Nisha Rathode (Editor)

Ajay Naidu

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Nationality
  
American

Name
  
Ajay Naidu

Occupation
  
Actor

Role
  
Actor


Years active
  
1985-present

Spouse
  
Heather Burns (m. 2012)

Partner(s)
  
TV shows
  
LateLine

Ajay Naidu wwwnndbcompeople043000028956ajaysmjpg

Full Name
  
Ajay Kalahastri Naidu

Born
  
February 12, 1972 (age 52) (
1972-02-12
)

Movies
  
Office Space, Bad Santa, The Wrestler, The Accidental Husband, K‑PAX

Similar People
  
Heather Burns, David Herman, Ron Livingston, Mike Judge, Samrat Chakrabarti

Behind the scenes exclusive with ajay naidu


Ajay Kalahastri Naidu (born February 12, 1972) is an American actor. He is of Indian descent.

Contents

Ajay Naidu Ajay Naidu Zimbio

Hari kondabolu meets with ajay naidu


Early life and education

Ajay Naidu Ajay Naidu Flickr Photo Sharing

Naidu, an Indian American, was born in Evanston, Illinois. His parents came from India to the United States in 1964. He attended Evanston Township High School. He trained with the American Repertory Theater's Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard University.

Career

Ajay Naidu Ajay Naidu Theatre Credits

Naidu's first professional acting job was the film Touch and Go (released in 1986) which he won from an open call. He starred in the TV movie, Lady Blue (1985) as Paquito. This was followed by an ABC Afterschool Special episode, "No Greater Gift" (1985), where he played Nick Santana, a 12-year-old boy with a terminal illness. Naidu then appeared in the MacGyver TV series' first season episode, "To Be a Man" in 1986.

Ajay Naidu Ajay Naidu Zimbio

Other film credits when younger include Where the River Runs Black (1986) and Vice Versa (1988). Between 1988 and 1995 he worked extensively in classical theatre.

Naidu returned to film acting in SubUrbia in 1996.

On screen, Naidu starred in the cult film Office Space, as well as appearing in films such as K-Pax, Subway Stories, π, Requiem for a Dream, Bad Santa, The War Within, The Guru, Waterborne, and Loins of Punjab Presents. He co-starred as a series regular in the sitcom LateLine and had guest starring roles on the television dramas The Sopranos, The West Wing and Bored to Death.

Naidu has been working extensively with musicians from the Asian underground music movement for many years as a dancer and an M.C. His vocals have appeared on many records, most notably Talvin Singh's mercury award winner "OK".

In 2006, Naidu directed his first feature film Ashes which had its release in 2010 and for which he won Best Actor accolades from the MIACC Film Festival in New York and the London Asian Film Festival. In 2009, he played as ACO Jake in Hotel For Dogs.

Naidu's most recent theatre credits include The Master and Margarita with Complicite, a world tour of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure with Complicite, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui alongside Al Pacino, directed by Simon McBurney and The Little Flower of East Orange alongside Ellyn Burstyn at New York's Public Theater directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman. In 2001 Naidu's solo theatre piece Darwaza was a sold-out hit at New York's Labyrinth Theatre.

Personal life

Naidu is married to actress Heather Burns.

