Who is Kunal Nayyar?

British actor and producer Kunal Nayyar was born in Hammersmith, London, England, on 30 April 1981, making Taurus his zodiac sign. He’s appeared in 31 TV series and movies, and is perhaps known best for portraying one of the main characters, Raj Koothrappali in all the 280 episodes of the critically acclaimed sitcom “The Big Bang Theory”, which Bill Prady and Chuck Lorre created, and which also starred Kaley Cuoco, Jim Parsons and Johnny Galecki. It follows the lives of two socially awkward physicists, and a woman who’s just moved across the hall from them; the series aired from 2007 through 2019 and won 79 of its 333 award nominations.

Education and early life

Kunal spent the first three years of his life in Hammersmith, where he was raised by his Indian Punjabi immigrant parents; the family then moved back to New Delhi, India where his parents had jobs.

Kunal wasn’t interested in acting while living in India, but was rather into playing badminton; he studied at St. Columba’s School and was on its badminton team, while he also enjoyed playing soccer and tennis with his peers.

Upon matriculating in 1999, Kunal moved to Oregon USA, and enrolled at the University of Portland, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 2003; it was while at the university that he fell in love with acting, as he appeared in a number of plays and began taking acting lessons.

He took part in the American College Theater Festival, which motivated him to enroll at Temple University, from which he graduated with a Master of Fine Arts degree in acting in 2005.

Roles in movies

Kunal’s debut film role was playing Pizza Man in the 2004 romantic comedy “S. C. I. E. N. C. E.”, and his following role came in 2011, when cast to appear in the music video “Barenaked Ladies: The Big Bang Theory Theme”.

He voiced Gupta in the critically acclaimed 2012 animated adventure comedy “Ice Age: Continental Drift”, which Michael Thurmeier and Steve Martino directed, and which starred John Leguizamo, Denis Leary and Ray Romano. It follows Sid, Diego and Manny as they’re using an iceberg as a ship now that their continent has been set adrift; the film won two of its 13 award nominations. The year 2012 saw Kunal star in the short comedy “… or Die”, and play Karim in the 2014 mystery science fiction thriller “The Scribbler”.

The year 2015 saw him play Serge Negani in the thriller “Consumed”, which Daryl Wein wrote and directed, and which starred Beth Grant, Victor Garber and Zoe Lister-Jones. It follows the life of a mother whose son has a persistent rash, and the movie won a 2016 Cinema Verde Film Festival Most Revealing Award.

Kunal’s also known for playing the supporting character Dr. Robin Sathi  in the 2019 drama “Sweetness in the Belly”, directed by Zeresenay Mehari, and which starred Wunmi Mosaku, Rafael Goncalves and Dakota Fanning. It follows a British girl who was abandoned in Africa, and now has to flee for England during civil war; the movie won one of its two award nominations.

Kunal’s three most recent film roles have been in the 2020 short animated comedy “Tiny Diamond Goes Back to School” (voice role), the 2021 animated adventure comedy “Trolls Holiday in Harmony” (voice role) and the 2022 comedy “The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry”; he’s currently shooting for the upcoming movies “Spaceman” and “How to Date Billy Walsh”.

Roles in TV series

Kunal’s debut TV series role was portraying Youssef Zidan in the 2007 episode “Suspicion” of the crime mystery “NCIS”, and his following roles came in 2010, when cast to appear in an episode of the comedies “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” and “CollegeHumor Originals”.

In 2013 and 2014, Kunal portrayed Neal and Sanjay in two episodes of the popular comedy “Sullivan & Son”, which Steve Byrne created, and starred in alongside Christine Ebersole and Brian Doyle-Murray; it follows Steve Sullivan who’s quit his job as a corporate attorney and has begun running his father’s bar.

From 2013 through 2016, Kunal voiced Vijay Patel in the animated adventure comedy “Sanjay and Craig”, created by Jay Howell and James Dirschberger, and which also starred Maulik Pancholy and Chris Hardwick. It follows the adventures of Sanjay Patel and his pet snake Craig –  the series was nominated for six awards.

Kunal’s three most recent TV series roles have been in the 2020 episode “Sandeep” of the crime mystery “Criminal: UK”, four episodes of the 2021 animated family adventure “Mira, Royal Detective” (voice role) and all the eight episodes (lead role) of the 2022 crime thriller “Suspicion”.

Other credits

Kunal received special thanks for the 2012 short comedy movie “Say It Ain’t Solo”.

