Sendhil Amithab Ramamurthy (born May 17, 1974) is an American actor. A native of
San Antonio, Texas
("Cradle of Freedom")
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, Ramamurthy is best known for his roles as
geneticist
A geneticist is a biologist or physician who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a scientist or a lecturer. Geneticists may perform general research on genetic processes ...
Mohinder Suresh in the
NBC sci-fi drama ''
Heroes'', Gabriel "Gabe" Lowan in ''
Beauty and the Beast
''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' (''The Young American and Marine T ...
'', and Jai Wilcox in ''
Covert Affairs''.
Early life and education
Ramamurthy was born in Chicago to a
Hindu family who had emigrated from India; his father is a
Kannadiga and mother is a
Tamil from the Pillai community.
He grew up speaking English and a little
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
.
His parents are physicians. He has one sister who is also a physician. He and his sister were raised in
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
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. There, he went to
Keystone School
Keystone School, generally called Keystone, is a co-educational independent private school for students from pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade, located in the Monte Vista Historic District in Midtown San Antonio, Texas, USA. and graduated in 1991.
Ramamurthy attended
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learnin ...
initially as a
pre-med
Pre-medical (often referred to as pre-med) is an educational track that undergraduate students in the United States pursue prior to becoming medical students. It involves activities that prepare a student for medical school, such as pre-med course ...
major to follow in his parents' footsteps.
He was also a member of the Kappa Charge of
Theta Delta Chi
Theta Delta Chi () is a social fraternity that was founded in 1847 at Union College, New York, United States. While nicknames differ from institution to institution, the most common nicknames for the fraternity are TDX, Thete, Theta Delt, and Thump ...
. He became interested in acting when he took an "Intro to Acting" class during his junior year as part of his graduation requirement. After participating in several plays, including ''
Our Country's Good
''Our Country's Good'' is a 1988 play written by British playwright Timberlake Wertenbaker, adapted from the Thomas Keneally novel ''The Playmaker''. The story concerns a group of Royal Marines and convicts in a penal colony in New South Wales, ...
'', he chose to change career goals. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in history and then attended the
Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art Webber may refer to:
* Webber, Kansas, a US city
* Webber Township, Jefferson County, Illinois, USA
* Webber Township, Lake County, Michigan, USA
* Webber International University, in Babson Park, Florida, USA
* Webber (surname), people with the su ...
in London in 1996, graduating in 1998.
Career
Ramamurthy has appeared in theatrical productions of ''
A Servant of Two Masters
''The Servant of Two Masters'' ( it, Il servitore di due padroni, links=no) is a comedy by the Italian playwright Carlo Goldoni written in 1746. Goldoni originally wrote the play at the request of actor Antonio Sacco, one of the great Harlequins ...
'' in London's
West End
West End most commonly refers to:
* West End of London, an area of central London, England
* West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England
West End may also refer to:
Pl ...
, ''
Indian Ink'' at the
Soho Repertory Theatre
The Soho Repertory Theatre, known as Soho Rep,The official website'now use "Soho", with a lowercase h, as do most articles from th''New York Times''/ref> is an American Off-Broadway theater company based in New York City which is notable for prod ...
, and ''
East Is East'' at the
Manhattan Theatre Club
Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) is a theatre company located in New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, Manhattan Theatre Club has g ...
. His film credits include ''
Love & Debate ''Love & Debate'' is a drama/romance film directed by Jessica Kavana Dornbusch, and released in 2006 based on decisions everyday teenage girls have to make.
It is a story of a young girl who has become the star in the debate club in her high scho ...
'' (originally titled ''Thanks to Gravity''), ''Orient Express'', ''
Blind Dating
''Blind Dating'' (also known as ''Blind Guy Driving'') is a 2006 romantic comedy film directed by James Keach and starring Chris Pine, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Anjali Jay, Jane Seymour, and Jayma Mays. The film was produced by David Shanks and James K ...
'', ''Little India'', ''
Shor in the City
''Shor in the City'' () is a 2011 Indian Hindi-language crime drama film directed by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K., and produced by Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor starring Tusshar Kapoor, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Preeti Desai, Girija Oak, Radhika ...
'' and
Gurinder Chadha
Gurinder Chadha, (born 10 January 1960) is a British film director of Indian origin. Most of her films explore the lives of Indians living in England. The common theme among her work showcases the trials of Indian women living in the UK and ho ...
's comedy film ''
It's a Wonderful Afterlife
''It's a Wonderful Afterlife'' is a 2010 British comedy film directed by Gurinder Chadha. The screenplay centres on an Indian mother whose obsession with marrying off her daughter leads her into the realm of serial murder. It was filmed primaril ...
''. In addition, he has appeared on several TV shows, including ''
Ellen
Ellen is a female given name, a diminutive of Elizabeth, Eleanor, Elena and Helen. Ellen was the 609th most popular name in the U.S. and the 17th in Sweden in 2004.
People named Ellen include:
*Ellen Adarna (born 1988), Filipino actress
*Ellen A ...
'', ''
Casualty
Casualty may refer to:
*Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster
**Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare
* The emergency department of a hospital, also known a ...
'', ''
Guiding Light
''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. ''Guiding Light'' a ...
'', ''
Grey's Anatomy
''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into ...
'', ''
Ultimate Force
''Ultimate Force'' is a British television action drama series that was shown on ITV, which deals with the activities of Red Troop of the SAS (Special Air Service). The first episode was broadcast on 16 September 2002, and a total of four seri ...