Filmography

Actor
-
The Zombie Wedding (post-production) as
Brick Rivers
2023
The Magnificent Meyersons (post-production) as
Mohammed
2023
Extrapolations (TV Series) as
Hiram McDowell
- 2059: Face of God (2023) - Hiram McDowell
2022
Walmart's Black Friday Deals for Days: Case of the Mondays (Short) as
Samir
2022
The Good Nurse as
Dr. Robert Hind
2022
Uncoupled (TV Series) as
Raffi
- Chapter 5 (2022) - Raffi
2022
WeCrashed (TV Mini Series) as
Randall
- This Is Where It Begins (2022) - Randall
2021
The Guilty (Podcast Series) as
Various
2021
Dr. Death (TV Series) as
Dr. Sasani
- The $?!& in the Bed (2021) - Dr. Sasani
- An Occurrence at Randall Kirby's Sink (2021) - Dr. Sasani
- Dock Ellis (2021) - Dr. Sasani
2021
Actor Trade's Virtual Table Read Series (TV Series) as
Dan
- Sex, Love, Death, And Other Improbabilities (2021) - Dan
2021
Americanish as
Jawad
2021
Uncle (Short) as
Imran
2020
Thorp as
Pat
2020
Antarctica as
Principal Pepp
2020
Social Distance (TV Mini Series) as
Dan
- Delete All Future Events (2020) - Dan
2020
The Sleepless as
Vivek
2020
The Dark End of the Street as
Graham
2016
Blindspot (TV Series) as
Shohid Akhtar
- Iunne Ennui (2020) - Shohid Akhtar (uncredited)
- I Came to Sleigh (2020) - Shohid Akhtar
- Coder to Killer (2019) - Shohid Akhtar
- Warning Shot (2018) - Shohid Akhtar
- One Begets Technique (2016) - Shohid Akhtar
2020
The Blacklist (TV Series) as
Mahmoud Iqbal
- Cornelius Ruck (No. 155) (2020) - Mahmoud Iqbal
2019
The Brooding Barista Jackass (TV Series) as
Customer
- Hot or Not (2019) - Customer
2019
Billions (TV Series) as
Kulbinder Darcha
- Arousal Template (2019) - Kulbinder Darcha
2018
God Friended Me (TV Series) as
Eric
- The Good Samaritan (2018) - Eric
2018
Boy Boy Girl Girl (Short)
2018
The Kindergarten Teacher as
Nikhil Roy
2017
Friends from College (TV Series) as
Howie Wexler
- Second Wedding (2017) - Howie Wexler
2017
Crazy Famous as
Dr. Manning
2017
Lost Cat Corona as
Amir
2016
World's End (TV Movie) as
Karl
2016
Odd Mom Out (TV Series) as
Doctor
- 40 Is the New 70 (2016) - Doctor
2014
The Future of Dough (Short) as
Bob
2014
Manhattan Love Story (TV Series) as
Brian
- Pilot (2014) - Brian
2014
Deadbeat (TV Series) as
Attendant / The Taxi Man
- Pieces of Sue (2014) - Attendant
- The Sexorcism (2014) - The Taxi Man
2013
Gods Behaving Badly as
The Producer
2012
3 Days of Normal as
Vik Donowitz
2011
Mister Handsome (Short) as
Mister Handsome
2010
Bored to Death (TV Series) as
Vikram
- Escape from the Castle! (2010) - Vikram
- Forty-Two Down! (2010) - Vikram
2010
Ashes as
Ashes
2010
Futurestates (TV Series) as
Rakesh
- Pia (2010) - Rakesh
2009
Cop House (TV Movie) as
Skip Malhotra
2009
Today's Special as
Munnamia
2009
Mercy (TV Series) as
Matt
- Pulling the Goalie (2009) - Matt
2009
Falling Up as
Paco
2009
Kings (TV Series) as
Dr. Nayar
- Judgment Day (2009) - Dr. Nayar
- First Night (2009) - Dr. Nayar
2009
30 Rock (TV Series) as
Asif
- Larry King (2009) - Asif
2009
Stream (Short) as
Kyle
2009
The Hungry Ghosts as
Laurence
2009
Hotel for Dogs as
ACO Jake
2008
Strokes (TV Movie) as
Sanjay Lall
2008
Righteous Kill as
Dr. Chadrabar
2008
The Wrestler as
Medic
2008
The Accidental Husband as
Deep
2007
Loins of Punjab Presents as
Turbanotorious B.D.G.
2006
Hiding Divya as
