Kal Penn

Born: April 23 1977
Where: Montclair, New Jersey, USA

The actor won legions of teenage fans for the role of Kumar in the gross-out comedy Harold and Kumar Get The Munchies.

Other high profile appearances include Taj opposite Ryan Reynolds in the comedy Van Wilder's Party Liaison.

After studying drama at Howell High School in Farmingdale, New Jersey, he worked extensively in theatre in the New York area.

Moving to LA to attend the University of California, he landed a supporting role in the Emmy-winning comedy Express: Aisle to Glory in 1999.

He went on to work on episodes of Spin City, Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Sabrina The Teenage Witch.

In 1999, he appeared in the comedy Freshmen but it wasn't until Van Wilder in 2002 that he attracted attention.

The following year he starred in independent comedy Where's The Party Yaar? and appeared alongside Jamie Kennedy in the crime comedy Malibu's Most Wanted.

In 2004, he landed a headlining role opposite John Cho in Harold and Kumar Get The Munchies and also appeared in the lacklustre Son of the Mask.

Upcoming projects include the role of Lex Luther's evil sidekick in the next Superman movie.