He produced the 2013 biographical sports documentary movie “Beyond All Boundaries” and the 2022 comedy movie “The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry”.

Some of Kunal’s recent talk-show appearances have been in “The Jennifer Hudson Show”, “Hollywood First Look” and “Made in Hollywood”.

Awards and nominations

Kunal’s won one of his 10 award nominations: a 2020 CinEuphoria Merit – Honorary Award, for his and his colleagues’ performance in “The Big Bang Theory”.

Kunal and his colleagues were also nominated for six Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series from 2012 through 2017, for “The Big Bang Theory”, and he was nominated for a 2021 BAFTA Award for Supporting Actor, for his performance in “Criminal: UK”.

Love life and marriage

Kunal’s quite secretive when it comes to speaking about his love life in public, however, it’s still widely known that he’s been a married man for over a decade now.

Kunal and Indian actress and model Neha Kapur exchanged vows in India in December 2011, in a large ceremony attended by many of their friends and family members. Neha was 2006 Femina Miss India, she holds a Bachelor’s degree in fashion design from the Pearl Academy and is also a professional dancer.

Kunal and Neha have no children together, and this is believed to be because they’re both focused on their careers.

Kunal’s yet to mention other women whom he’s perhaps dated, is married to Neha Kapur as of April 2023, and doesn’t have children.

Interesting facts and hobbies

Kunal loves attending Comic-Cons, and has revealed that fans of the series “The Big Bang Theory” whom he met there were all affectionate.

He has his own dialect, which is a mix of Indian and British English.

Kunal’s revealed that he’s both claustrophobic and afraid of heights.

He knows many details about the film franchises “Lord of the Rings” and “Star Wars”, but isn’t familiar with the series “Star Trek”.

Kunal’s a huge fan of video games – he voiced Gupta in the 2012 game “Ice Age: Continental Drift – Arctic Games”.

He’s an Instagram star, as nearly three million people are following Kunal on the network today, while he’s posted over 800 pictures, with most of these showing him during his everyday life.

Kunal’s favorite actor, is Joe Pesci, and some of his favorite movies include “8 Heads in a Duffel Bag”, “With Honors” and “The Irishman”.

Height, eyes and wealth

Kunal’s age is 42. He has brown eyes and black hair, is 5ft 7ins (1.71m) tall and weighs around 150lbs (69kgs).

Kunal’s net worth’s been estimated at over $45 million, as of April 2023.

Who is Rene Russo?

American actress, producer and model Rene Marie Russo was born in Burbank, California USA, on 17 February 1954, making Aquarius her zodiac sign. Primarily know for her modeling career, she’s also appeared in only TV series and movies, and is probably known best for playing the lead character Nina Romina in the critically acclaimed 2014 crime thriller movie “Nightcrawler”, written and directed by Dan Gilroy, and which also starred Jake Gyllenhaal and Bill Paxton. It follows conman Louis Bloom who’s ventured into crime journalism, and the movie won 44 of its 168 award nominations, including an Oscar nomination for Best Writing, Original Screenplay.

Education and early life

Rene was raised in Burbank alongside her sister Toni, solely by their mother Shirley (nee Balocca) as their father Nino Russo abandoned the family when Rene was two; Nino was a sculptor and car mechanic, while Shirley was a barmaid and factory worker.

Rene studied at Burroughs High School, and one of her classmates was future famous movie actor, screenwriter, producer and director Ronald William ‘Ron’ Howard. She suffered from scoliosis during her teenage years, and wore a full-torso brace, and was bullied because of her tall statute, scoliosis and being a geek, and thus dropped out during her second year at Burroughs.

She initially worked as a movie theatre cashier and at an eyeglass factory, prior to signing her first modelling contract and moving to New York City.

Life before acting

It was in 1972, aged 18 that Rene was noticed by a modelling scout while attending a concert of The Rolling Stones; she signed a contract with Ford Modeling Agency, and became one of the most sought after models in the USA.

In the ‘70s and the first half of the ‘80s, Rene could’ve been seen featured on the cover page of numerous fashion magazines, with some of the most popular amongst these having been “Cosmopolitan”, “Mademoiselle” and “Vogue”.

After Rene turned 30, the demand for her as a model began to wane, and she thus began studying acting, and appeared in a number of plays performed at small theatres; at one point, Rene was mentored by the late American actor Benjamin Norman Schultz, perhaps remembered better by his professional name Allan Rich.

