Danny Pudi
Encyclopedia
Danny Pudi is an American actor, best known for his role as Abed Nadir on the NBC
comedy series Community
.
n and Polish
descent, was born and raised in Chicago
and grew up speaking Polish. He studied dance in Chicago and attended Marquette University
in Milwaukee
, Wisconsin
, graduating with a degree in Communication and Theatre in 2001.
Scholarship. Beyond paying for a year of school, the scholarship led to his performing at an improv comedy
event featuring Jim Breuer
and Dave Chappelle
, increasing his interest in studying improv. Pudi performed in summer stock theatre
in Wisconsin after Marquette, then studied at The Second City
in Chicago. He became a recruiter
for an executive search
firm before moving to Los Angeles in 2005 to seek television and film roles. Pudi's home-based job
permitted him to attend auditions, helping him to avoid "the struggling actor thing in terms of waiting tables, temping and so on." He performed in several television pilot
s before joining the cast of Community.
Pudi has appeared in multiple television advertisement
s for such products as Snickers
, Verizon, McDonald's
, T-Mobile
, and Pokemon
.
Pudi portrayed Arash in the comedy film Road Trip: Beer Pong
, which received mainly negative reviews, and starred in the comedy horror film Knights of Badassdom, which was one of the highlights of Comic Con 2011, according to HitFix.com
.
Pudi starred in the Jones Street Station music video for "The Understanding."
s.
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
comedy series Community
Community (TV series)
Community is an American television comedy series created by Dan Harmon that airs on NBC. The series is about a group of students at a community college in the fictional locale of Greendale, Colorado. The series heavily uses meta-humor and pop culture references, often parodying film and television...
.
Early years
Pudi, who is of IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n and Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
descent, was born and raised in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and grew up speaking Polish. He studied dance in Chicago and attended Marquette University
Marquette University
Marquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
in Milwaukee
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, graduating with a degree in Communication and Theatre in 2001.
Career
At Marquette, Pudi won the Chris FarleyChris Farley
Christopher Crosby "Chris" Farley was an American comedian and actor. Farley was a member of Chicago's Second City Theatre and cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1995....
Scholarship. Beyond paying for a year of school, the scholarship led to his performing at an improv comedy
Improvisational theatre
Improvisational theatre takes many forms. It is best known as improv or impro, which is often comedic, and sometimes poignant or dramatic. In this popular, often topical art form improvisational actors/improvisers use improvisational acting techniques to perform spontaneously...
event featuring Jim Breuer
Jim Breuer
Jim Breuer is an American stand-up comedian, actor and radio host. He is most noted for his time as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and starring in the 1998 cult "stoner comedy" Half Baked, alongside Dave Chappelle....
and Dave Chappelle
Dave Chappelle
David Khari Webber "Dave" Chappelle is an American comedian, screenwriter, television/film producer, actor, and artist. Chappelle began his film career in the film Robin Hood: Men in Tights in 1993 and continued to star in minor roles in the films The Nutty Professor, Con Air, and Blue Streak. His...
, increasing his interest in studying improv. Pudi performed in summer stock theatre
Summer stock theatre
Summer stock theatre is any theatre that presents stage productions only in the summer within the United States. The name combines both the seasonal time of year with the tradition of staging shows by a resident company, reusing stock scenery and costumes...
in Wisconsin after Marquette, then studied at The Second City
The Second City
The Second City is a improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles...
in Chicago. He became a recruiter
Recruiter
A recruiter is someone engaging in recruitment, or the solicitation of individuals to fill jobs or positions within a corporation, nonprofit organization, sports team, the military, etc. Recruiters may work within an organization's human resources department or on an outsourced basis...
for an executive search
Executive search
Executive search is the consultative process of recruiting individuals to fill senior executive positions in organizations. Executive search may be performed by an organization's board of directors, or by an outside executive search organization....
firm before moving to Los Angeles in 2005 to seek television and film roles. Pudi's home-based job
Telecommuting
Telecommuting or telework is a work arrangement in which employees enjoy flexibility in working location and hours. In other words, the daily commute to a central place of work is replaced by telecommunication links...
permitted him to attend auditions, helping him to avoid "the struggling actor thing in terms of waiting tables, temping and so on." He performed in several television pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
s before joining the cast of Community.
Pudi has appeared in multiple television advertisement
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
s for such products as Snickers
Snickers
Snickers is a brand name chocolate bar made by Mars, Incorporated. It consists of peanut nougat topped with roasted peanuts and caramel, enrobed in milk chocolate. Snickers has annual global sales of $2 billion....
