Kunal Nayyar is a British-Indian actor and writer known for his role as Dr. Raj Koothrappali in the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory. Nayyar was born in London and brought up in New Delhi, India. He attended St Columba's School in New Delhi, where he played badminton for the school team.

In 1999, Nayyar moved to the US to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Business (Finance) from the University of Portland, Oregon. Working on his degree, he started taking acting classes and appeared in several school plays.

After participating in the American College Theater Festival, Nayyar decided to become a professional actor. He then attended Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 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's 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 Raj Koothrappali.

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

In 2012, Nayyar voiced Gupta in Ice Age: Continental Drift. That same year, he completed the shooting of his first film Dr. Cabbie in Toronto, Canada. The film was produced by Bollywood actor Salman Khan.

Nayyar married Miss India 2006 winner Neha Kapur in December 2011.

Comedians, Humorists, Television Personalities, Entertainers, Entertainment Industry, Actors, Artists, Diversity & Race, Television Actor, College & University, Actress, Asian Culture & Heritage, Asia & The Pacific, Arts & Humanities, Celebrity & Entertainment Diversity Topics,