Utkarsh Ambudkar
Utkarsh Ambudkar (/ˈʊtkɑːrʃ æmˈbʊdkɑːr/ UUT-karsh am-BUUD-kar;[3] born December 8, 1983), also known by his stage name UTK the INC, is an Indian-American actor, rapper, and singer. He is known for his film roles including Pitch Perfect (2012), Game Over, Man! (2018), Blindspotting (2018), Brittany Runs a Marathon (2019), The Broken Hearts Gallery (2020), Free Guy (2021), Tick, Tick... Boom! (2021), and World's Best (2023). His television roles include The Mindy Project, White Famous, Never Have I Ever, and Ghosts. He recently appeared in the Hulu limited series The Dropout (2022).
Utkarsh Ambudkar | |
|---|---|
Ambudkar at the 2022 New York Comic Con | |
| Born | December 8, 1983 |
| Other names |
|
| Alma mater | Tisch School of Arts |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Spouse | Naomi (m. 2019) |
| Children | 3[2] |
He made his Broadway debut in Lin-Manuel Miranda's improvisational hip-hop show Freestyle Love Supreme in 2019.
Early life Edit
Ambudkar was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He grew up in Gaithersburg, Maryland, where his parents, who had emigrated from India in the 1980s, were research scientists at the National Institutes of Health. He starred in comedy roles at Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville, Maryland, and he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University in 2004.[4][5][6][7]
Through his mother, Ambudkar is a descendant of the lawyer and jurist Sir Vembakkam Bhashyam Aiyangar.[8]
Career Edit
Ambudkar is a former VJ for MTV Desi. He appeared in the comedy film Pitch Perfect as the character Donald, and in the television shows The Mindy Project and The Muppets.[9] He was set to star in the Fox series Eat, Pray, Thug[10] but the show was not picked up.[11] Ambudkar originated the role of Aaron Burr in the developmental readings of Hamilton.[4][12] He formerly played Raj on the sitcom Brockmire.[4] He played Jern in the 2019 film Brittany Runs a Marathon.[13]
He played Skatch, a con artist, in a deleted scene of the 2020 Disney live-action remake of Mulan.[14] That same year he appeared in Disney's Godmothered, and then in the 2021 action comedy Free Guy.[15][16] In 2020, Ambudkar debuted as the mongoose Chikku in the Disney Junior animated series Mira, Royal Detective. He is currently starring in the CBS supernatural sitcom Ghosts (2021).[17]
He was a member of the musical group "The Beatards."[4] Since 2005, Ambudkar has been a part of hip-hop improv group Freestyle Love Supreme under the name UTK the INC.[4] As part of the group, he participated in the limited television series for Pivot in 2014[18] and made his Broadway debut in the group's self-titled show on October 2, 2019.[19]
Ambudkar has appeared in several Youtube sketch comedy skits including the comedy groups CollegeHumor and Key & Peele. Ambudkar starred in Force Grey: Giant Hunters (2016) and Force Grey: Lost City of Omu (2017), a Dungeons & Dragons actual play web series with Matthew Mercer as the Dungeon Master, where he played the character Hitch, a rogue with a nefarious past.[20][21] In 2023, he appeared as a guest player in Critical Role's third campaign, also hosted by Mercer, as the sorcerer Bor'Dor.[22][23]
Personal life Edit
Ambudkar married in 2019, and has three children.[1] In a 2023 interview, he revealed that he has been sober for eight and a half years. He also stated that his lack of sobriety at the time was why he was replaced as Aaron Burr in Hamilton.[24] Ambudkar is a fan of the Washington Wizards.[25]
Discography Edit
- The Gold Tusk EP (2006)
- Members Only EP (2012)[26]
- Vanity (2019)
- Petty (2019)
Filmography Edit
Film Edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Rocket Science | Ram | |
| 2008 | Last Call | Nikash | |
| 2012 | Pitch Perfect | Donald | |
| 2015 | Freaks of Nature | Parminder | |
| 2016 | Ride Along 2 | Amir | |
| Barbershop: The Next Cut | Raja | ||
| 2017 | Basmati Blues | Rajit | |
| 2018 | Blindspotting | Rin | |
| Game Over, Man! | Bae Awadi | ||
| 2019 | Brittany Runs a Marathon | Jern Dahn | |
| 2020 | Mulan | Skatch | Deleted scene |
