Utkarsh Ambudkar

Early life

Utkarsh Ambudkar was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on December 8, 1983, into an Indian family to a Marathi father and a Tamil mother. 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 (BFA) degree from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University in 2004.

Through his mother, Ambudkar is a descendant of the lawyer and jurist Sir Vembakkam Bhashyam Aiyangar.

Career

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. He was set to star in the Fox series Eat, Pray, Thug, but the show was not picked up. Ambudkar originated the role of Aaron Burr in the developmental readings of Hamilton. He formerly played Raj on the sitcom Brockmire. He played Jern in the 2019 film Brittany Runs a Marathon.

He played Skatch, a con artist, in a deleted scene of the 2020 Disney live-action remake of Mulan. That same year, he appeared in Disney's Godmothered, and then in the 2021 action comedy Free Guy. 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).

He was a member of the musical group "The Beatards." Since 2005, Ambudkar has been a part of hip-hop improv group Freestyle Love Supreme under the name UTK the INC. As part of the group, he participated in the limited television series for Pivot in 2014 and made his Broadway debut in the group's self-titled show on October 2, 2019.

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. In 2023, he appeared as a guest player in Critical Role third campaign, also hosted by Mercer, as the sorcerer Bor'Dor.

Personal life

Ambudkar married his wife Naomi in 2019 and has three children.

He struggled with alcoholism in the early 2010s. 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. He told The New York Times in 2019: "It was ego, it was being a daily marijuana user, it was partying at night, it was being preoccupied, growing up as a brown person, feeling unattractive, and seeking validation of the opposite sex to sort of fill a hole, my self-worth."

Discography

• The Gold Tusk EP (2006)
• Members Only EP (2012)
• Vanity (2019)
• Petty (2019)

