
Kal Penn
Department: Acting
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

Superman Returns
2006

Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj
2006

Schoolhouse Rock! 50th Anniversary Singalong
2023

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
2004

Love Don't Co$t a Thing
2003

Smile
2022

National Lampoon's Van Wilder
2002

Where's the Party Yaar?
2003

American Desi
2001

A Lot Like Love
2005

Epic Movie
2007

Man About Town
2006

Express: Aisle to Glory
1998

Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
2008

Malibu's Most Wanted
2003

Bachelor Party Vegas
2006

Deck the Halls
2006

Ball and Chain
2004

The Namesake
2006

A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas
2011

Dementamania
2013

The Sisterhood of Night
2015

Regarding Ardy
2003

A Prayer for Rain
2014

Harold & Kumars Yuletide Jamz
2011

Hot Mess Holiday
2021

Harold & Kumar Go to Amsterdam
2008

The Underdoggs
2024

Emily & Tim
2015

Better Off Single
2016

The Layover
2017

Trust Me, I'm a Doctor
—

Awesometown
2006

The Girl in the Photographs
2015

Once Upon a Time in Venice
2017

Speech & Debate
2017

We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial
2009

Son of the Mask
2005

Sueno
2005

Cosmopolitan
2003

The Ashram
2018

The Problem with Apu
2017

Dancing in Twilight
2005

The Girl in the Woods
2020

Untitled Horror Movie
2021

Homeland Security
2004

Brookfield
—

Clarice: Behind the Scenes with Stars and Producers
2021

Patel
—

What the F*ck Is My Password?!
—

Freshmen
1999

Contra
—

Untitled Harold & Kumar Sequel
—

How I Met Your Mother
2005

House
2004

Spin City
1996

24
2001

Angel
1999

LIVE with Kelly and Mark
1988

Mira, Royal Detective
2020

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
1999

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992

Finding Your Roots
2012

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
2005

Independent Lens
1999

Impractical Jokers
2011

The Big Brain Theory
2013

Battle Creek
2015

The Big Picture with Kal Penn
2015

Tru Calling
2003

We Are Men
2013

Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
1996

Deadbeat
2014

Designated Survivor
2016

ER
1994

Top Gear
2010

The Late Late Show with James Corden
2015

New Girl
2011

Superhuman
2017

The Santa Clauses
2022

Clarice
2021

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
2023

Celebrity Wheel of Fortune
2021

Fancy Nancy
2018

Match Game
2016

Late Night with Seth Meyers
2014

The View
1997

The Big Bang Theory
2007

All About the Andersons
2003

Tamron Hall
2019

American Horror Story
2011

To Tell the Truth
2016

Sunnyside
2019

The $100,000 Pyramid
2016

The Kelly Clarkson Show
2019

A Little Late with Lilly Singh
2019

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009

Hollywood Game Night
2013

Buffy the Vampire Slayer
1997

The Daily Show
1996

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015

Independent Lens
1999

Kal Penn Approves This Message
2020

CBS News Sunday Morning
1979

The Kelly Clarkson Show
2019

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
2020

Sesame Street
1969

Celebrity Weakest Link
2025

Name That Tune
2021

The Agency
2001

The Soup
2004

Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003

Industry
2020