Adhir Kalyan

Adhir Kalyan
Kalyan in 2010
OccupationActor
Years active2004–present
Spouse
​
(m. 2016)​
Children2
MotherSandy Kalyan

Adhir Kalyan is a South African actor noted for his role as Timmy in the CBS sitcom Rules of Engagement and as Awalmir Karimi/'Al' in United States of Al.[1]

Early life

Sandy Kalyan circa 2011

Kalyan's family is of Indian South African descent. His mother, Santosh Vinita "Sandy" Kalyan, was a member of Parliament in the South African National Assembly, where she represented the Democratic Alliance.[2]

Kalyan completed his schooling at Marklands in Durban. Prior to moving abroad, he performed in a number of productions in South Africa, including theatrical adaptations of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol, an adaptation of Salman Rushdie's The Ground Beneath Her Feet, and the classical Shakespearean play Macbeth.

Career

In 2005, Kalyan moved to London to pursue his acting career where he gained roles in the BBC series Holby City (series 8) as Arjmand Younis, in Spooks (series 5), and on the Irish network RTÉ One in Fair City as Ramal Kirmani. Kalyan also appeared in a number of independent films.[2]

Kalyan starred in the short-lived American CW Television Network sitcom Aliens in America, as a foreign exchange student from Pakistan living with a Wisconsin family.[3] He portrayed recurring characters in the fifth season of the cable show Nip/Tuck,[4] and in the third season of the CBS sitcom Rules of Engagement, becoming a series regular in the latter's fourth season.

In 2009, Kalyan appeared in the film Paul Blart: Mall Cop as Pahud, a teenager who admired his girlfriend Parisa, in Up in the Air as a fired employee, and in the cheerleader comedy Fired Up. In 2010, he appeared in Youth in Revolt, and in 2011, he appeared in a minor role in No Strings Attached.

In late 2015, he began starring in the Fox science fiction crime drama Second Chance.

In December 2019, Kalyan was cast to portray Afghan interpreter Awalmir Karimi ("Al"), the main protagonist in the CBS sitcom United States of Al. The sitcom premiered on 1 April 2021, surrounded with controversy. Released to mostly negative reviews, the show and its makers were criticized for the show's humor, use of antiquated tropes, and in particular, critics called out the casting of a South-African-born Indian actor to play an Afghan lead and his use of an inauthentic accent.[5]

Personal life

In March 2015, he became engaged to actress Emily Wilson of General Hospital.[6] He and Wilson married on October 1, 2016, at Colony 29 in Palm Springs, California.[7] They welcomed their first child together, a daughter, who was born on March 23, 2021.[8] They welcomed their second child, a son, on October 11, 2024.[9]

Filmography

Year Title Type Role Notes
2006Holby CityTV seriesArjmand Younis1 episode
2006–2007Fair CityTV seriesRamal Kirmani
2007–2008Aliens in AmericaTV seriesRajaStarring role[10]
2009Paul Blart: Mall CopFeaturePahud[10]
2009Fired Up!FeatureBrewster[10]
2009Up in the AirFeatureIrate IT worker
2009Nip/TuckTV seriesRaj Paresh3 episodes[10]
2009Youth in RevoltFeatureVijay Joshi[10]
2009–2013Rules of EngagementTV seriesTimmyRecurring (Season 3)
Main cast (Seasons 4–7)
70 episodes[10]
2010High SchoolFeatureSebastian Saleem[10]
2011No Strings AttachedFeatureKevin
2015Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2FeaturePahudCameo
2016Second ChanceTV seriesOtto GoodwinStarring role[10]
2018-2019Arrested DevelopmentTV seriesAdhir3 episodes[10]
2020A Nice Girl Like YouFeaturePaul Goodwin[10]
2020Broken Promises 5FeatureBushknife Bobby
2020The GoldbergsTV seriesDodd WembleyEpisode: "It's All About Comptrol"[10]
2021–2022United States of AlTV seriesAwalmir "Al" KarimiMain cast[10]
2022Bob Hearts AbisholaTV seriesJaredEpisode: "Inner Boss Bitch"[10][11]
2023Not Dead YetTV seriesKeithEpisode: "Not Feeling It Yet"[10]
2023Broken Promises 6FeatureBushknife BobbyStarring role
20259-1-1: NashvilleTV seriesStuart PearsonEpisode: "Hell and High Water"
2026NCISTV seriesInterrogatorEpisode: "All Good Things"[12]

References

  1. ↑ "Adhir Kalyan". Movietome. Archived from the original on 10 February 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Adhir Kalyan". CWTV. Retrieved 30 March 2010.
  3. ↑ "News 7389". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 30 March 2010.
  4. ↑ "Adhir Kalyan joins FX show". Zap2it. Retrieved 30 March 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  5. ↑ Ramos, Dino-Ray (21 March 2021). "'United States of Al' Blasted For Handling Of Afghan Character; Reza Aslan Defends CBS Sitcom: "You Can't Judge A Show By A 30 Second Trailer"". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 24 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  6. ↑ Wilson, Emily [@emily]; (8 April 2015). "We're Engaged!!". Archived from the original on 24 December 2021 – via Instagram.
  7. ↑ Cushman, Dustin (3 October 2016). "Emily Wilson Marries Adhir Kalyan". Soaps.sheknows.com. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  8. ↑ Clifford, Kambra (29 March 2021). "General Hospital alum Emily Wilson welcomes a baby girl". soapcentral.com. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  9. ↑ "Surprise! 💙 Kavi James Kalyan has entered the chat…Born on October 3rd at 11:11am, he came into the world in a hurry. So much so, I almost had him in the car on the way to the hospital. He is the sweetest boy with the biggest smile! Mira loves being his big sister, and Adhir and I feel incredibly grateful for this family of ours. ❤️". instagram.com.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Adhir Kalyan – Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  11. ↑ Schwartz, Ryan (7 October 2022). "Bob Hearts Abishola Adds Adhir Kalyan as Christina's Coworker — Just as TVLine Dreamt Up! Watch Sneak Peek". www.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 11 October 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  12. ↑ Schultz, Cody (24 March 2026). "NCIS 500th episode cast includes Man with a Plan, United States of Al stars". Hidden Remote. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
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