Danny Pudi

Danny Pudi (Daniel Mark Pudi), born March 10, 1979, in Chicago, Illinois, is an American screen actor celebrated for smart, character-driven comedy and heartfelt storytelling. He rose to wide recognition as Abed Nadir on NBC’s Community (2009–2015), a performance that earned multiple Critics’ Choice Television Award nominations and a Television Critics Association nomination.

Building on that breakout, Pudi has continued to shape modern TV comedy, starring since 2020 as Brad Bakshi in Apple TV+’s Mythic Quest. His film work spans studio comedies and genre projects, with notable appearances in titles such as The Guilt Trip (as Sanjay) and Knights of Badassdom (as Lando), as well as roles in American Dreamer and Vijay and I.

Pudi also embraces independent filmmaking and personal narratives. He led the warm, immigrant-experience comedy The Tiger Hunter (2016), directed by Lena Khan and supported through a Kickstarter-backed production. As a writer and performer, he created the short film Running, a funny, vulnerable journey that follows him searching for answers about his father and discovering self-acceptance along the way.