 It’s such a wonderful, beautiful thing to be in a comedy where you’re working and watching amazing actors, working with amazing material, and you’re able to jump in and bounce off it.
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| — Danny Pudi, AV Club interview |
Bio
Danny Pudi (born Daniel Mark Pudi) is the American actor who portrays Abed Nadir on Community. He was born on March 10, 1979 and was the child of Indian and Polish immigrants. His parents divorced not long after he was born and his father left him with his mother Teresa Pudi. Danny was raised in a Polish community by his mother and grandparents. Exposure to both Polish and English cultures made him fluent in both languages. After graduating high school he attended Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In his junior year, Danny was awarded the first Chris Farley Scholarship Award. Named after the late comic actor and Marquette graduate, it was given to students who displayed exceptional creativity and positive use of humor. In 2001, he graduated college with a degree in Communication and Theater. He then returned to Chicago where he was accepted into the Conservatory Program of the famous improvisational comedy troupe The Second City. Alongside two other Indian comedians named Ranjit Souri and Rasika Mather they formed their own sketch comedy group, "Siblings of Doctors". In 2004, Pudi married his college girlfriend Bridget Showalter whom he had met in his freshmen year at school. She worked as a teacher while he worked at home as an actuarial recruiter. The newlyweds left Chicago the following year in 2005 for Los Angeles so Pudi could pursue an acting carer. He appeared in a few commercials (see T-Mobile section) and began landing a few notable roles on "ER", "Gilmore Girls" and "Greek". In 2009, Danny auditioned for and was eventually offered the role of Abed Nadir on "Community". During filming of Season Three on January 12, 2012, Danny and his wife Bridget became parents after she gave birth to twins; son James Timothy and daughter Fiona Leigh.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Media | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The West Wing | TV | Santos Aide #2 (1 episode) |
| ER | TV | Mahir Kardatay (1 episode) | |
| Gilmore Girls | TV | Raj (4 episodes) | |
| 2007 | The Untitled Rob Roy Thomas Project | TV Movie | Unknown |
| Cop Show | Film | Saffa | |
| Greek | TV | Sanjay (4 episodes) | |
| 2008 | Giants of Radio | TV Movie | Teddy |
| The Bill Engvall Show | TV | Josh (1 episode) | |
| 2009 | Road Trip: Beer Pong | Video | Arash |
| Community | TV | Abed Nadir | |
| Thunder Geniuses | Film | Sanjay |
T-Mobile
One of the first notable jobs as an actor Danny Pudi got after moving to Los Angeles was in a humorous T-Mobile commercial. He played a husband who accidentally calls his wife (played by actress Tamara Mellow from "Popular") whenever he sits down because he keeps his cell phone in his back pocket. In an interview with the online entertainment site Vulture, Danny Pudi explains how the part helped him land the role of Abed on Community":
| “ | I did the butt-dialing commercial for T-Mobile, and it did help get my face out there a bit. When I went out for the Community audition, one of the producers recognized me and was like, “Hey, you’re the butt-dialer!” Right away, that makes me feel more comfortable, when someone’s like, “Butt dialer’s here!” I imagine it would be more difficult if you were going out for a leading man. Like if they’re making Gladiator 2 and I walk in, and they go, “Butt-dialer!” It’s gonna be really hard to be, you know, Euophonius the Master of the Ring and slaying soldiers when two seconds ago they were calling you butt-dialer. But for this role, it actually worked out perfectly. | ” |
External Links
- Facebook.com -- Danny's Facebook fan page
- NBC.com -- Danny's NBC bio
- PudiTime.com -- Danny's official website
References
- AV Club interview with Danny Pudi
- Huffington Post Danny Pudi interview Community on Season Three
- Huffington Post Danny Pudi interview on Community Season Four
- Danny Pudi interview with Complex
- Marquette magazine, 10 things you don't know about Danny Pudi
- PRI interview with Danny Pudi
- People online announcement about Danny Pudi becoming a father
- DePaul University interview with Danny Pudi about his mixed heritage
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