| The Broken Hearts Gallery | Max Vora | ||
| Godmothered | Grant | ||
| 2021 | Tom & Jerry | Real Estate Rat | Voice |
| Free Guy | Mouser | ||
| Tick, Tick... Boom! | Todd | ||
| 2022 | The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild | Orson | Voice |
| Marry Me | Coach Manny | ||
| 2023 | World's Best | Suresh Patel | Also writer |
Television Edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006; 2010 | The Electric Company | UTK; Harry | 2 episodes |
| 2011 | Danni Lowinski | Rasoul | Television film |
| 2012 | Freestyle Love Supreme | UTK | Television film |
| 2013–2017 | The Mindy Project | Rishi Lahiri | 10 episodes |
| 2013 | China, IL | Aladdin | Voice, episode: "Wild Hogs" |
| 2016 | The Simpsons | Jay | Voice, episode: "Much Apu About Something" |
| 2016 | The Muppets | Pizza | 3 episodes |
| 2017 | White Famous | Malcolm | 10 episodes |
| 2017 | The Problem with Apu | Himself | Documentary television film |
| 2018 | Trolls: The Beat Goes On! | Master Controll | Episode: "Big Poppy" |
| 2018 | Bartlett | Sanjay Kahn | 4 episodes |
| 2018–2020 | Brockmire | Raj | 5 episodes |
| 2018–2020 | Harvey Street Kids | Fredo, Teen Boy, Tiny Duck | Voice, 17 episodes |
| 2020 | Mira, Royal Detective | Chikku, Male Judge, Train Engineer, Engineer, Passenger, Uncle | Voice, main role |
| 2020 | Central Park | — | Songwriter: "The Park Is Mine" (with Rafael Casal)[27] |
| 2021-2023 | Never Have I Ever | Mr. Kulkarni | Recurring (season 2-4) |
| 2021 | Blindspotting | Niles Turner | Guest Star (season 1, episode 8) |
| 2021 | Robot Chicken | Aang, Sora, Xenomorph Student #1 | Voice, episode: "May Cause Numb Butthole" |
| 2021–present | Ghosts | Jay Arondekar | Main role[28] |
| 2021 | Special | Ravi | 3 episodes |
| 2022 | The Dropout | Rakesh Madhava | Recurring |
| 2023 | Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur | Anand | Voice, recurring role |
| 2023 | Celebrity Jeopardy! | Himself | Contestant |
| 2024 | Avatar: The Last Airbender | King Bumi | Recurring[29] |
Web Edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Force Grey: Giant Hunters | Hitch | Main role; 6 episodes[30][20] |
| 2017–2018 | Force Grey: Lost City of Omu | Main role; 20 episodes[31][21] | |
| 2023 | Critical Role (campaign three) | Bor'Dor Dog'Son | Guest role; 5 episodes[22][23] |
Theatre Edit
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | History of the Word | Ali | Crossroads Theatre | [32][33] |
| 2005 | The Me Nobody Knows | Performer | Staged Reading, Vineyard Theatre | [34] |
| 2005 | The Snow Queen | Kay | Urban Stages | [35][36] |
| 2007 | History of the Word | Ali | Washington Irving High School LaGuardia Performing Arts Center | [37][38][39] |
| 2008 | Rafta, Rafta... | Etash Tailor | Acorn Theater/The New Group, Off-Broadway | [40][41] |
| 2008 | Animals Out of Paper | Suresh | McGinn/Cazale Theatre, Off-Broadway | [42][43] |
| 2009 | Dov and Ali | Ali | Cherry Lane Theatre, Off-Broadway | [44][45] |
| 2010 | The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity | Vigneshwar Paduar | Second Stage Theatre, Off-Broadway | [46] |
| 2012 | Modern Terrorism, or They Who Want to Kill Us and How We Learn to Love Them | Rahim | Second Stage Theatre, Off-Broadway | [47][48][49] |
| 2013 | Hamilton | Aaron Burr | Vassar College, Workshop | [50] |
| 2019 | Freestyle Love Supreme | Himself | Greenwich House Theater, Off-Broadway | [51][52][53] |
| 2019–20 | Booth Theatre, Broadway | [54][55] |
References Edit
- ^ a b Degrushe, Allison (7 October 2021). "Meet 'Ghosts' Star Utkarsh Ambudkar and His Cute Little Family". Distractify. from the original on 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
- ^ "Instagram". from the original on 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
- ^ . Webgum. Archived from the original on December 18, 2018. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e Caramanica, Jon (2019-09-26). "Utkarsh Ambudkar Finally Gets His Broadway Shot in 'Freestyle Love Supreme'". The New York Times. from the original on 2019-10-01. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
