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• Film and TV actor Kal Penn appeared in National Lampoon's Van Wilder, ''Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, and House M.D..

  In the April 6, 2009 episode of House, titled "Simple Explanations," Penn's character Lawrence Kutner is discovered dead in his apartment of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.Blogs for House: Kutner's Dead Season 5 Episode 20 Recap (April 6, 2009) Penn departed the hit series House to accept a position as the Associate Director in the White House Office of Public Liaison.EW: House Exclusive (April 7, 2009)

• Fast Facts

  1. Born: April 23, 1977
  2. Birth name: Kalpen Suresh Modi
  3. Parents marched with Gandhi in the Indian independence movementEW: House Exclusive (April 7, 2009)
  4. Gained acclaim as Kumar in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay''
  5. Appeared on television show 24
  6. Attended a performing arts high schoolEW: House Exclusive (April 7, 2009)
  7. 2006: Began an online international studies program at Stanford UniversityEW: House Exclusive (April 7, 2009)

• White House Liaison

  • Kal Penn was actively involved in the campaign for Barack Obama's bid for US president. In April 2009, Penn's character on House, Lawrence Kutner, was killed off so Penn could depart the show to accept a position with President Barack Obama's administration. As the Associate Director in the White House Office of Public Liaison Penn will be working in the Old Executive Office, a separate building from the White House. Similar to his campaign activities, Penn's position involves reaching out to the American public as well as with organizations to facilitate interactions.EW: House Exclusive (April 7, 2009)

• Life and Career

  Kal Penn was born Kalpen Suresh Modi in Montclair, New Jersey. After attending UCLA, where he studied Film and Sociology, Penn's his big acting break in ''National Lampoon's Van Wilder. Soon after this success, he was offered a lead role in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle.

  In 2007, he became a regular in the cast of House M.D. and became a visiting professor at the University of Pennsylvania, teaching a course on "Images of Asian Americans in the Media" during spring 2008.

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Barack Obama | The White House | Michelle Obama | Hugh Laurie | House M.D. | 24 | Ryan Reynolds | Bryan Singer | The Namesake | John Cho | Neil Patrick Harris | Mira Nair | Rob Corddry

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