, Verizon, McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
, T-Mobile
T-Mobile
T-Mobile International AG is a German-based holding company for Deutsche Telekom AG's various mobile communications subsidiaries outside Germany. Based in Bonn, Germany, its subsidiaries operate GSM and UMTS-based cellular networks in Europe, the United States, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
, and Pokemon
Pokémon
is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
.
Pudi portrayed Arash in the comedy film Road Trip: Beer Pong
Road Trip: Beer Pong
Road Trip: Beer Pong is a 2010 direct-to-DVD sequel to the 2000 comedy film Road Trip and directed by Steve Rash. The only original cast members to return for the sequel were DJ Qualls and Rhoda Griffis. The film was produced by Paramount Famous Productions as Paramount Pictures having acquired...
, which received mainly negative reviews, and starred in the comedy horror film Knights of Badassdom, which was one of the highlights of Comic Con 2011, according to HitFix.com
HitFix
HitFix, or the HitFix.com is an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information and providing reviews and critiques of film, music and television...
.
Pudi starred in the Jones Street Station music video for "The Understanding."
Personal life
Pudi is married to Bridget Showalter, whom he met in their freshman year at Marquette. He is a runner, and has completed several marathonMarathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
s.
Film
| Year | Film | Credited as |
|---|---|---|
| Role | ||
| 2007 | Cop Show | Saffa |
| The Untitled Rob Roy Thomas Project | ||
| 2008 | Giants of Radio | Teddy |
| 2009 | Road Trip: Beer Pong Road Trip: Beer Pong Road Trip: Beer Pong is a 2010 direct-to-DVD sequel to the 2000 comedy film Road Trip and directed by Steve Rash. The only original cast members to return for the sequel were DJ Qualls and Rhoda Griffis. The film was produced by Paramount Famous Productions as Paramount Pictures having acquired... |
Arash |
| Nilam Auntie: An International Treasure | Melvin the online surfer | |
| 2010 | Blowout Sale | Glen |
| The Knights of Badassdom The Knights of Badassdom Knights of Badassdom is an upcoming American horror comedy film, directed by Joe Lynch, written by Kevin Dreyfuss and Matt Wall.-Story:A group of live action roleplayers accidentally summon a succubus demon from the underworld.-Cast:... |
Lando | |
| 2012 | My Mother's Curse My Mother's Curse My Mother's Curse is a 2012 American comedy film directed by Anne Fletcher, written by Dan Fogelman, and starring Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen.-Plot:... |
Sanjay |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | ER ER (TV series) ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television... |
Mahir Kardatay | Co-Guest Star - 3 episodes |
| Gilmore Girls Gilmore Girls Gilmore Girls is an American family comedy-drama series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. On October 5, 2000, the series debuted on The WB and was cancelled in its seventh season, ending on May 15, 2007 on The CW... |
Raj | Guest Star - 4 episodes | |
| The West Wing | Santos Aide | Guest Star - 1 episode | |
| 2007–2008 | Greek Greek (TV series) Greek is an American comedy-drama television series, which follows students of the fictional Cyprus-Rhodes University , located in Ohio, who participate in the school's Greek system... |
Sanjay | Co-Guest Star - 4 episodes |
| 2008 | The Bill Engvall Show The Bill Engvall Show The Bill Engvall Show is a sitcom which ran on TBS from July 17, 2007 to September 5, 2009. The series starred comedian Bill Engvall and was written and created by Engvall and Michael Leeson... |
Josh | Guest Star - 1 episode |
| 2009–present | Community Community (TV series) Community is an American television comedy series created by Dan Harmon that airs on NBC. The series is about a group of students at a community college in the fictional locale of Greendale, Colorado. The series heavily uses meta-humor and pop culture references, often parodying film and television... |
Abed Nadir | Main Cast |
| 2011 | Cougar Town Cougar Town Cougar Town is an American television sitcom that premiered on ABC on September 23, 2009. The series focuses on a recently divorced woman in her forties facing the often humorous challenges, pitfalls and rewards of life's next chapter, along with her son, ex-husband, and friends who together make... |
Abed Nadir | Uncredited Extra - 1 episode |
| 2011 | Chuck Chuck (TV series) Chuck is an action-comedy/spy-drama television program from the United States created by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. The series is about an "average computer-whiz-next-door" named Chuck, played by Zachary Levi, who receives an encoded e-mail from an old college friend now working for the Central... |
Buy More Employee | Guest Star - 1 episode |