Actor
Kal Penn
- Born: 23 April 1977, Montclair, New Jersey, USA
- Estimated net worth: $16 million
Kal Penn is an American actor known for his roles in both film and television. He gained fame for his performances in 'Harold & Kumar' series and as Dr. Lawrence Kutner on 'House.' His career spans comedy and drama, showcasing his versatility. Penn is also…
Kal Penn: best films and shows
About Kal Penn
Kal Penn is an American actor known for his roles in both film and television. He gained fame for his performances in 'Harold & Kumar' series and as Dr. Lawrence Kutner on 'House.' His career spans comedy and drama, showcasing his versatility. Penn is also noted for his distinctive voice and engaging presence in various genres.
- Born
- 23 April 1977, Montclair, New Jersey, USA
- Known for
- Acting
- Height
- 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
- Spouses
- Josh (2010-present)
- Children
- 1 child, name not publicly known
- Parents
- Rajesh Modi, Shiva Modi
- Estimated net worth
- $16 million
Fun facts about Kal Penn
- Kal Penn served as an associate director in the White House Office of Public Engagement under President Barack Obama.
- He is a trained actor who studied at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Famous Kal Penn quotes
“Dude, we gotta get out of here.”
“I can't believe we just did that.”
“I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV.”
Kal Penn filmography
Cast (113)
| Year | Title | Character | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Trust Me, I'm a Doctor Movie | Dr. Sandeep Kapoor | |
| 2025 | Celebrity Weakest Link TV | Self - Contestant | 6.0 |
| 2024 | The Underdoggs Movie | Ryan Kauffman | 7.0 |
| 2023 | Scott Pilgrim Takes Off TV | Ventakish (voice) | 7.9 |
| 2023 | Schoolhouse Rock! 50th Anniversary Singalong Movie | Self | 6.0 |
| 2022 | The Santa Clauses TV | Simon Choksi | 7.1 |
| 2022 | Smile Movie | Dr. Morgan Desai | 6.7 |
| 2021 | Hot Mess Holiday Movie | Kal Penn | 6.0 |
| 2021 | Untitled Horror Movie Movie | Mark | 4.5 |
| 2021 | Clarice TV | Shaan Tripathi | 6.9 |
Show 103 more creditsShow fewer
| Year | Title | Character | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Clarice: Behind the Scenes with Stars and Producers Movie | Self | |
| 2021 | Celebrity Wheel of Fortune TV | Self - Contestant | 7.1 |
| 2021 | Name That Tune TV | Self - Contestant | 6.9 |
| 2020 | Industry TV | Jay 'Jonah' Atterbury | 6.9 |
| 2020 | Kal Penn Approves This Message TV | Self - Host | 7.0 |
| 2020 | The Girl in the Woods Movie | Unknown character | 6.6 |
| 2020 | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire TV | Self - Contestant | 9.2 |
| 2020 | Mira, Royal Detective TV | Mikku (voice) | 6.5 |
| 2019 | Sunnyside TV | Garrett Modi | 5.3 |
| 2019 | A Little Late with Lilly Singh TV | Self | 3.4 |
| 2019 | The Kelly Clarkson Show TV | Self | 6.2 |
| 2019 | The Kelly Clarkson Show TV | Self - Guest Host | 6.2 |
| 2019 | The Tamron Hall Show TV | Self - Guest | 4.7 |
| 2018 | Fancy Nancy TV | Mr. Singh (voice) | 8.0 |
| 2018 | The Ashram Movie | Nitin | 5.5 |
| 2017 | The Problem with Apu Movie | Self | 4.8 |
| 2017 | The Layover Movie | Anuj | 5.4 |
| 2017 | Superhuman TV | Self - Host | 4.0 |
| 2017 | Once Upon a Time in Venice Movie | Rajeesh | 5.2 |
| 2017 | Speech & Debate Movie | James | 5.9 |
| 2016 | Better Off Single Movie | Brice | 5.0 |
| 2016 | Designated Survivor TV | Seth Wright | 7.2 |
| 2016 | The $100,000 Pyramid TV | Self | 7.0 |
| 2016 | Match Game TV | Self - Panelist | 6.5 |
