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Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Birthday
April 23, 1977
Place of Birth
Montclair, New Jersey, USA
Also Known As
- Kalpen Suresh Modi
- Cal Pen
- Καλ Πεν
- カル・ペン
- 凱爾潘
- کال پن
Kal Penn
2.0 Popularity
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
Known For
0.0
Self - Contestant
Celebrity Weakest Link
2025
7.0
Ryan Kauffman
The Underdoggs
2024
8.0
Ventakish (voice)
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
2023
6.0
Self
Schoolhouse Rock! 50th Anniversary Singalong
2023
7.1
Simon Choksi
The Santa Clauses
2022
6.7
Dr. Morgan Desai
Smile
2022
6.0
Kal Penn
Hot Mess Holiday
2021
4.2
Mark
Untitled Horror Movie
2021
6.9
Shaan Tripathi
Clarice
2021
0.0
Self
Clarice: Behind the Scenes with Stars and Producers
2021
Credits
Celebrity Weakest Link
as Self - Contestant
2025
0.0
The Underdoggs
as Ryan Kauffman
2024
7.0
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
as Ventakish (voice)
2023
8.0
Schoolhouse Rock! 50th Anniversary Singalong
as Self
2023
6.0
The Santa Clauses
as Simon Choksi
2022
7.1
Smile
as Dr. Morgan Desai
2022
6.7
Hot Mess Holiday
as Kal Penn
2021
6.0
Untitled Horror Movie
as Mark
2021
4.2
Clarice
as Shaan Tripathi
2021
6.9
Clarice: Behind the Scenes with Stars and Producers
as Self
2021
0.0
Celebrity Wheel of Fortune
as Self - Contestant
2021
7.0
Name That Tune
as Self - Contestant
2021
7.1
Kal Penn Approves This Message
as Self - Host
2020
7.0
The Girl in the Woods
2020
6.5
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
as Self - Contestant
2020
9.8
Mira, Royal Detective
as Mikku (voice)
2020
6.5
Sunnyside
as Garrett Modi
2019
5.2
A Little Late with Lilly Singh
as Self
2019
3.6
The Kelly Clarkson Show
as Self
2019
6.3
The Kelly Clarkson Show
as Self - Guest Host
2019
6.3
Tamron Hall
as Self - Guest
2019
4.9
Fancy Nancy
as Mr. Singh (voice)
2018
6.9
The Ashram
as Nitin
2018
5.6
🎬
Lie Detector
as Self
2018
5.5
The Problem with Apu
as Self
2017
4.8
The Layover
as Anuj
2017
5.4
Superhuman
as Self - Host
2017
4.0
Once Upon a Time in Venice
as Rajeesh
2017
5.2
Speech & Debate
as James
2017
5.9
Better Off Single
as Brice
2016
5.0
Designated Survivor
as Seth Wright
2016
7.1
The $100,000 Pyramid
as Self
2016
7.0
Match Game
as Self - Panelist
2016
6.4
To Tell the Truth
as Self - Panelist
2016
6.2
The Girl in the Photographs
as Peter Hemmings
2015
4.9
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
6.2
Emily & Tim
as Tim (Segment 2)
2015
5.6
The Sisterhood of Night
as Gordy Gambhir
2015
6.2
The Big Picture with Kal Penn
as Himself - Host
2015
6.4
The Late Late Show with James Corden
as Self - Guest
2015
5.3
Battle Creek
as Detective Fontanelle
2015
6.9
A Prayer for Rain
as Motwani
2014
6.4
Deadbeat
as Clyde
2014
6.6
Late Night with Seth Meyers
as Self
2014
5.3
We Are Men
as Gil Bartis
2013
5.5
Dementamania
2013
4.4
Hollywood Game Night
as Self
2013
6.5
The Big Brain Theory
as Self - Host
2013
8.5
Finding Your Roots
as Self
2012
6.6
Impractical Jokers
as Self
2011
7.9
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas
as Kumar Patel
2011
6.0
Harold & Kumars Yuletide Jamz
as Kumar Patel
2011
7.0
American Horror Story
as Mac Marzara
2011
8.1
New Girl
as Tripp
2011
7.4
Top Gear
2010
6.2
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
as Self - Guest
2009
5.1
We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial
as Self
2009
4.6
Harold & Kumar Go to Amsterdam
as Kumar
2008
6.5
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
as Kumar Patel
2008
6.3
The Big Bang Theory
as Kevin Campbell
2007
7.9
Epic Movie
as Edward
2007
3.9
Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj
as Taj Mahal Badalandabad
2006
5.1
Deck the Halls
as Amit Sayid (uncredited)
2006
5.6
The Namesake
as Gogol / Nikhil
2006
6.7
Superman Returns
as Stanford
2006
5.8
Man About Town
as Alan Fineberg
2006
5.2
Bachelor Party Vegas
as Z-Bob
2006
4.8
Awesometown
as Guy Reading Newspaper
2006
7.4
Sueno
as Raj
2005
4.1
How I Met Your Mother
as Kevin Venkataraghavan
2005
8.1
A Lot Like Love
as Jeeter
2005
6.8
Son of the Mask
as Jorge
2005
4.2
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
as Self
2005
6.7
Dancing in Twilight
as Sam
2005
2.2
House
as Lawrence Kutner
2004
8.6
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
as Kumar Patel
2004
6.5
The Soup
as Self
2004
6.1
Where's the Party Yaar?
as Mo
2004
4.5
Ball and Chain
as Bobby
2004
6.0
Homeland Security
as Harrison
2004
3.8
Love Don't Co$t a Thing
as Kenneth Warman
2003
7.5
Tru Calling
as Steven
2003
7.3
All About the Andersons
as Doctor George
2003
8.5
Malibu's Most Wanted
as Hadji
2003
5.1
Regarding Ardy
as Fred
2003
0.0
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
as Self - Guest
2003
5.5
🎬
Cosmopolitan
as Vandana's Fiancee
2003
6.0
National Lampoon's Van Wilder
as Taj Mahal Badalandabad
2002
6.0
24
as Ahmed Amar
2001
7.8
The Agency
as Malek
2001
6.5
American Desi
as Ajay Pandya
2001
5.6
Angel
as Young Man in Fez
1999
7.9
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
as Henry Chanoor
1999
7.9
🎬
Freshmen
as Ajay
1999
1.0
Independent Lens
as Jagdesh
1999
6.5
Independent Lens
as Vandana's Fiancee
1999
6.5
Express: Aisle to Glory
as Jackie Newton
1998
0.0
The View
as Self - Guest
1997
4.3
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
as Hunt
1997
8.1
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
as Prajeeb
1996
7.8
Spin City
as Buddy
1996
7.0
The Daily Show
as Self - Guest Host
1996
6.4
ER
as Narajan
1994
7.8
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992
5.4
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
as Self - Guest
1988
5.4
CBS News Sunday Morning
as Self
1979
6.9
Sesame Street
1969
7.1
Trust Me, I'm a Doctor
as Dr. Sandeep Kapoor
N/A
0.0
🎬
What the F*ck Is My Password?!
N/A
0.0
🎬
Untitled Harold & Kumar Sequel
as Kumar Patel
N/A
0.0
🎬
Contra
as Dale Stone
N/A
0.0
🎬
Patel
N/A
0.0
🎬
Brookfield
as Kumar Zimmerman
N/A
1.0