Roles in TV series

Rene’s had only a single TV series role: she played the main character Eden Kendell in all the seven episodes of the 1987 adventure “Sable”, created by Gary Sherman, and which also starred Lewis Van Bergen and Ken Page. It follows a children’s book author who becomes a vigilante at night, and the series was nominated for an American Society of Cinematographers Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Regular Series.

Roles in movies

Rene made her debut film appearance in the 1988 romantic comedy “Meanwhile in Santa Monica”, directed by David Gamburg, and in which Rene starred alongside Richard Kind and Christopher Carroll. It follows a Russian emigrant family as they’re running their restaurant Russian Nights.

Some of Rene’s following roles were in the 1989 sports comedy “Major League”, the 1990 romantic fantasy comedy “Mr. Destiny”, and the 1991 crime action “One Good Cop”. The year 1992 saw her play Lorna Cole in the hit action crime thriller “Lethal Weapon 3”, which Richard Donner directed, and which starred Joe Pesci, Danny Glover and Mel Gibson. It follows police detectives Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh as they’re trying to catch a former police officer who’s selling guns to street gangs, and the movie won three of its seven award nominations.

Some of Rene’s notable performances in the remainder of the decade were in the 1996 romantic comedy “Tin Cup”, the 1997 adventure comedy “Buddy” and the 1999 romantic crime thriller “The Thomas Crown Affair”.

The year 2005 saw Rene play Toni, one of the main characters in the critically acclaimed crime sports drama “Two for the Money”, directed by D. J. Caruso, and which also starred Al Pacino and Matthew McConaughey. It follows a former college football star who’s suffered an injury, and become involved in the sports gambling business; the film was nominated for two awards.

Rene took a six-year break from 2005 through 2011, when she played Frigga in the action fantasy “Thor”, which Kenneth Branagh directed, and which starred Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins and Chris Hemsworth. It follows arrogant god Thor who’s been cast out of Asgard, and has become Earth’s (Midgard) defender; the movie won five of its 35 award nominations.

Rene’s since appeared in only a couple of movies, with her three most recent roles having been in the 2017 crime comedy “Just Getting Started”, and in 2019 the mystery horror thriller “Velvet Buzzsaw” and the action adventure “Avengers: Endgame”; she’s once again taken a break from acting, as she’s had no roles for three years now.

Other credits

Rene received special thanks for both the 1998 short action documentary movie “Pure Lethal! New Angles. New Scenes. And Explosive Outtakes” and the 2000 short documentary film “In the Line of Fire: The Ultimate Sacrifice”.

She produced the popular 2005 crime sports movie “Two for the Money”.

Some of Rene’s recent talk-show appearances have been in “Made in Hollywood”, “Dish Nation” and “Entertainers with Byron Allen”.

Awards and nominations

Rene’s won four of her 33 award nominations – a 1999 Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actress – Action/Adventure”, for her performance in “Lethal Weapon 4”, and then three awards for her performance in “Nightcrawler”: a 2014 San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress, a 2015 AARP Movies for Grownups Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, and a 2015 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress.

She was nominated for a 2015 BAFTA Film Award for Best Supporting Actress, also for “Nightcrawler”.

Bipolar disorder

Rene made a guest appearance in the talk-show “The Queen Latifah Show” in 2014, and revealed that she’s been struggling with bipolar disorder since her teenage years. She was initially able to cope with the disorder, but an emotionally turbulent time led her to start taking medication which she had previously been reluctant to do; she’s revealed that the medication has made her life a lot easier.

Love life and marriage

Rene avoids sharing the details of her love life with the public, but has still allowed her fans to take a glimpse into it.

She’s been married to American screenwriter and director Daniel Christopher ‘Dan’ Gilroy since 14 March 1992; the two met on the set of the movie “Freejack”. Dan has 14 writing credits, and is probably known best for writing the 2014 movie “Nightcrawler”, the 2017 crime thriller film “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”, which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Denzel Washington) and the 2019 horror mystery thriller movie “Velvet Buzzsaw”.

Rene gave birth to their daughter Rose Gilroy on 31 August 1993, and she’s today a model.

Rene’s yet to mention other men whom she’s maybe been with, she’s married to Daniel Christopher ‘Dan’ Gilroy as of April 2023, and they have a daughter together.

