Karan Soni (born January 8, 1989) is an Indian-American actor and comedian. Often appearing in comedic roles, he came to prominence for playing Dopinder in the films '' Deadpool'' (2016) and its sequels '' Deadpool 2'' (2018) and '' Deadpool & Wolverine'' (2024), and voicing Pavitr Prabhakar / Spider-Man India in '' Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse'' (2023). Born in New Delhi, Soni moved to the United States to study business at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

before pursuing an acting career. He made his feature film debut in '' Safety Not Guaranteed'' (2012), which was followed by lead appearances on the series '' Betas'' (2013) and '' Other Space'' (2015). Soni has also appeared in the films '' Ghostbusters'' (2016), '' Office Christmas Party'' (2016), and '' Pokémon Detective Pikachu'' (2019). On television, he has appeared as a series regular on '' Blunt Talk'' (2015–2016) and '' Miracle Workers'' (2019–2023).

Early life

Soni was born in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, and he attended an international school there. He came to the United States to study at the

Career

Soni made his film debut in Yusuf Sumer's 2010 comedy film ''Kaka Nirvana'', alongside Rachel Quinn. In 2013, Soni was cast in the Amazon Studios original series '' Betas''. The series was canceled after one season. In 2014, Soni appeared in commercials for

AT&T AT&T Inc., an abbreviation for its predecessor's former name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the w ...

along with Jim Conroy. In 2015, Soni appeared in '' Other Space,'' a series created by Paul Feig for Yahoo! Screen, as Captain Stewart Lipinski. Yahoo! Screen would be shut down later in the year, preventing the series from being renewed for a second season, while the first season would later be picked up by DUST in 2020. Later in 2015, he appeared in episodes of '' Melissa & Joey'', '' The Goldbergs'' and '' 100 Things to Do Before High School'' and began starring in '' Blunt Talk'', opposite Patrick Stewart, as Martin. The series was renewed for a second season, which premiered in 2016, but on December 20, was canceled after two seasons. In 2016, Soni appeared in '' Deadpool'' as a taxi driver named Dopinder and in '' Ghostbusters'' as the delivery man Benny. He reprised the role of Dopinder in 2018's '' Deadpool 2'' and also appeared in another May blockbuster film, the following year's '' Pokémon Detective Pikachu''. In both ''Deadpool'' films and ''Pokémon Detective Pikachu'', he again appeared opposite Ryan Reynolds. In February 2023, Soni was announced as the voice of Pavitr Prabhakar / Spider-Man India in '' Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse''. In March 2023, he was confirmed to be returning as Dopinder for '' Deadpool & Wolverine''. In August 2024, Soni confirmed that he would reprise his role as Spider-Man India in '' Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse''.

Personal life

Soni is gay. He is married to writer and director Roshan Sethi, with whom he developed the film '' 7 Days''.

Filmography

Film

Television

Podcast

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Soni, Karan 1989 births 21st-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American male actors 21st-century Indian LGBTQ people 21st-century Indian male actors American gay actors American LGBTQ comedians American male actors of Indian descent American male comedians American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors American people of Indian descent Gay comedians Indian emigrants to the United States Indian gay actors Indian male comedians Indian male film actors Indian male television actors Indian male voice actors Living people Male actors from New Delhi USC School of Dramatic Arts alumni Year of birth missing (living people)