steven
We Are Men
TV • 2013
Gil Bartis
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
TV • 1996
Prajeeb
Deadbeat
TV • 2014
Clyde
Designated Survivor
TV • 2016
Seth Wright
ER
TV • 1994
Narajan
Top Gear
TV • 2010
The Late Late Show with James Corden
TV • 2015
Self - Guest
New Girl
TV • 2011
Tripp
Superhuman
TV • 2017
Self - Host
The Santa Clauses
TV • 2022
Simon Choksi
Clarice
TV • 2021
Shaan Tripathi
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
TV • 2023
Ventakish (voice)
Celebrity Wheel of Fortune
TV • 2021
Self - Contestant
Fancy Nancy
TV • 2018
Mr. Singh (voice)
Match Game
TV • 2016
Self - Panelist
Late Night with Seth Meyers
TV • 2014
Self
The View
TV • 1997
Self - Guest
The Big Bang Theory
TV • 2007
Kevin Campbell
All About the Andersons
TV • 2003
Doctor George
Tamron Hall
TV • 2019
Self - Guest
American Horror Story
TV • 2011
Mac Marzara
To Tell the Truth
TV • 2016
Self - Panelist
Sunnyside
TV • 2019
Garrett Modi
The $100,000 Pyramid
TV • 2016
Self
The Kelly Clarkson Show
TV • 2019
Self
A Little Late with Lilly Singh
TV • 2019
Self
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
TV • 2009
Self - Guest
Hollywood Game Night
TV • 2013
Self
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
TV • 1997
Hunt
The Daily Show
TV • 1996
Self - Guest Host
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
TV • 2015
Independent Lens
TV • 1999
Vandana's Fiancee
Kal Penn Approves This Message
TV • 2020
Self - Host
CBS News Sunday Morning
TV • 1979
Self
The Kelly Clarkson Show
TV • 2019
Self - Guest Host
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
TV • 2020
Self - Contestant
Sesame Street
TV • 1969
Celebrity Weakest Link
TV • 2025
Self - Contestant
Name That Tune
TV • 2021
Self - Contestant
The Agency
TV • 2001
Malek
The Soup
TV • 2004
Self
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
TV • 2003
Self - Guest
Industry
TV • 2020
Jay 'Jonah' Atterbury