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Kal Penn - The American actor and producer of Indian descent is known for starring in 'National Lampoon's Van Wilder' (2002), the 'Harold and Kumar' films, and in the TV series 'House' as Lawrence Kutner M.D.
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Kunal Nayyar - The Indian-born actor moved to the US aged 18 and shot to fame after he landed a lead role in 'The Big Bang Theory,' one of the most successful TV series of all time. In 2022 he starred in the movie 'The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry' opposite Lucy Hale.
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Freida Pinto - The Indian actress and model became well-known for playing Latika opposite Dev Patel in 'Slumdog Millionaire.' She went on to appear in movies like the Oscar-nominated 'Hillbilly Elegy' (2020) and the period drama 'Mr. Malcolm's List' (2022).
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Ben Kingsley - The British actor of Indian descent made history when he won the Oscar for Best Actor for starring in the 1982 biopic 'Ghandi.' He has mastered the Shakespearean drama on stage and has starred in movies of all genres, from 'Schindler's List' (1993) to 'Iron Man 3' (2013).
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Aziz Ansari - Among his many roles, the American actor and comedian of Indian descent is known for playing Tom Haverford in 'Parks and Recreation' and Dev Shah in 'Master of None.'
© Getty Images
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Tiya Sircar - The American actress of Indian descent co-starred in the 2013 movie 'The Internship' with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. She has also appeared in TV shows like 'The Good Place' and 'The Afterparty.'
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Suraj Sharma - Suraj Sharma got his big break in 'Life of Pi' (2012) and landed a role in the TV series 'How I Met Your Father' in 2022.
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Hannah Simone - The Canadian actress and former model of Indian descent became a household name playing Cece in the series 'New Girl.' More recently, she played Sam in the series 'Not Dead Yet' opposite Gina Rodriguez.
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Aasif Mandvi - The Indian-American actor and comedian has quite a resume, one of his most notable recent appearances being in the TV series 'Evil.'
© Getty Images
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Archie Panjabi - The British actress of Indian descent is known for her character Kalinda Sharma in the series 'The Good Wife,' which earned her an Emmy award for Best Supporting Actress in 2010. More recently she appeared in the series 'Snowpiercer.'
© Getty Images
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Utkarsh Ambudkar - The American actor of Indian descent is known for movies like 'Pitch Perfect' (2012) and 'tick, tick... BOOM!' (2021), and TV shows like 'The Mindy Project' and 'Ghosts.'
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Nimrat Kaur - The actress starred in the 2013 movie 'The Lunchbox,' a Hindi language film that earned international acclaim. She later appeared in the hit American series 'Homeland.'
© Getty Images
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Irrfan Khan - Before his tragic premature death in 2020, the Jaipur-born actor became famous for his roles in films like 'The Darjeeling Limited' (2007), 'Life of Pi' (2012), and 'The Amazing Spider-Man' (2012).
© Getty Images
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Tina Desai - The Indian actress and model got her start in Hollywood in 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' and also starred in Netflix's 'Sense8.'
© Getty Images
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Naveen Andrews - The British actor of Indian descent is known for his roles in 'The English Patient' (199) and as Sayid Jarrah in the TV series 'Lost.' In 2022 he starred in the miniseries 'The Dropout' opposite Amanda Seyfried.
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Sakina Jaffrey - The American actress of Indian descent is known for her work on 'House of Cards,' 'The Mindy Project' and 'Mr. Robot,' among many others.
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Maulik Pancholy - The American actor and voice actor of Indian origin became known for his role as Sanjay Holler in the series 'Weeds.' He has also appeared in the series '30 Rock' and 'Only Murders in the Building.'
© Getty Images
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Parminder Nagra - The British actress of Indian descent got her start in the movie 2002 movie 'Bend It Like Beckham', and went on to appear in 'Ella Enchanted' (2004), season one of 'The Blacklist,' and 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'
© Getty Images
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Ajay Mehta
- The Indian actor and producer is known for his work in 'Spider-Man' (2002), 'G.I Joe: Retaliation' (2013), and 'Trainwreck' (2015).
© Getty Images
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Rahul Kohli - The British actor of Indian descent has been making his name in the world of horror over the past decade. He first gained notoriety for his role in the series 'iZombie,' and went on to star in the series 'Midnight Mass' and 'The Haunting of Bly Manor.'
© Getty Images
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Anil Kapoor - The actor has had a long cinematic career and has starred in many films and TV series, including 'Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol' in 2011 and the series '24' opposite Kiefer Sutherland.
© Getty Images
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Mindy Kaling - The American actress of Indian descent first rose to fame in the tv series 'The Office,' but went on to become one of Hollywood's most impressive young writers/producers. She created the series 'The Mindy Project,' 'Never Have I Ever,' 'The Sex Lives of College Girls,' and 'Velma.'
© Getty Images
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Dev Patel - The British actor of Indian descent conquered the world with his performance in 2008's 'Slumdog Millionaire.' Since then he's starred in international hits like 'Lion' (2016), 'Hotel Mumbai' (2018), and 'The Green Knight' (2021).