Divya's husband
2005
Perception as
Kamal
2005
Confess as
Account Executive
2005
The War Within as
Naved
2005
The Honeymooners as
Vivek
2005
Tools of War (Short) as
Rahul
2005
Scooby-Doo in Where's My Mummy? (Video) as
Prince Omar (voice)
2005
Alchemy as
Best Man
2005
Waterborne as
Vikram Bhatti
2005
King of the Hill (TV Series) as
Delivery Guy / Malik
- Mutual of Omabwah (2005) - Delivery Guy / Malik (voice)
2005
212 as
Vincent
2004
The Jury (TV Series) as
George Edmonds
- Pilot (2004) - George Edmonds
2004
Monk (TV Series) as
Masul the Cabbie
- Mr. Monk Takes Manhattan (2004) - Masul the Cabbie
2004
Fillmore! (TV Series) as
Sanjay
- Field Trip of the Just (2004) - Sanjay (voice)
2003
Bad Santa as
Hindustani Troublemaker
2003
Scary Movie 3 as
Sayaman
2003
Justice as
Mohammed
2002
Bomb the System as
Moses Mundhra
2002
The Guru as
Sanjay
2001
The Gene Pool (TV Movie) as
Paul Patel
2001
K-PAX as
Dr. Chakraborty
2001
The West Wing (TV Series) as
Rakim Ali
- Isaac and Ishmael (2001) - Rakim Ali
2001
Hannibal as
Perfume Expert
2001
American Chai as
Hari
2000
You Are Here* as
Sanjay
2000
Dinner Rush as
Ademir the Matre'd
2000
More Dogs Than Bones as
Andy
2000
Requiem for a Dream as
Mailman
2000
The Sopranos (TV Series) as
Omar
- Big Girls Don't Cry (2000) - Omar
1999
Chutney Popcorn as
Raju
1998
LateLine (TV Series) as
Raji Bakshi
- The Christian Guy (1999) - Raji Bakshi
- Karp's Night Out (1999) - Raji Bakshi
- Svadharma (1999) - Raji Bakshi
- Kids 'N' Guns (1999) - Raji Bakshi
- The Minister of Television (1999) - Raji Bakshi
- Protecting the Source (1999) - Raji Bakshi
- Pearce on Conan (1999) - Raji Bakshi
- Lawyer, Lawyer (1998) - Raji Bakshi
- Pearce's New Buddy (1998) - Raji Bakshi
- Buddy Hackett (1998) - Raji Bakshi
- Gale Gets a Life (1998) - Raji Bakshi
- Al Anonymous (1998) - Raji Bakshi
- Pilot (1998) - Raji Bakshi
- The Negotiator - Raji Bakshi
- Requiem for a Horse - Raji Bakshi
- Mona Moves Up - Raji Bakshi
- Error Apparent - Raji Bakshi
1999
Office Space as
Samir
1998
Shopkeeping as
Asif
1998
Scotch and Milk as
Armand
1998
My Giant as
Hot Dog Vendor
1998
Pi as
Farrouhk
1998
Montana as
Ives
1997
Once We Were Strangers as
Apu
1997
SUBWAYStories: Tales from the Underground (TV Movie) as
Prashant (segment "Honey-Getter")
1996
New York Undercover (TV Series) as
Manuel
- Brown Like Me (1996) - Manuel
1996
SubUrbia as
Nazeer Choudhury
1988
Vice Versa as
Dale
1986
Where the River Runs Black as
Segundo
1986
Touch and Go as
Louis DeLeon
1986
MacGyver (TV Series) as
Ahmed
- To Be a Man (1986) - Ahmed (uncredited)
1985
ABC Afterschool Specials (TV Series) as
Nick Santana
- No Greater Gift (1985) - Nick Santana
1985
Lady Blue (TV Series) as
Paquito
- Pilot (1985) - Paquito
Director
2010
Ashes
Writer
2010
Ashes
Self
2019
Rock Disco Tabla (Documentary) (completed) as
Ajay Naidu
2019
ASSSSCAT 3000: New York (TV Series) as
Self - monologist
- Ajay Naidu (2019) - Self - monologist
2017
Verbal Shenanigans (Podcast Series) as
Self - Guest
- Verbal Shenanigans Episode 178-Ajay Naidu (2017) - Self - Guest
2017
The Problem with Apu (Documentary) as
Self
2005
'Office Space': Out of the Office (Video documentary short) as
Self
Archive Footage
2002
Brilliant But Cancelled (TV Movie documentary)

References

Ajay Naidu Wikipedia