Danny Pudi

Early life

Daniel Mark Pudi was born in Chicago on March 10, 1979, the son of programmer and analyst Teresa () and Abraham Lazarus Pudi (1955–2018). His parents immigrated to the U.S. and became naturalized citizens: his mother came from the village of Pokośno, Poland, Pudi grew up speaking Polish with his mother and grandmother.

He grew up on the South Side of Chicago with brother Adam and sister Katherine and attended Notre Dame College Prep in Niles, a northern suburb. In 2013, he gave the commencement address at Notre Dame College Prep.

Pudi studied dance in Chicago and attended Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, graduating with a degree in communication and theatre in 2001. At Marquette, he was the first winner of the Chris Farley Scholarship.

Career

Pudi became a recruiter for an executive search firm before moving to Los Angeles in 2005 to seek television and film roles. His job, whereby he was a remote worker, permitted him to attend auditions, helping him avoid the "struggling actor thing in terms of waiting tables, temping and so on". He performed in several television pilots before joining the cast of Community, which he starred in for six seasons from 2009 to 2015.

He has appeared in multiple television advertisements for such products as Snickers, Verizon, McDonald's, T-Mobile, and Far Cry 4. In 2012, he appeared as a celebrity contestant on GSN's version of The Pyramid with fellow Community cast member Yvette Nicole Brown.

In film, he portrayed Arash in the comedy film Road Trip: Beer Pong, and starred in the comedy horror film Knights of Badassdom, which was one of the highlights of Comic Con 2011, according to HitFix.com. He starred in the Jones Street Station music video for "The Understanding". He has made cameo appearances in many internet videos, including BriTANicK's "A Monologue for Three". Pudi had a cameo appearance in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and the live episode of Hot in Cleveland, as well as a cameo in Star Trek Beyond.

In the autumn of 2014, Pudi appeared in the off-Broadway musical FOUND. He played the lead role in The Tiger Hunter, an independent film directed by Lena Khan in 2016 and funded through a Kickstarter campaign. In 2017, Pudi began voicing Huey Duck in the DuckTales reboot. He also appeared as Teddy on the NBC sitcom Powerless in the same year.

Pudi plays Brad Bakshi in the TV series Mythic Quest, which premiered in February 2020. His first play, entitled Running, was created for the En Garde Arts' series Uncommon Voices and made public in August 2020. The production tackles his attempt to piece together his relationship with his father, which affected his personal identity, cultural background, and his experience with racism throughout his personal life and career. The play was turned into a short film, directed by Arpita Mukherjee, and released in 2022.

He reunited with Community co-star Alison Brie in the 2022 film Somebody I Used to Know, co-written by Brie.

In 2024, Pudi began his role of The Mechanist in Netflix's live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Personal life

Pudi is married to Bridget Showalter. They met while attending Marquette University in their freshman year. Their twins, a son and a daughter, were born in January 2012. Pudi is also a runner and has completed several marathons.

Pudi bought a house in Pasadena, California, in 2014.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

References

1. "Danny Pudi: Community cast - NBC.com".
2. "J. William and Mary Diederich College of Communication Award Recipients Young Alumnus of the Year Award: DANIEL M. PUDI, COMM '01".
3. "Danny Pudi Biography". Fancast.
4. "Teresa K. Pudi (Komendant)". Poles.org.
5. (July 24, 2018). "Abraham Pudi: Obituary". Legacy.com.
6. "Obituary for Abraham L. Pudi | Simkins Funeral Home".
7. Souri, Ranjit. (November 2009). "Desis on Cable: Reshma Shetty and Danny Pudi". India Currents.
8. Wagner, Curt. (January 23, 2012). "'Community' star Danny Pudi, wife have twins". RedEye.
9. (Spring 2004). "10 things you don't know about Danny Pudi". Marquette University.
10. ''[[The Bonnie Hunt Show]]'', October 9, 2009.
11. (May 24, 2013). "Danny Pudi of 'Community' Speaking At Notre Dame Graduation".
12. Etter, Nicole Sweeney. "Breakout star Danny Pudi was a hit at Marquette first". Marquette University.
13. (December 21, 2016). "If You Can't Beat Them, Laugh at Them: How Asian America Responded to Hollywood in 2016". [[NBC News]].
14. (September 29, 2012). "Escape with Melanie Light's Latest Short Film - Dread Central".
15. (November 19, 2014). "Danny Pudi and Donald Glover reunite for a video game commercial". [[G/O Media Inc.]].
16. (January 28, 2013). "Preston Jones & Michael Trotter on Road Trip: Beer Pong".
17. Miska, Brad. (June 9, 2010). "'Community' Funnyman Grabs His Sword for 'Knights of Badassdom'!".
18. (August 11, 2011). "Jones Street Station "The Understanding"". [[YouTube]].
19. "Community Star Danny Pudi and More Cast in New Musical Found". TheaterMania.com.
20. Rocha, Kelsey. (February 4, 2013). "UCLA alumna Lena Khan fundraises for 'The Tiger Hunter'". [[Daily Bruin]].
21. Petski, Denise. (December 16, 2016). "'DuckTales': David Tennant, Danny Pudi, Ben Schwartz Among Voice Cast For Disney XD Reboot".
22. "S1 E12: Running {{!}} En Garde Arts Presents Uncommon Voices".
23. Williams, Mary Elizabeth. (August 31, 2022). "Alison Brie on filmmaking, "back to old antics" with Danny Pudi and a possible "Community" reunion".
24. (October 8, 2004). "Weddings; Showalter-Pudi". Telegraph - Herald.
25. (July 2019)
26. Beale, Lauren. (March 25, 2014). "Danny Pudi buys Pasadena home from Olympic swimmer".
27. "Danny Pudi (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors.
28. Lin, Justin. (April 6, 2016). "Who were the STAR TREK BEYOND aliens?".
29. (May 25, 2023). "What to Stream: Vanderpump Reunion, Sorority Rush, Sketch Comedy Fav & Coffee Shop Names".
30. Fleming, Mike Jr.. (March 22, 2021). "Dark Comedy 'American Dreamer' Adds Danny Glover, Matt Dillon, Danny Pudi, Michelle Mylett".
31. "TV Guide Magazine Fan Favorites Awards Winners Revealed!".
32. Harp, Justin. (June 5, 2012). "Critics' Choice Awards 2012: The nominees in full". Digital Spy.
33. Petski, Denise. (July 22, 2022). "'Transformers: EarthSpark': Paramount+ Series Sets Voice Cast, Teaser Trailer — Comic-Con".
34. (July 23, 2022). "Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender Reportedly Adds Danny Pudi to Cast".
35. Maglio, Tony. (September 23, 2025). "'Prep & Landing' Returns After 14 Years With New Christmas Special (Exclusive)".