© Getty Images
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Sendhil Ramamurthy - The American actor, born to Indian parents, found fame after starring in the hit series 'Heroes' and 'Covert Affairs.' He also appeared in the 2013 movie 'The Lifeguard' with Kristen Bell.
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Avan Jogia - The Canadian actor and activist of Indian descent played Beck Oliver in the Nickelodeon sitcom 'Victorious,' starred as King Tutankhamun in the miniseries 'Tut' with Ben Kingsley, and played Johnny in the 2023 movie 'Johnny & Clyde' opposite Megan Fox.
© Getty Images
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Priyanka Chopra - The Indian actress, singer and model, voted Miss World in 2000, is one of Hollywood's biggest names today. With her husband Nick Jonas and their daughter Malti, she is part of one of the most famous celeb families in the entertainment industry. In recent years she has appeared in movies like 'The Matrix Resurrections' (2021), and the 2023 rom-com 'Love Again.'
© Getty Images
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Karan Brar - The American actor of Indian descent is known for his roles in the 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' franchise and the Disney series 'Jessie.' He also appeared in the 2020 comedy, 'The Argument.'
© Getty Images
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Manish Dayal - The American actor and producer of Indian descent is known for starring in 'The Hundred-Foot Journey' (2014) with Helen Mirren, and has appeared in TV series like '90210' and 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'
© Getty Images
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Neel Sethi
- The Indian-American made his debut as Mowgli in the live-action version of 'The Jungle Book' in 2016 and has several projects in the works. Sources: (Culture Trip) (MovieWeb) See also: Famous immigrants who make America great
© Getty Images
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© Getty Images
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Kal Penn - The American actor and producer of Indian descent is known for starring in 'National Lampoon's Van Wilder' (2002), the 'Harold and Kumar' films, and in the TV series 'House' as Lawrence Kutner M.D.
© Getty Images
1 / 30 Fotos
Kunal Nayyar - The Indian-born actor moved to the US aged 18 and shot to fame after he landed a lead role in 'The Big Bang Theory,' one of the most successful TV series of all time. In 2022 he starred in the movie 'The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry' opposite Lucy Hale.
© Getty Images
2 / 30 Fotos
Freida Pinto - The Indian actress and model became well-known for playing Latika opposite Dev Patel in 'Slumdog Millionaire.' She went on to appear in movies like the Oscar-nominated 'Hillbilly Elegy' (2020) and the period drama 'Mr. Malcolm's List' (2022).
© Getty Images
3 / 30 Fotos
Ben Kingsley - The British actor of Indian descent made history when he won the Oscar for Best Actor for starring in the 1982 biopic 'Ghandi.' He has mastered the Shakespearean drama on stage and has starred in movies of all genres, from 'Schindler's List' (1993) to 'Iron Man 3' (2013).
© Getty Images
4 / 30 Fotos
Aziz Ansari - Among his many roles, the American actor and comedian of Indian descent is known for playing Tom Haverford in 'Parks and Recreation' and Dev Shah in 'Master of None.'
© Getty Images
5 / 30 Fotos
Tiya Sircar - The American actress of Indian descent co-starred in the 2013 movie 'The Internship' with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. She has also appeared in TV shows like 'The Good Place' and 'The Afterparty.'
© Getty Images
6 / 30 Fotos
Suraj Sharma - Suraj Sharma got his big break in 'Life of Pi' (2012) and landed a role in the TV series 'How I Met Your Father' in 2022.
© Getty Images
7 / 30 Fotos
Hannah Simone - The Canadian actress and former model of Indian descent became a household name playing Cece in the series 'New Girl.' More recently, she played Sam in the series 'Not Dead Yet' opposite Gina Rodriguez.
© Getty Images
8 / 30 Fotos
Aasif Mandvi - The Indian-American actor and comedian has quite a resume, one of his most notable recent appearances being in the TV series 'Evil.'
© Getty Images
9 / 30 Fotos
Archie Panjabi - The British actress of Indian descent is known for her character Kalinda Sharma in the series 'The Good Wife,' which earned her an Emmy award for Best Supporting Actress in 2010. More recently she appeared in the series 'Snowpiercer.'
© Getty Images
10 / 30 Fotos
Utkarsh Ambudkar - The American actor of Indian descent is known for movies like 'Pitch Perfect' (2012) and 'tick, tick... BOOM!' (2021), and TV shows like 'The Mindy Project' and 'Ghosts.'
© Getty Images
11 / 30 Fotos
Nimrat Kaur - The actress starred in the 2013 movie 'The Lunchbox,' a Hindi language film that earned international acclaim. She later appeared in the hit American series 'Homeland.'
© Getty Images
12 / 30 Fotos
Irrfan Khan - Before his tragic premature death in 2020, the Jaipur-born actor became famous for his roles in films like 'The Darjeeling Limited' (2007), 'Life of Pi' (2012), and 'The Amazing Spider-Man' (2012).
