Kunal Nayyar

Kunal Nayyar (, ; born 30 April 1981) is a British actor. He is best known for playing Raj Koothrappali on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory (2007–2019). He also voiced Vijay Patel on the Nickelodeon animated sitcom Sanjay and Craig (2013–2016). Nayyar was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 2021 British Academy Television Awards for his role as Sandeep Singh in Netflix anthology series Criminal: UK.

Forbes listed Nayyar as the world's third-highest-paid television actor in 2015 and 2018, with earnings of US$20 million and US$23.5 million, respectively. As of 2024, his net worth is estimated to be $45 million. The asteroid 8627 Kunalnayyar is named after him.

Early life Kunal Nayyar was born on 30 April 1981. When he was three years old, his family returned to India, and he grew up in New Delhi, where his parents now live.

In 1999, Nayyar moved to the United States to pursue a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance at the University of Portland in Oregon. He started taking acting classes and appeared in several school plays while working on his degree.

After participating in the American College Theater Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Nayyar decided to become an actor. He then attended Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he received his Master of Fine Arts degree in Acting.

Career

After graduating, 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.

Nayyar made a guest appearance on the CBS drama NCIS in the season four episode "Suspicion", in which he played Youssef Zidan, an Iraqi terrorist.

In 2007, Nayyar's agent heard about a role as 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, where he played the role of astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali from its premiere in September 2007 to the show's conclusion in May 2019.

In 2011, he co-hosted the Tribute to Nerds show with co-star Simon Helberg at the comedy festival Just for Laughs.

Nayyar voiced Gupta in Ice Age: Continental Drift in 2012. During the same year, he completed the shooting of the film, Dr. Cabbie, produced by Bollywood actor Salman Khan.

In 2013, he produced a documentary called Beyond All Boundaries, which focuses on three individuals and their love for cricket in India: Sudhir bikes across the country to support his team; Prithvi is a young cricket prodigy; and Akshaya is a female cricketer from the Mumbai slums.

From 5 May to 29 June 2015, Nayyar performed in an off-Broadway production, The Spoils, written by and starring actor Jesse Eisenberg. Nayyar played Kalyan, a Nepalese student and roommate of the protagonist Ben, played by Eisenberg. The production transferred to London's West End in 2016.

Nayyar published a book about his career journey, titled Yes, My Accent is Real: and Some Other Things I Haven’t Told You, in September 2015.

In 2021, he was announced as having been picked to play the title role of A. J. Fikry in the upcoming comedy-drama The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, alongside Lucy Hale and Christina Hendricks, an adaptation of the best-selling novel by Gabrielle Zevin.

In 2024, Nayyar reunited with Big Bang Theory costar, Melissa Rauch, making a guest appearance on an episode of Night Court. Night Court is a revival of the '80s NBC sitcom of the same name.

Personal life In December 2011, Nayyar married Neha Kapur, a model and Femina Miss India 2006. Nayyar lives in Los Angeles with his wife but also maintains residences in London and New Delhi. According to the University of Portland, Nayyar and his wife have given scholarships for University of Portland students in Performing & Fine Arts and paid for guest artists at the university.

Filmography

Film + Year Film Role Director(s) Notes 2004 S.C.I.E.N.C.E Pizza Man Jordan Noce 2012 Ice Age: Continental Drift Gupta Steve Martino & Mike Thurmeier Voice 2013 Beyond All Boundaries Narrator 2014 The Scribbler Karim John Suits Dr. Cabbie Tony Jean-François Pouliot 2015 Consumed Serge Negani Daryl Wein 2016 Trolls Guy Diamond Mike Mitchell Voice 2019 Sweetness in the Belly Dr. Robin Sathi Zeresenay Berhane Mehari 2020 Trolls World Tour Guy Diamond Walt Dohrn Voice Think Like a Dog Mr. Mills Gil Junger 2022 The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry A.J. Fikry Hans Canosa 2023Trolls Band Together Guy Diamond Walt Dohrn Voice cameo 2024 Spaceman Peter Johan Renck How to Date Billy Walsh Rupert BrownAlex Sanjiv Pillai 2025 Christmas Karma Mr Sood Gurinder Chadha

Television Year Series Role Notes 2007 NCIS Youssef Zidan Episode: "Suspicion" 2007–2019 The Big Bang Theory Raj Koothrappali Main role 2010 The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson Himself 2013–2016 Sanjay and Craig Vijay (voice) Main role 2013–2014 Sullivan & Son Sanjay/Neal Episode: "Ladies Night", "Sexual Healing" 2015 The Late Late Show Host 25–27 February The Mindy Project Sendhil Episode: "While I Was Sleeping" 2016 Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade Gupta (cameo/flashback) TV special 2017Trolls Holiday Guy Diamond (voice) Drop the Mic Himself Episode: "Mayim Bialik vs. Kunal Nayyar / Ashley Tisdale vs. Nick Lachey" 2020 Criminal: UK Sandeep Singh Episode: "Sandeep" 2021 Trolls: Holiday in Harmony Guy Diamond (voice) TV special 2022 Suspicion Aadesh Chopra Main role 2024 Night Court Martini Toddwallis Episode: "A Crime of Fashion" 2026 Stuart Fails to Save the Universe Alternate Raj Koothrappali Episodes: "Spoiler: Gary Dies" and Spoiler: “Corn is Delicious”

Theatre Year Title Role Notes 2006 Huck and Holden Naveen Dahlia Theater, Los Angeles, United States Love's Labour's Lost Other Parts Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford upon Avon, United Kingdom Love's Labour's Lost Other Parts Shakespeare Theatre Company, Lansburgh Theatre, Washington, DC, United States 2015 The Spoils Kalyan The New Group at The Pershing Square Signature Center, New York, United States 2016 The Spoils Kalyan Trafalgar Studios, London

Awards Year Award Category Title Result 2006 Garland Awards Best Male Lead in a Play on the West Coast Huck and Holden 2011 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series The Big Bang Theory 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2021 British Academy Television Awards Best Supporting Actor Criminal: UK