- ^ Marks, Peter (September 26, 2019). "How chill can Broadway get? Lin-Manuel Miranda and company throw down some 'Freestyle Love' to find out". The Washington Post. from the original on October 3, 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
- ^ Williams, Elizabeth (November 16, 2000). "A Comedy That'll Slay You". The Washington Post. from the original on August 31, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
- ^ Wilcher, Joel (March 29, 2001). "An 'Anything' With Everything". The Washington Post. from the original on August 31, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
- ^ Mathai, Kamini (February 14, 2020). "Utkarsh Ambudkar, rapper who stole the show at Oscars, has a Chennai connection". The Times of India. Mumbai. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ^ Peitzman, Louis (8 January 2013). ""Pitch Perfect" Breakout Utkarsh Ambudkar Takes On "The Mindy Project"". BuzzFeed. from the original on 21 July 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (28 September 2015). "Utkarsh Ambudkar To Star In Fox Comedy 'Eat Pray Thug' Inspired By Rapper Heems". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on 21 November 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
- ^ "Heems' TV Show Is Not Happening". Pitchfork. 20 October 2016. from the original on 2020-01-28. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
- ^ "Utkarsh Ambudkar and Nisha Ganatra Reveal What Has (and Hasn't) Changed in Hollywood", Spotify, 2 February 2019, from the original on 2023-05-27, retrieved 2023-09-27
- ^ N'Duka, Amanda (November 22, 2017). "Jillian Bell To Star In 'Brittany Runs A Marathon'; Michaela Watkins, Utkarsh Ambudkar & Lil Rel Howery Also Cast". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on April 22, 2018. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
- ^ Ford, Rebecca (6 June 2018). "Disney Casts 'Mulan' Love Interest (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on 2018-06-06. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
- ^ Brown, Lillian (May 15, 2019). "Ryan Reynolds strikes a pose with 'Free Guy' cast as filming ramps up in Boston". The Boston Globe. from the original on 2023-04-28. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
- ^ "Production Has Begun on New Disney+ Movie "Godmothered" (Press release). Disney. January 30, 2019. from the original on September 28, 2023. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 1, 2020). "Utkarsh Ambudkar To Star Opposite Rose McIver In CBS Comedy Pilot 'Ghosts'". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ Zuckerman, Esther (October 17, 2014). "Lin-Manuel Miranda on bringing Freestyle Love Supreme to TV". Entertainment Weekly. from the original on 2023-05-27. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
- ^ Peikert, Mark (2019-06-18). "Lin-Manuel Miranda's Freestyle Love Supreme Coming to Broadway". Playbill. from the original on 2019-09-24. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
- ^ a b "Meet D&D's Force Grey: Giant Hunters in this exclusive trailer". The A.V. Club. 2016-07-07. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
- ^ a b "10 Most Underrated D&D Actual-Play Streams". CBR. 2022-09-01. from the original on 2023-05-19. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
- ^ a b "Somewhere Out There". Critical Role. Series 3. Episode 59. May 18, 2023. from the original on May 19, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
- ^ a b McCauley, Tara (May 19, 2023). "Critical Role Shocks Fans With a Major Bait-And-Switch". CBR. from the original on May 19, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
- ^ "'Ghosts' Star Utkarsh Ambudkar on His Path from Rapper to a TV Series Lead & and the Big Opportunity That Got Away". 4 June 2023. from the original on 5 June 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
- ^ "'World's Best' Star Utkarsh Ambudkar on His Tanking Wizards & Resurgent Orioles". The Rich Eisen Show. June 30, 2023. ESPN. from the original on 2023-07-04. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
- ^ "Members Only EP by UTK the INC". Bandcamp.
