Kal Penn is currently starring in ABC’s acclaimed hit drama Designated Survivor as the character Seth Wright. He is widely known for the hilarious “Harold and Kumar” franchise. Penn has also starred in the TV shows House and How I Met Your Mother. He has also recently appeared in the independent dramas Sisterhood of Night and Outliving Emily, and in the Wes Craven horror release Girl in the Photographs. The New York Times called his lead role in Mira Nair’s The Namesake a “crackling, star-making performance.”
Penn took a sabbatical from acting from 2009 to 2012 to serve in the Obama Administration. He was the President’s Associate Director of Public Engagement, and Liaison to Young Americans. At the White House, Penn focused on a wide range of issues, including the Affordable Care Act, repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Pell Grants, and the DREAM Act.
He has been an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He was born and raised in New Jersey, has a BA in Sociology, Theater, Film, and Television from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA),and a graduate certificate in International Security from Stanford University.