© Getty Images
13 / 30 Fotos
Tina Desai - The Indian actress and model got her start in Hollywood in 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' and also starred in Netflix's 'Sense8.'
© Getty Images
14 / 30 Fotos
Naveen Andrews - The British actor of Indian descent is known for his roles in 'The English Patient' (199) and as Sayid Jarrah in the TV series 'Lost.' In 2022 he starred in the miniseries 'The Dropout' opposite Amanda Seyfried.
© Getty Images
15 / 30 Fotos
Sakina Jaffrey - The American actress of Indian descent is known for her work on 'House of Cards,' 'The Mindy Project' and 'Mr. Robot,' among many others.
© Getty Images
16 / 30 Fotos
Maulik Pancholy - The American actor and voice actor of Indian origin became known for his role as Sanjay Holler in the series 'Weeds.' He has also appeared in the series '30 Rock' and 'Only Murders in the Building.'
© Getty Images
17 / 30 Fotos
Parminder Nagra - The British actress of Indian descent got her start in the movie 2002 movie 'Bend It Like Beckham', and went on to appear in 'Ella Enchanted' (2004), season one of 'The Blacklist,' and 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'
© Getty Images
18 / 30 Fotos
Ajay Mehta
- The Indian actor and producer is known for his work in 'Spider-Man' (2002), 'G.I Joe: Retaliation' (2013), and 'Trainwreck' (2015).
© Getty Images
19 / 30 Fotos
Rahul Kohli - The British actor of Indian descent has been making his name in the world of horror over the past decade. He first gained notoriety for his role in the series 'iZombie,' and went on to star in the series 'Midnight Mass' and 'The Haunting of Bly Manor.'
© Getty Images
20 / 30 Fotos
Anil Kapoor - The actor has had a long cinematic career and has starred in many films and TV series, including 'Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol' in 2011 and the series '24' opposite Kiefer Sutherland.
© Getty Images
21 / 30 Fotos
Mindy Kaling - The American actress of Indian descent first rose to fame in the tv series 'The Office,' but went on to become one of Hollywood's most impressive young writers/producers. She created the series 'The Mindy Project,' 'Never Have I Ever,' 'The Sex Lives of College Girls,' and 'Velma.'
© Getty Images
22 / 30 Fotos
Dev Patel - The British actor of Indian descent conquered the world with his performance in 2008's 'Slumdog Millionaire.' Since then he's starred in international hits like 'Lion' (2016), 'Hotel Mumbai' (2018), and 'The Green Knight' (2021).
© Getty Images
23 / 30 Fotos
Sendhil Ramamurthy - The American actor, born to Indian parents, found fame after starring in the hit series 'Heroes' and 'Covert Affairs.' He also appeared in the 2013 movie 'The Lifeguard' with Kristen Bell.
© Getty Images
24 / 30 Fotos
Avan Jogia - The Canadian actor and activist of Indian descent played Beck Oliver in the Nickelodeon sitcom 'Victorious,' starred as King Tutankhamun in the miniseries 'Tut' with Ben Kingsley, and played Johnny in the 2023 movie 'Johnny & Clyde' opposite Megan Fox.
© Getty Images
25 / 30 Fotos
Priyanka Chopra - The Indian actress, singer and model, voted Miss World in 2000, is one of Hollywood's biggest names today. With her husband Nick Jonas and their daughter Malti, she is part of one of the most famous celeb families in the entertainment industry. In recent years she has appeared in movies like 'The Matrix Resurrections' (2021), and the 2023 rom-com 'Love Again.'
© Getty Images
26 / 30 Fotos
Karan Brar - The American actor of Indian descent is known for his roles in the 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' franchise and the Disney series 'Jessie.' He also appeared in the 2020 comedy, 'The Argument.'
© Getty Images
27 / 30 Fotos
Manish Dayal - The American actor and producer of Indian descent is known for starring in 'The Hundred-Foot Journey' (2014) with Helen Mirren, and has appeared in TV series like '90210' and 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'
© Getty Images
28 / 30 Fotos
Neel Sethi
- The Indian-American made his debut as Mowgli in the live-action version of 'The Jungle Book' in 2016 and has several projects in the works. Sources: (Culture Trip) (MovieWeb) See also: Famous immigrants who make America great
© Getty Images
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Indian actors making it big in Hollywood
Meet the biggest stars of Indian descent
© Getty Images
Those who grew up in the West might think that Hollywood is bigger than Bollywood, but the reality is that Bollywood produces around twice as many movies per year and generates far more ticket sales. Needless to say, there's a wealth of talented Indian actors, many of whom have found success internationally. As the film industry slowly becomes less whitewashed, there is growing space for actors and creators of Indian descent to bring stories and characters to our screens from a majorly underrepresented but significant section of the world's population. Stars like Mindy Kaling are taking over Hollywood, while the likes of Ben Kingsley have been building exceptional careers for decades.
To get familiar with some of the biggest Indian actors in Hollywood, click through the gallery.
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