- published: 01 Dec 2015
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Kunal Nayyar (English pronunciation: /ˈkuːnɑːl ˈnɛər/; born April 30, 1981) is an actor best known for his role as Rajesh Koothrappali on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory.
Nayyar was born in London to a Hindu-Punjabi family and moved to India when he was four years old.
He attended St Columba's School in New Delhi, India, where he played badminton for the school team. In 1999 he moved to the US to earn a Bachelor of Science in Business from the University of Portland. While he was working on his degree he started taking acting classes and appeared in several school plays. After he participated in the American College Theater Festival and won its Mark Twain Prize for Comic Brilliance, he resolved to become a professional actor. He then attended Temple University, where he received a Master of Fine Arts in Acting.
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. In 2006, Nayyar teamed up with Arun Das to write the play Cotton Candy, which premiered in New Delhi to positive reviews. Nayyar made a guest appearance on the CBS drama NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) in the episode "Suspicion" (Season 4, Episode 12), in which he played Youssef Zidan, an Iraqi terrorist. His agent heard about a role for 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, on which he plays astrophysicist Rajesh Koothrappali.
Robert William "Rob" Corddry (born February 4, 1971) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his work as a former correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and for his starring role in the comedy film Hot Tub Time Machine. He is also the creator and star of Childrens Hospital, which is currently airing new episodes on the Adult Swim network.
Corddry was born and raised in Weymouth, Massachusetts. He is the son of Robin (née Sullivan) and Steven Corddry, who was a Massachusetts Port Authority official. He is the older brother of actor Nate Corddry. Corddry and his brother are both Eagle Scouts from Troop 19, located in Weymouth.
After graduating from Weymouth North High School in 1989, Corddry went to the University of Massachusetts Amherst. According to an interview in the UMass Amherst alumni magazine, Corddry planned to study journalism when he arrived in fall 1989. He stuck with the major for just two days. English became his official major instead, but by his sophomore year, he focused much of his attention on drama classes and plays including Torch Song Trilogy, Ten Little Indians, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Romeo and Juliet, and Reckless. While at UMass, Corddry pledged the Theta Chapter of Theta Chi fraternity. He graduated in 1993.