Kal Penn

Actor
Producer
Additional Crew

The story of Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, whose life is turned upside down when he is implicated in the death of his former patient, model and reality TV star, Anna Nicole Smith.

Play trailer1:48

Trust Me, I'm a Doctor (2026)

Kal Penn was born and raised in New Jersey, His parents are immigrants to America from India. He attended Freehold Township High School, and the Freehold Regional High School District's Performing Arts High School at Howell. He then moved to Los Angeles to study at the UCLA's prestigious School of Theatre, Film and Television. He majored in theater, film, and television and sociology. He began his acting career in several indie films. His breakthrough film role came in the comedy Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004). Several Harold & Kumar films have followed. He went on to appear for 2 years in the television series House (2004).

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Awards
- 1 win & 8 nominations total

Photos359

+ 353

Known for

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle

7.0

Kumar Patel

2004

Van Wilder

6.4

Taj Mahal Badalandabad

2002

Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay

6.5

Kumar

2008

A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas

6.2

Kumar

2011

Credits

IMDbPro

Actor

Industry
7.5
TV Series
- Jay Jonah Atterbury
- 2026
Deadpool VR
5.9
Video Game
- Carl (voice)
- 2025
The Underdoggs
5.6
- Ryan Kauffman
- 2024
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
7.7
TV Mini Series
- Matthew Patel's Lawyer (voice)
- 2023
The Mindful Adventures of Unicorn Island
6.5
TV Series
- Dad
- 2023
Belated
TV Series
- Owen
- 2022
The Santa Clauses
6.4
TV Series
- Simon Choksi
- 2022
American Horror Story
7.9
TV Series
- Mac Marzara
- 2022
Smile
6.5
- Dr. Morgan Desai
- 2022
Mira, Royal Detective
7.4
TV Series
- Mikku
- Guard 2
- Townsperson
- 2020–2022
Hot Mess Holiday
5.5
TV Movie
- Kal Penn (as Kalpen Modi)
- 2021
Clarice
6.6
TV Series
- Shaan Tripathi
- 2021
Untitled Horror Movie
4.8
- Mark
- 2021
Fancy Nancy
5.4
TV Series
- Mr. Ravi Singh
- Mr. Singh
- 2018–2021
It's Pony
6.5
TV Series
- Fred (voice)
- 2020–2021

Producer

Hot Mess Holiday
5.5
TV Movie
- executive producer
- 2021
Kal Penn Approves This Message
4.7
TV Series
- executive producer
- 2020
Sunnyside
5.5
TV Series
- executive producer
- 2019
This Giant Beast That is the Global Economy
7.7
TV Series
- consulting producer
- 2019
Vice News
8.2
TV Series
- producer
- 2015
The Big Picture with Kal Penn
8.0
TV Mini Series
- producer
- 2015
The Big Brain Theory
7.0
TV Series
- producer
- 2013
Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj
4.8
- executive producer
- 2006
Hector
4.6
Short
- associate producer
- 2002

Additional Crew

In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos77

Clip 1:35

The Girl in the Photographs

Clip 1:35

The Girl in the Photographs

Clip 1:35

The Girl in the Photographs

Harold and Kumar Go To The White Castle

Clip 0:58

Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay

Personal details

Official sites
- Instagram
- X
Alternative name
- Kalpen Modi
Height
- 5′ 10¼″ (1.78 m)
Born
- April 23
- Montclair, New Jersey, USA
Relatives
- Pulin Modi(Sibling)
Other works
In February 2003, appeared as "Fred" in The Lonely Island's Episode 2: Regarding Andy. http://www.thelonelyisland.com/episodes.html
Publicity listings

Did you know

Trivia
Is best friends with John Cho, Ryan Reynolds and Neil Patrick Harris.

Quotes
(2005) My friend and I will drive down to Tijuana just for lunch -- it's a 2 1/2-hour drive if you leave early. We go over the border and get these great tacos. There's no sign on the place, so we don't even know the name of it. Behind the shops where all the tourists go, there are these two alleys, and it's there. Half of the appeal, honestly, is that we're going to Mexico for tacos. We're here in Southern California and it's so close to another country, it's awesome that we can just go down there for lunch.