'', ''
CSI: Miami
''CSI: Miami'' (''Crime Scene Investigation: Miami'') is an American police procedural drama television series that ran from September 23, 2002 until April 8, 2012 on CBS. Featuring David Caruso as Lieutenant Horatio Caine, Emily Procter as Dete ...
'', ''
Heroes'', ''
Covert Affairs'' and ''
Numb3rs
''Numbers'' (stylized as ''NUMB3RS'') is an American crime drama television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 23, 2005, to March 12, 2010, for six seasons and 118 episodes. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heu ...
''.
He made a conscious decision to not audition for stereotypical Indian roles, although he has been offered such parts.
Ramamurthy's role on ''
Heroes'' was his biggest to date. Although the character of Mohinder Suresh was originally written for a 55-year-old, his audition tape and screen test were convincing enough for writers to rewrite the part for Ramamurthy. Ramamurthy starred in all four seasons of ''Heroes'', although his appearance in the final season was limited; had the series been recommissioned for a fifth season, he would not have returned for it.
In 2000, he appeared in
NBC's television biblical miniseries ''
In the Beginning In the Beginning may refer to:
Biblical phrase
* "In the beginning" (phrase), a phrase in the Bible verses of Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1
Books
* ''In the Beginning'' (novel), a novel by Chaim Potok
* ''In the Beginning'', a 2004 story arc and col ...
'' in the role of Adam.
Ramamurthy guest starred in a season four episode of ''
Psych
''Psych'' is an American Detective fiction, detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks for USA Network. The series stars James Roday Rodriguez, James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara P ...
'' titled "Bollywood Homicide", directed by his cousin
Jay Chandrasekhar
Jayanth Jambulingam Chandrasekhar (born April 9, 1968) is an American comedian, film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is best known for his work with the sketch comedy group Broken Lizard and for directing and starring in the Broken Lizard ...
.
Ramamurthy joined the cast of the USA Network show ''
Covert Affairs'' as Jai Wilcox from the second episode onward, replacing character Conrad Sheehan III, played by
Eric Lively
Eric Lawrence Lively (né Brown; born July 31, 1981) is an American actor. He played the role of Andy Evans in '' Speak'' (2004), Carey Bell in ''So Weird'' (1999–2001), and Mark Wayland in ''The L Word'' (2005).
Early life
Eric Lawrence Liv ...
in the pilot.
The show premiered in July 2010.
In the season 3 premiere, his character was killed off.
Ramamurthy appeared in the eighth and ninth season of ''
The Office
''The Office'' is a mockumentary sitcom created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, first made in the United Kingdom, then Germany, and subsequently the United States. It has since been remade in ten other countries.
The original series of ...
'' as
Kelly Kapoor
Kelly Rajanigandha Kapoor is a fictional character from the American television series '' The Office'', portrayed by Mindy Kaling. She is the customer service representative at the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin from seasons 1 to 8. Followin ...
's new boyfriend, Ravi.
On December 19, 2012, it was announced that he would appear in the CW show ''
Beauty & the Beast
''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' (''The Young American and Marine ...
'' as Gabriel Lowen, an assistant district attorney.
He appeared in his ''Heroes'' role in that series's continuation entitled ''Heroes Reborn'', in 2015 and 2016.
He appeared as
Dr. Ramsey Rosso/Bloodwork in the
sixth season of the television series ''
The Flash
The Flash (or simply Flash) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover dat ...
''.
As of 2020, he is part of the cast of the new
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
series ''
Never Have I Ever
"Never have I ever", also known as "I've never..." or "ten fingers", is a drinking game in which players take turns asking other players about things they have not done. Other players who have done this thing respond by taking a drink. A ver ...
'', playing Mohan Vishwakumar, the main character's father. The series is produced by
Mindy Kaling
Vera Mindy Chokalingam (born June 24, 1979),Additional archive on June 25, 2015. known professionally as Mindy Kaling (), is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter and producer. She first gained recognition starring as Kelly Kapoor in the ...
, who had first worked with Ramamurthy when she was a writer and actor on ''The Office''.
In 2022, Ramamurthy appeared in season four of ''
Doom Patrol
Doom Patrol is a superhero team from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in ''My Greatest Adventure'' #80 (June 1963), and was created by writers Arnold Drake and Bob Haney, along with artist Bruno Premiani. Doom Patrol has ...
'' as Mister 104.
Personal life
In 1999, Ramamurthy married actress
Olga Sosnovska
Olga Sosnovska (born 21 May 1972) is a Polish-born U.K./U.S.-based actress.
Life and career
Sosnovska was born in Wieluń, Poland. Her family emigrated to England when she was eleven. Sosnovska is perhaps best known in the United States for ...
. They have two children, daughter Halina (b. 2005) and son Alek (b. 2008). He and his family previously lived in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
and have since moved to
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
.
He is a cousin of comedian and film director
Jay Chandrasekhar
Jayanth Jambulingam Chandrasekhar (born April 9, 1968) is an American comedian, film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is best known for his work with the sketch comedy group Broken Lizard and for directing and starring in the Broken Lizard ...
.
He is a sustaining member of WNYC.
Filmography
Movies
Television
References
External links
Sendhil Ramamurthy's Official Website*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramamurthy, Sendhil
1974 births
Living people
Male actors from Chicago
American people of Kannada descent
American people of Indian Tamil descent
Alumni of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art
American Hindus
Male actors from San Antonio
Male actors from Texas
Tufts University alumni
Male actors from New Rochelle, New York
American male actors of Indian descent
American male television actors
American male film actors
21st-century American male actors
American emigrants to the United Kingdom
American male voice actors