Kal Penn
Known for Acting · 112 credits
- Born
- 1977-04-23 (age 49)
- Place of birth
- Montclair, New Jersey, USA
- Also known as
- Kalpen Suresh Modi · Cal Pen
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
TV Shows (59)
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
1999
as Henry Chanoor
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009
as Self - Guest
House
2004
as Lawrence Kutner
The Daily Show
1996
as Self - Guest Host
Late Night with Seth Meyers
2014
as Self
Sesame Street
1969
24
2001
as Ahmed Amar
The Kelly Clarkson Show
2019
as Self / Self - Guest Host
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
2005
as Self
The Late Late Show with James Corden
2015
as Self - Guest
How I Met Your Mother
2005
as Kevin Venkataraghavan
American Horror Story
2011
as Mac Marzara
ER
1994
as Narajan
The View
1997
as Self - Guest
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003
as Self - Guest
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
1997
as Hunt
CBS News Sunday Morning
1979
as Self
The Big Bang Theory
2007
as Kevin Campbell
New Girl
2011
as Tripp
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
1988
as Self - Guest
Tamron Hall
2019
as Self - Guest
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
1996
as Prajeeb
Angel
1999
as Young Man in Fez
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992
Designated Survivor
2016
as Seth Wright
Independent Lens
1999
as Jagdesh / Vandana's Fiancee
Spin City
1996
as Buddy
Impractical Jokers
2011
as Self
Industry
2020
as Jay 'Jonah' Atterbury
The Soup
2004
as Self
A Little Late with Lilly Singh
2019
as Self
SpongeBob SquarePants
1999
as Himself
The Agency
2001
as Malek
To Tell the Truth
2016
as Self - Panelist
Match Game
2016
as Self - Panelist
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
2023
as Ventakish (voice)
Finding Your Roots
2012
as Self
The $100,000 Pyramid
2016
as Self
Tru Calling
2003
as Steven
Fancy Nancy
2018
as Mr. Singh (voice)
Celebrity Wheel of Fortune
2021
as Self - Contestant
Mira, Royal Detective
2020
as Mikku (voice)
Hollywood Game Night
2013
as Self
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
2020
as Self - Contestant
Battle Creek
2015
as Detective Fontanelle
Clarice
2021
as Shaan Tripathi
Name That Tune
2021
as Self - Contestant
Top Gear
2010
The Santa Clauses
2022
as Simon Choksi
Celebrity Weakest Link
2025
as Self - Contestant
Deadbeat
2014
as Clyde
Sunnyside
2019
as Garrett Modi
All About the Andersons
2003
as Doctor George
We Are Men
2013
as Gil Bartis
Superhuman
2017
as Self - Host
The Big Brain Theory
2013
as Self - Host
Kal Penn Approves This Message
2020
as Self - Host
The Big Picture with Kal Penn
2015
as Himself - Host
Movies (53)
Smile
2022
as Dr. Morgan Desai
Love Don't Co$t a Thing
2003
as Kenneth Warman
Superman Returns
2006
as Stanford
Epic Movie
2007
as Edward
Son of the Mask
2005
as Jorge
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
2004
as Kumar Patel
National Lampoon's Van Wilder
2002
as Taj Mahal Badalandabad
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
2008
as Kumar Patel
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas
2011
as Kumar Patel
The Layover
2017
as Anuj
Deck the Halls
2006
as Amit Sayid (uncredited)
A Lot Like Love
2005
as Jeeter
Once Upon a Time in Venice
2017
as Rajeesh
The Underdoggs
2024
as Ryan Kauffman
Emily & Tim
2015
as Tim (Segment 2)
Malibu's Most Wanted
2003
as Hadji
Sueno
2005
as Raj
Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj
2006
as Taj Mahal Badalandabad
Man About Town
2006
as Alan Fineberg
Trust Me, I'm a Doctor
2026
as Dr. Sandeep Kapoor
The Problem with Apu
2017
as Self
Awesometown
2006
as Guy Reading Newspaper
Untitled Horror Movie
2021
as Mark
Freshmen
1999
as Ajay
Regarding Ardy
2003
as Fred
The Ashram
2018
as Nitin
Bachelor Party Vegas
2006
as Z-Bob
American Desi
2001
as Ajay Pandya
Where's the Party Yaar?
2003
as Mo
The Girl in the Photographs
2015
as Peter Hemmings
The Namesake
2006
as Gogol / Nikhil
The Sisterhood of Night
2015
as Gordy Gambhir
A Prayer for Rain
2014
as Motwani
Speech & Debate
2017
as James
Hot Mess Holiday
2021
as Kal Penn
Homeland Security
2004
as Harrison
Ball and Chain
2004
as Bobby
Cosmopolitan
2003
as Vandana's Fiancee
The Girl in the Woods
2020
Harold & Kumar Go to Amsterdam
2008
as Kumar
We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial
2009
as Self
Better Off Single
2016
as Brice
What the F*ck Is My Password?!
Dancing in Twilight
2005
as Sam
Express: Aisle to Glory
1998
as Jackie Newton
Dementamania
2013
Patel
Harold & Kumars Yuletide Jamz
2011
as Kumar Patel
Clarice: Behind the Scenes with Stars and Producers
2021
as Self
Untitled Harold & Kumar Sequel
as Kumar Patel
Brookfield
as Kumar Zimmerman
Schoolhouse Rock! 50th Anniversary Singalong
2023
as Self
Contra
as Dale Stone
About Kal Penn
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 P… With 112 credits spanning from 1969 to 2026, Kal Penn has appeared in 53 films and 59 TV shows.
Fans searching for Kal Penn movies, Kal Penn filmography, or the latest projects starring Kal Penn can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Kal Penn Movies
- Smile (2022) — as Dr. Morgan Desai
- Love Don't Co$t a Thing (2003) — as Kenneth Warman
- Superman Returns (2006) — as Stanford
- Epic Movie (2007) — as Edward
- Son of the Mask (2005) — as Jorge
Where to Watch Kal Penn Films
Most Kal Penn movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Kal Penn, check our movies catalogue and browse page.