| 2016 | To Tell the Truth TV | Self - Panelist | 5.8 |
| 2015 | The Girl in the Photographs Movie | Peter Hemmings | 4.9 |
| 2015 | The Late Show with Stephen Colbert TV | Unknown character | 6.1 |
| 2015 | Emily & Tim Movie | Tim (Segment 2) | 5.6 |
| 2015 | The Sisterhood of Night Movie | Gordy Gambhir | 6.2 |
| 2015 | The Big Picture with Kal Penn TV | Himself - Host | 8.0 |
| 2015 | The Late Late Show with James Corden TV | Self - Guest | 5.1 |
| 2015 | Battle Creek TV | Detective Fontanelle | 6.9 |
| 2014 | A Prayer for Rain Movie | Motwani | 6.3 |
| 2014 | Deadbeat TV | Clyde | 6.7 |
| 2014 | Late Night with Seth Meyers TV | Self | 5.1 |
| 2013 | We Are Men TV | Gil Bartis | 5.5 |
| 2013 | Dementamania Movie | Unknown character | 4.4 |
| 2013 | Hollywood Game Night TV | Self | 6.5 |
| 2013 | The Big Brain Theory TV | Self - Host | 8.3 |
| 2012 | Finding Your Roots TV | Self | 6.5 |
| 2011 | Impractical Jokers TV | Self | 8.0 |
| 2011 | A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas Movie | Kumar Patel | 6.0 |
| 2011 | Harold & Kumars Yuletide Jamz Movie | Kumar Patel | 7.0 |
| 2011 | American Horror Story TV | Mac Marzara | 8.1 |
| 2011 | New Girl TV | Tripp | 7.4 |
| 2010 | Top Gear TV | Unknown character | 6.1 |
| 2009 | Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen TV | Self - Guest | 4.9 |
| 2009 | We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial Movie | Self | 4.6 |
| 2008 | Harold & Kumar Go to Amsterdam Movie | Kumar | 6.5 |
| 2008 | Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay Movie | Kumar Patel | 6.3 |
| 2007 | The Big Bang Theory TV | Kevin Campbell | 7.9 |
| 2007 | The Namesake Movie | Gogol / Nikhil | 6.8 |
| 2007 | Epic Movie Movie | Edward | 3.9 |
| 2006 | Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj Movie | Taj Mahal Badalandabad | 5.1 |
| 2006 | Deck the Halls Movie | Amit Sayid (uncredited) | 5.6 |
| 2006 | Superman Returns Movie | Stanford | 5.8 |
| 2006 | Man About Town Movie | Alan Fineberg | 5.2 |
| 2006 | Bachelor Party Vegas Movie | Z-Bob | 4.9 |
| 2006 | Awesometown Movie | Guy Reading Newspaper | 7.4 |
| 2005 | Sueno Movie | Raj | 4.5 |
| 2005 | How I Met Your Mother TV | Kevin Venkataraghavan | 8.1 |
| 2005 | A Lot Like Love Movie | Jeeter | 6.8 |
| 2005 | Son of the Mask Movie | Jorge | 4.2 |
| 2005 | The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson TV | Self | 6.9 |
| 2005 | Dancing in Twilight Movie | Sam | 3.8 |
| 2004 | House TV | Lawrence Kutner | 8.6 |
| 2004 | Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle Movie | Kumar Patel | 6.6 |
| 2004 | The Soup TV | Self | 6.4 |
| 2004 | Ball and Chain Movie | Bobby | 6.3 |
| 2004 | Homeland Security Movie | Harrison | 4.8 |
| 2003 | Love Don't Co$t a Thing Movie | Kenneth Warman | 7.7 |
| 2003 | Tru Calling TV | Steven | 7.2 |
| 2003 | All About the Andersons TV | Doctor George | 8.3 |
| 2003 | Where's the Party Yaar? Movie | Mo | 4.9 |
| 2003 | Malibu's Most Wanted Movie | Hadji | 5.4 |
| 2003 | Regarding Ardy Movie | Fred | |
| 2003 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! TV | Self - Guest | 5.3 |
| 2003 | Cosmopolitan Movie | Vandana's Fiancee | 7.5 |
| 2002 | National Lampoon's Van Wilder Movie | Taj Mahal Badalandabad | 6.1 |
| 2001 | 24 TV | Ahmed Amar | 7.8 |
| 2001 | The Agency TV | Malek | 6.9 |
| 2001 | American Desi Movie | Ajay Pandya | 5.9 |
| 1999 | Angel TV | Young Man in Fez | 7.9 |
| 1999 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit TV | Henry Chanoor | 8.0 |
