Date of Birth
30 April 1981, London, England, UKHeight
5' 8" (1.73 m)Mini Biography
Kunal Nayyar (; born April 30, 1981) is an India actor born in London, England, and raised in New Delhi, India. He is known for his role as Rajesh Koothrappali on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory.
Education
Nayyar was born in London to a Punjabi family and moved to India when he was just four years old. He attended St Columba's School in New Delhi, India where he played badminton for the school team. In 1999 he moved to the US to earn a BS in Business (BSS) from the University of Portland. While he was working on his degree he started taking acting classes, appearing in several school plays. After he participated in the American College Theater Festival and won its Mark Twain Prize for Comic Brilliance, he resolved to become a professional actor. He decided to pursue a Master of Fine Arts in Acting (MFA) from Temple University.
Career
After graduating from Temple University, Nayyar found work doing American television ads and plays on the London stage. He first gained attention in the US for his role in the West Coast production of Rajiv Joseph's 2006 play Huck & Holden where he portrayed an Indian exchange student anxious to experience American culture before returning home. In 2006, Nayyar teamed up with Arun Das to write the play Cotton Candy, which premiered in New Delhi to positive reviews. Nayyar then guest-starred in the CBS drama NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) in the episode "Suspicion" (Season 4, Episode 12), in which he played Youssef Zidan, an Iraqi terrorist. Nayyar's agent heard about a role for a scientist in an upcoming CBS pilot and encouraged him to audition for the part. This led to his casting in the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. Nayyar plays astrophysicist Rajesh Koothrappali on the TV show which is in its fifth season.
He appeared on The Bonnie Hunt Show on April 22, 2009, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on May 8 and April 9, 2010, Lopez Tonighton November 25, 2010, and Jimmy Kimmel Live! on April 22, 2011.
In 2011 he co-hosted the "Tribute to Nerds" show with co-star Simon Helberg at Just For Laughs comedy festival.
Trivia
Has a B.S. in Business from the University of Portland in Portland, Oregon, USA.
Has a Master's in Fine Arts from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Although he was born in England, he grew up in New Delhi, India. His family moved there when he was four years old.
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