Interesting facts and hobbies

Rene loves American sports, with Major League Baseball (MLB) being her favorite; she’s a fan of the Boston Red Sox, and often attends their games played at Fenway Park.

She was cast to play Dr. Chase Meridian, Batman’s love interest in the critically acclaimed 1995 movie “Batman Forever”, however, after Michael Keaton (Batman) was replaced by Val Kilmer, she was replaced by Nicole Kidman.

Rene’s a deeply religious Christian.

She has six paternal half-siblings.

Rene’s allergic to sesame.

She doesn’t use Instagram, but her fan page is today followed by over 8,000 people, while more than 100 pictures have been posted onto it.

Rene’s favorite actress is Renee Zellweger, while some of her favorite movies include “Judy”, “Chicago” and “Shark Tale”.

Height, eyes and wealth

Rene’s age is 69. Her hair’s blonde and eyes are green, she’s 5ft 8ins (1.73m) tall and weighs around 140lbs (63kgs).

Rene’s net worth’s been estimated at over $40 million, as of April 2023.

Who is Dean Cain?

American actor, screenwriter and producer Dean George Cain (né Tanaka) was born in Mount Clemens, Michigan USA, on 31 July 1966, meaning that Leo’s his zodiac sign. He’s appeared in nearly 200 TV series and movies, and is probably known best for playing Marc Shelley in the 2014 adventure comedy movie “God’s Not Dead”, directed by Harold Cronk, and which starred Shane Harper, Kevin Sorbo and David A. R. White. It follows the life of philosophy professor Radisson, and the film won a 2015 MovieGuide Award for Most Inspiring Movie.

Dean’s still highly active in the film industry and is currently working on 11 projects, including the upcoming movies “Not for Sale: Florida”, “The Phantom Warrior” and “Little Angels”.

Education and early life

Dean and his older brother Roger were raised in Los Angeles, California solely by their actress mother Sharon Thomas, as Dean’s father abandoned the family before he was born; his mother married American movie director Christopher Cain in 1969, and he adopted both Dean and Roger.

Dean fell in love with acting at a very early age, and was 10 when he made his debut film appearance, playing Dean Russell in the 1976 family drama “Elmer”; hiss following roles were in the 1979 fantasy movie “Charlie and the Talking Buzzard”, and the 1984 drama film “The Stone Boy”.

He studied at Santa Monica School and was mostly into sports during his time there, playing baseball for the school’s team. Upon matriculating in 1984, Dean enrolled at Princeton University, at which he played football, and from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history in 1988.

Dean initially wanted to pursue football, and signed a contract with the Buffalo Bills of National Football League (NFL) upon graduation, but suffered a knee injury while exercising, ending his career before it could even properly start.

Roles in TV series

Dean made his debut TV series appearance in the 1989 episode “Things That Go Bump in the Night” of the drama “Christine Cromwell”, and the following years saw him appear in an episode of the drama “Life Goes On”, the comedy “Grapevine” and the musical comedy “Noel’s House Party”.

From 1993 through 1997, he starred as Clark Kent aka Superman in the critically acclaimed adventure comedy “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman”, created by Deborah Joy LeVine and Joe Shuster, and which also starred Teri Hatcher and Lane Smith. It follows the life of superhero Superman, and the series won two of its 20 award nominations.

Dean started off the 2000s by appearing in an episode of the comedy “Just Shoot Me!” and the comedy “Frasier”, and in 2003 and 2004, he portrayed Inspector Jack Ellis in the crime mystery “The Division”, created by Deborah Joy LeVine, and which starred Bonnie Bedelia, Nancy McKeon and Lisa Vidal. It follows five female police officers as they’re working in San Francisco, the series aired from 2001 through 2004 and won six of its 13 award nominations. Some of Dean’s TV series roles in the remainder of the decade were playing supporting characters in the family sports drama “Clubhouse”, the crime drama “Las Vegas” and the comedy “Entourage”.

From 2015 through 2017, he played Dr. Jeremiah Danvers in the popular action adventure “Supergirl”, which starred David Harewood, Melissa Benoist and Chyler Leigh, and was created by Greg Berlanti and Ali Adler. It follows the life of Superman’s cousin, who’s also a superhero, the series aired from 2015 through 2021, and won 15 of its 67 award nominations.

Dean’s since appeared in only two TV series, but including playing Pete Davenport in 34 episodes of the romantic drama “Hit the Floor” from 2013 through 2018, and John in eight episodes of the 2020 drama “The Platform”.