| 1999 | Freshmen Movie | Ajay | 5.0 |
| 1999 | Independent Lens TV | Jagdesh | 6.6 |
| 1999 | Independent Lens TV | Vandana's Fiancee | 6.6 |
| 1998 | Express: Aisle to Glory Movie | Jackie Newton | 9.0 |
| 1997 | The View TV | Self - Guest | 4.3 |
| 1997 | Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV | Hunt | 8.1 |
| 1996 | Sabrina, the Teenage Witch TV | Prajeeb | 7.8 |
| 1996 | Spin City TV | Buddy | 7.0 |
| 1996 | The Daily Show TV | Self - Guest Host | 6.4 |
| 1994 | ER TV | Narajan | 7.8 |
| 1992 | The Tonight Show with Jay Leno TV | Unknown character | 5.3 |
| 1988 | LIVE with Kelly and Mark TV | Self - Guest | 5.6 |
| 1979 | CBS News Sunday Morning TV | Self | 6.8 |
| 1969 | Sesame Street TV | Unknown character | 7.1 |
| TBA | What the F*ck Is My Password?! Movie | Unknown character | |
| TBA | Untitled Harold & Kumar Sequel Movie | Kumar Patel | |
| TBA | Contra Movie | Dale Stone | |
| TBA | Brookfield Movie | Kumar Zimmerman | 4.0 |
| TBA | Patel Movie | Unknown character |
Crew (4)
| Year | Title | Role | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Trust Me, I'm a Doctor Movie | Executive Producer · Production | |
| 2019 | Sunnyside TV | Creator · Creator | 5.3 |
| 2006 | Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj Movie | Executive Producer · Production | 5.1 |
| TBA | Patel Movie | Executive Producer · Production |
Latest releases
- The Underdoggs2024 / TMDB 7.0
- Schoolhouse Rock! 50th Anniversary Singalong2023 / TMDB 6.0
- Smile2022 / TMDB 6.7
- Hot Mess Holiday2021 / TMDB 6.0
- Untitled Horror Movie2021 / TMDB 4.5
- Clarice: Behind the Scenes with Stars and Producers2021
Kal Penn in the news
Questions about Kal Penn
What are Kal Penn's most successful films?
Kal Penn is best known for his roles in 'Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle' and its sequel, which became cult classics. His performance in 'The Namesake' also received critical acclaim, showcasing his range as an actor.
Has Kal Penn won any awards?
Kal Penn has received several awards, including a Critics' Choice Television Award for his role in 'House.' He has also been nominated for various other accolades throughout his career.
What was Kal Penn's first film?
Kal Penn's first film role was in 'Express: Aisle to Glory' (2000), where he played a minor character. His breakthrough came with 'Van Wilder' (2002), which garnered him significant attention.
What TV shows has Kal Penn starred in?
Kal Penn is known for his role as Dr. Lawrence Kutner on 'House' and as a main character in 'The Santa Clauses.' He has also appeared in series like 'How I Met Your Mother' and 'Designated Survivor.'
Is Kal Penn involved in any political activities?
Yes, Kal Penn has been active in political advocacy. He served in the Obama administration and has spoken about various social issues, including immigration and education.
What is Kal Penn's educational background?
Kal Penn graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in sociology and film. His education has greatly influenced his career choices in both acting and public service.
What is Kal Penn's estimated net worth?
Kal Penn's estimated net worth is around $16 million, primarily accumulated through his acting career, television roles, and involvement in various projects.
What are some of Kal Penn's notable roles?
Some of Kal Penn's notable roles include Kumar Patel in the 'Harold & Kumar' series, Dr. Lawrence Kutner in 'House,' and his recent role in 'The Santa Clauses.' He has shown versatility across genres.