- ^ Harnick, Chris (May 29, 2020). "Central Park Is Here to Give You New Music by Sara Bareilles, Darren Criss and Many More". E! News. from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 31, 2021). "'Ghosts' Comedy Starring Rose McIver & Utkarsh Ambudkar Picked Up To Series By CBS". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
- ^ "Netflix's 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' Taps Utkarsh Ambudkar As King Bumi (EXCLUSIVE)" (Press release). Knight Edge Media. July 25, 2022. from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
- ^ Tito, Greg (July 11, 2016). . Dungeons & Dragons Wizards. Archived from the original on April 4, 2017. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
- ^ . Dungeons & Dragons. July 25, 2017. Archived from the original on November 19, 2017. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
- ^ Jones, Kenneth (October 16, 2004). "Hip-Hop History of the Word Speaks Its Mind Oct. 16–24 at Crossroads Theatre Co. in NJ". Playbill. from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
- ^ Daniels, Robert L. (October 21, 2004). "Review: 'History of the Word'". Variety. from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
- ^ Simonson, Robert (January 20, 2005). "Scott Schwartz to Direct New Reading of Musical The Me Nobody Knows". Playbill. from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
- ^ Graeber, Laurel (December 30, 2005). "Ice, Ice Baby: Urban Twists on an Old-Fashioned Tale". The New York Times. from the original on November 5, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
- ^ "The Snow Queen". urbanStages. from the original on September 12, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
- ^ Pincus-Roth, Zachary (February 27, 2007). "Vineyard and Queens Theatre's History of the Word Begins Feb. 27". Playbill. from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
- ^ Allen, Kerri (March 6, 2007). "History of the Word". Backstage. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
- ^ Cooper, Amanda. "A CurtainUp Review: History of the Word". CurtainUp. from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
Especially charming is Utkarsh Ambudkar as the ROTC-bound Ali, whose stage presence and timing are undeniably spot-on.
- ^ "The New Group Presents 'Rafta, Rafta' Opening Tonight!". BroadwayWorld. May 8, 2008. from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
- ^ Brantley, Ben (May 9, 2008). "No Sex, Please, We're British Indians". The New York Times. from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
- ^ "Animals Out of Paper Production Information". BroadwayWorld. from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
- ^ Gates, Anita (August 5, 2008). "Works Well With Paper, Has Trouble With Life". The New York Times. from the original on November 3, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
- ^ "Playwrights Realm's DOV AND ALI Runs Thru 6/27". BroadwayWorld. June 16, 2009. from the original on July 17, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
- ^ Jaworowski, Ken (June 12, 2009). "A Jew and a Muslim, Firing Words After School". The New York Times. from the original on August 27, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
- ^ "The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity Off-Broadway Cast". BroadwayWorld. from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
- ^ Hetrick, Adam (September 21, 2012). "Jon Kern's Modern Terrorism, With Utkarsh Ambudkar and Steven Boyer, Premieres at Second Stage Sept. 21". Playbill. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
- ^ Stasio, Marilyn (October 18, 2012). "Review: 'Modern Terrorism, or They Who Want to Kill Us and How We Learn to Love Them'". Variety. from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
- ^ Isherwood, Charles (October 18, 2012). "Funny, but Plotting Havoc Isn't Easy, 'Modern Terrorism,' by Jon Kern, at the Second Stage Theater". The New York Times. from the original on September 29, 2018. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
- ^ {[cite news| title=Who Is Utkarsh Ambudkar, the Guy Who Just Freestyle Rap Recapped the Oscars?| url=https://www.thewrap.com/who-is-utkarsh-ambudkar-the-guy-who-just-freestyle-rap-recapped-the-oscars/%7C first=Tim| last=Baysinger| date=February 9, 2020| website=TheWrap| access-date=2023-09-27| df=mdy-all}}
- ^ Paulson, Michael (October 29, 2018). "Lin-Manuel Miranda Puts Freestyle Love Supreme Back Onstage". The New York Times. from the original on May 5, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
- ^ "Freestyle Love Supreme". Playbill. from the original on May 5, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
- ^ Green, Jesse (February 12, 2019). "Review: At 'Freestyle Love Supreme,' Attention Must Be Paid. Really". The New York Times. from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
- ^ "Freestyle Love Supreme". Playbill. from the original on November 7, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
- ^ Clement, Olivia (November 5, 2019). "Freestyle Love Supreme Extends on Broadway". Playbill. from the original on November 6, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
External links Edit
- Utkarsh Ambudkar at IMDb
- Utkarsh Ambudkar at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Utkarsh Ambudkar at the Internet Broadway Database