Cast & creator
Kal Penn
Best known for Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
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
Also known as: Kalpen Suresh Modi, Cal Pen
56
film credits
61
television credits
113
1969–2026 · acting roles
6.3
average across scored titles
Signature credits
Known for
Across film & television
Filmography (117)
Showing 117 of 117 credits
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Self - Guest
2009
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Henry Chanoor
1999
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Self
2014
The Daily Show
Self - Guest Host
1996
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Self
2019The Kelly Clarkson Show
Self - Guest Host
2019
American Horror Story
Mac Marzara
2011
House
Lawrence Kutner
2004
The View
Self - Guest
1997
The Late Late Show with James Corden
Self - Guest
2015
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
Self
2005
Sesame Street
1969
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self - Guest
2003
24
Ahmed Amar
2001
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
Self - Guest
1988
How I Met Your Mother
Kevin Venkataraghavan
2005
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Hunt
1997
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992
CBS News Sunday Morning
Self
1979
ER
Narajan
1994
The Tamron Hall Show
Self - Guest
2019
New Girl
Tripp
2011
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
Prajeeb
1996
Angel
Young Man in Fez
1999
The Big Bang Theory
Kevin Campbell
2007
Spin City
Buddy
1996
A Little Late with Lilly Singh
Self
2019
The Soup
Self
2004
Designated Survivor
Seth Wright
2016
Independent Lens
Jagdesh
1999Independent Lens
Vandana's Fiancee
1999
Impractical Jokers
Self
2011
Industry
Jay 'Jonah' Atterbury
2020
Finding Your Roots
Self
2012
Celebrity Wheel of Fortune
Self - Contestant
2021
To Tell the Truth
Self - Panelist
2016
Match Game
Self - Panelist
2016
The $100,000 Pyramid
Self
2016
The Agency
Malek
2001
Tru Calling
Steven
2003
Smile
Dr. Morgan Desai
2022
Name That Tune
Self - Contestant
2021
Fancy Nancy
Mr. Singh (voice)
2018
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
Self - Contestant
2020
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
Ventakish (voice)
2023
Hollywood Game Night
Self
2013
The Santa Clauses
Simon Choksi
2022
Superman Returns
Stanford
2006
Mira, Royal Detective
Mikku (voice)
2020
Clarice
Shaan Tripathi
2021
Celebrity Weakest Link
Self - Contestant
2025
Battle Creek
Detective Fontanelle
2015
Son of the Mask
Jorge
2005
Top Gear
2010
Epic Movie
Edward
2007
Deadbeat
Clyde
2014
National Lampoon's Van Wilder
Taj Mahal Badalandabad
2002
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
Kumar Patel
2004
Deck the Halls
Amit Sayid (uncredited)
2006
A Lot Like Love
Jeeter
2005
The Underdoggs
Ryan Kauffman
2024
All About the Andersons
Doctor George
2003
The Layover
Anuj
2017
Love Don't Co$t a Thing
Kenneth Warman
2003
Sunnyside
Garrett Modi
2019Sunnyside
Creator
2019
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
Kumar Patel
2008
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas
Kumar Patel
2011
Once Upon a Time in Venice
Rajeesh
2017
We Are Men
Gil Bartis
2013
Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj
Taj Mahal Badalandabad
2006Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj
Executive Producer
2006
Malibu's Most Wanted
Hadji
2003
Superhuman
Self - Host
2017
Man About Town
Alan Fineberg
2006
The Namesake
Gogol / Nikhil
2007
The Girl in the Photographs
Peter Hemmings
2015
Sueno
Raj
2005
The Sisterhood of Night
Gordy Gambhir
2015
Speech & Debate
James
2017
Trust Me, I'm a Doctor
Dr. Sandeep Kapoor
2026Trust Me, I'm a Doctor
Executive Producer
2026
The Big Brain Theory
Self - Host
2013
Emily & Tim
Tim (Segment 2)
2015
Bachelor Party Vegas
Z-Bob
2006
Hot Mess Holiday
Kal Penn
2021
Awesometown
Guy Reading Newspaper
2006
American Desi
Ajay Pandya
2001
Schoolhouse Rock! 50th Anniversary Singalong
Self
2023
Kal Penn Approves This Message
Self - Host
2020
The Big Picture with Kal Penn
Himself - Host
2015
A Prayer for Rain
Motwani
2014
Untitled Horror Movie
Mark
2021
We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial
Self
2009
The Problem with Apu
Self
2017
Harold & Kumar Go to Amsterdam
Kumar
2008
Better Off Single
Brice
2016
Ball and Chain
Bobby
2004
Clarice: Behind the Scenes with Stars and Producers
Self
2021
Freshmen
Ajay
1999
Regarding Ardy
Fred
2003
The Ashram
Nitin
2018Cosmopolitan
Vandana's Fiancee
2003
Where's the Party Yaar?
Mo
2003What the F*ck Is My Password?!
Untitled Harold & Kumar Sequel
Kumar Patel
Harold & Kumars Yuletide Jamz
Kumar Patel
2011
The Girl in the Woods
2020
Homeland Security
Harrison
2004Brookfield
Kumar Zimmerman
Express: Aisle to Glory
Jackie Newton
1998
Dementamania
2013Patel
Patel
Executive Producer
Dancing in Twilight
Sam
2005Contra
Dale Stone