Roles in movies

Dean played Guy in Bar in the 1981 comedy “Going Under”, and some of his following support roles were in the 1995 short drama “Just Like Him”, the 1996 crime drama “Cutty Whitman” and the 1997 action crime comedy “Best Men”.

In 2001, he portrayed Shawn Kent in the critically acclaimed action adventure comedy “Rat Race”, directed by Jerry Zucker, and which starred Breckin Meyer, Amy Smart and Whoopi Goldberg. It follows a millionaire from Las Vegas, Nevada who’s set up a race for money, and the film was nominated for three awards. Some of Dean’s other notable performances in the 2000s were in the 2002 horror mystery “The Glow”, the 2005 action “Mayday” and the 2008 romantic comedy “Making Mr. Right”.

He played the lead character Sheriff Brody in the 2012 family fantasy “I Am… Gabriel”, directed by Mike Norris, and which also starred Gavin Casalegno and Elise Baughman; it follows a mysterious boy who’s trying to help the citizens of Promise, Texas.

Dean’s also known for playing Lue in the 2017 family drama “Horse Camp”, which Joel Paul Reisig wrote and directed, and which starred Elyse Ahmad, Syndney Anderson and Bonnie Ball. It follows Kathy who’s just arrived at a horse camp, and has begun feuding with mean local girl Stacy.

Dean’s three most recent film roles have been in the 2022 family drama “Miracle at Manchester”, the 2023 drama “Casting Stones” and the 2023 crime mystery thriller “Condition of Return”.

Other credits

Dean wrote the 1995 comedy series “Off Camera with Dean Cain”, the 2010 musical movie “Pure Country 2: The Gift” and the 2012 short film “The Read Pill”.

Dean has 16 producing credits to his name, with some of his most recent work having been on the 2019 documentary movie “Hate Among Us”, the 2020 drama film “Faith Under Fire”, and the 2022 drama movie “No Vacancy”.

Dean received special thanks for the 2005 short documentary movie “From Rivals to Romance: The Making of Lois and Clark”, the 2008 action adventure movie “Maximum Impact”, and the 2017 short comedy film “Extra School”.

Some of his recent talk-show appearances have been in “Lawrence Jones Cross Country”, “America Out Loud Podcast Network” and “Prime Time with Alex Stein”.

Awards and nominations

Dean’s won eight of his 14 award nominations. Some of his wins include a 2018 Festigious International Film Festival Award for Best Ensemble, for his and his colleagues’ performance in “2050”, a 2021 Green Mountain Film Festival Award for Best Supporting Actor, for his performance in “Break Every Chain”, and a 2022 Christian Film Festival Award for Best Supporting Actor, for “One Cop’s Journey”.

Love life and relationships

Dean avoids speaking about his love life in public, but it’s known that he and later famous American actress and model Brooke Shields dated while he was attending Princeton.

In 1991 and 1992, he dated American actress and producer Ami Dolenz, while the following year saw him date Teri Hatcher, a famous American actress; he also dated American professional volleyball player Gabrielle Allyse Reece around the same time. Dean then became engaged to American country music singer Mindy McCready, but there are no further details.

In 1998 and 1999, Dean was in a relationship with Spanish model Samantha Torres, and they have a son Christopher together, born on 11 June 2000; Samantha and Dean fought over their son’s custody, which was awarded to her in 2003.

He seems to be unattached as of April 2023, hasn’t married and has a son with his former girlfriend Samantha Torres.

Interesting facts and hobbies

Dean enjoys being active on Instagram and is today followed by more than 110,000 people, while he’s posted nearly 400 pictures, with most of these having been taken during his everyday life.

He’s a fan of tattoos, and has his own name in Japanese tattooed on his ankle.

Dean has a half-sister Krisinda Cain, who’s today an actress with 10 credits to her name.

He became a reserve police officer of the St. Anthony Police Department on 19 June 2018.

Dean voted for Bill Clinton twice, but is today a registered Independent, although voting for Donald Trump in both the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.

Dean’s favorite actor is Russell Crowe, and some of his favorite movies include “The Nice Guys”, “A Beautiful Mind” and “Cinderella Man”.

Height, eyes and wealth

Dean’s age is 56. He has brown eyes and black hair, is 5ft 11ins (1.82m) tall and weighs around 190lbs (85kgs).

Dean’s net worth’s been estimated at over $8 million, as of April 2023.