Filmography

Film

Television

Web

Theatre

References

References

1. Degrushe, Allison. (7 October 2021). "Meet 'Ghosts' Star Utkarsh Ambudkar and His Cute Little Family".
2. "Instagram".
3. "Let's Talk About Me, Baby with Utkarsh Ambudkar".
4. Cartwright, Jamie. (February 24, 2024). "Utkarsh Ambudkar shines in diverse roles across Hollywood and music".
5. (October 17, 2017). "Utkarsh Ambudkar".
6. Caramanica, Jon. (September 26, 2019). "Utkarsh Ambudkar Finally Gets His Broadway Shot in 'Freestyle Love Supreme'". [[The New York Times]].
7. (September 26, 2019). "How chill can Broadway get? Lin-Manuel Miranda and company throw down some 'Freestyle Love' to find out.". [[The Washington Post]].
8. (November 16, 2000). "A Comedy That'll Slay You". The Washington Post.
9. (March 29, 2001). "An 'Anything' With Everything". The Washington Post.
10. Mathai, Kamini. (February 14, 2020). "Utkarsh Ambudkar, rapper who stole the show at Oscars, has a Chennai connection". [[The Times of India]].
11. (8 January 2013). ""Pitch Perfect" Breakout Utkarsh Ambudkar Takes On "The Mindy Project"".
12. Andreeva, Nellie. (28 September 2015). "Utkarsh Ambudkar To Star In Fox Comedy 'Eat Pray Thug' Inspired By Rapper Heems".
13. Sodomsky, Sam. (October 20, 2016). "Heems' TV Show Is Not Happening".
14. (2 February 2019). "Utkarsh Ambudkar and Nisha Ganatra Reveal What Has (and Hasn't) Changed in Hollywood".
15. N'Duka, Amanda. (November 22, 2017). "Jillian Bell To Star In 'Brittany Runs A Marathon'; Michaela Watkins, Utkarsh Ambudkar & Lil Rel Howery Also Cast".
16. Ford, Rebecca. (June 6, 2018). "Disney Casts 'Mulan' Love Interest (Exclusive)".
17. Brown, Lillian. (May 15, 2019). "Ryan Reynolds strikes a pose with 'Free Guy' cast as filming ramps up in Boston". [[The Boston Globe]].
18. (January 30, 2019). "Production Has Begun on New Disney+ Movie "Godmothered". Disney.
19. Andreeva, Nellie. (July 1, 2020). "Utkarsh Ambudkar To Star Opposite Rose McIver In CBS Comedy Pilot 'Ghosts'".
20. Zuckerman, Esther. (October 17, 2014). "Lin-Manuel Miranda on bringing Freestyle Love Supreme to TV".
21. Peikert, Mark. (June 18, 2019). "Lin-Manuel Miranda's Freestyle Love Supreme Coming to Broadway".
22. (May 18, 2023). "Somewhere Out There".
23. Rice, Lynette. (June 4, 2023). "'Ghosts' Star Utkarsh Ambudkar on His Path from Rapper to a TV Series Lead & and the Big Opportunity That Got Away".
24. (June 30, 2023). "'World's Best' Star Utkarsh Ambudkar on His Tanking Wizards & Resurgent Orioles {{!}} Rich Eisen Show". [[ESPN]].
25. "Members Only EP by UTK the INC".
26. Roxborough, Scott. (May 8, 2019). "Geraldine Viswanathan, Dacre Montgomery and Utkarsh Ambudkar Cast in 'Broken Heart Gallery'".
27. Major, Michael. (November 23, 2021). "Every Broadway Cameo in TICK, TICK...BOOM!".
28. Millar, Laura. (February 3, 2022). "'The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild' doesn’t fit into the original series".
29. "Utkarsh Ambudkar (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors.
30. D'Alessandro, Anthony. (December 13, 2021). "Jennifer Lopez & Owen Wilson Romantic Comedy 'Marry Me' Going Theatrical Day & Date On Peacock".
31. Grobar, Matt. (November 29, 2022). "Sarah Adina Smith's Dark Comedy 'The Drop' Exec Produced By Mark And Jay Duplass Set For January Bow On Hulu – First Look".
32. Kennedy, Tricia. (May 31, 2023). "Trailer and Key Art Released for the Disney+ Original Movie "World's Best" Streaming June 23rd".
33. Grobar, Matt. (June 27, 2023). "Morgan Freeman, Gloria Reuben & Utkarsh Ambudkar Board Veteran Dramedy 'My Dead Friend Zoe'".
34. Debruge, Peter. (March 14, 2024). "'Doin' It' Review: Even Educated Fleas Know Better Than Lilly Singh's Inexperienced Sex Ed Teacher".
35. Perkins, Dennis. (January 18, 2016). "A visitor takes a long look at Apu on a funny, thoughtful Simpsons".
36. McLean, Thomas J.. (June 1, 2018). "Watch: DreamWorks' 'Harvey Street Kids' Debuts June 29".
37. Pedersen, Erik. (November 29, 2018). "Disney Junior Preps 'Mira, Royal Detective', Toon Series Inspired By Culture & Customs Of India".
38. Harnick, Chris. (May 29, 2020). "''Central Park'' Is Here to Give You New Music by Sara Bareilles, Darren Criss and Many More".
39. Petski, Denise. (December 18, 2020). "'Never Have I Ever': Utkarsh Ambudkar & P.J. Byrne Join Season 2 Of Mindy Kaling's Netflix Series".
40. Andreeva, Nellie. (31 March 2021). "'Ghosts' Comedy Starring Rose McIver & Utkarsh Ambudkar Picked Up To Series By CBS".
41. Petski, Denise. (March 29, 2021). "'Special': Charlie Barnett, Max Jenkins, Ana Ortiz Among Nine Set To Recur In Season 2 Of Netflix Series".
42. Petski, Denise. (June 10, 2021). "'The Dropout': William H. Macy, Laurie Metcalf, Elizabeth Marvel, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Kate Burton Among 10 Cast In Hulu Limited Series".
43. Stenzel, Wesley. (September 14, 2023). "Get a first look at Celebrity Jeopardy season 2 and meet some of the stars competing".
44. (July 28, 2009). "Hardly Working: Rap Battle".
45. (September 28, 2009). "Hardly Working: Freestyling Interns".
46. Tito, Greg. (July 11, 2016). "Force Grey: Giant Hunters".
47. Chavez, Danette. (July 7, 2016). "Meet D&D's Force Grey: Giant Hunters in this exclusive trailer".
48. (July 25, 2017). "Force Grey: Lost City of Omu".
49. Krum, Rebekah. (September 1, 2022). "10 Most Underrated D&D Actual-Play Streams".
50. McCauley, Tara. (May 19, 2023). "Critical Role Shocks Fans With a Major Bait-And-Switch".
51. Campione, Katie. (2025-10-28). "‘Backyard Baseball’ Video Game Lands First Ever Adaptation With Tiffany Haddish, Arturo Castro & More All-Stars Voicing Animated Special".
52. (October 16, 2004). "Hip-Hop History of the Word Speaks Its Mind Oct. 16–24 at Crossroads Theatre Co. in NJ".
53. (October 21, 2004). "Review: 'History of the Word'". Variety.
54. (January 20, 2005). "Scott Schwartz to Direct New Reading of Musical The Me Nobody Knows".
55. (December 30, 2005). "Ice, Ice Baby: Urban Twists on an Old-Fashioned Tale". The New York Times.
56. "The Snow Queen".
57. (February 27, 2007). "Vineyard and Queens Theatre's History of the Word Begins Feb. 27".
58. (March 6, 2007). "History of the Word".
59. "A CurtainUp Review: History of the Word".
60. (May 8, 2008). "The New Group Presents 'Rafta, Rafta' Opening Tonight!".
61. (May 9, 2008). "No Sex, Please, We're British Indians". The New York Times.
62. "Animals Out of Paper Production Information".
63. (August 5, 2008). "Works Well With Paper, Has Trouble With Life". The New York Times.
64. (June 16, 2009). "Playwrights Realm's DOV AND ALI Runs Thru 6/27".
65. (June 12, 2009). "A Jew and a Muslim, Firing Words After School". The New York Times.
66. "The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity Off-Broadway Cast".
67. (September 21, 2012). "Jon Kern's Modern Terrorism, With Utkarsh Ambudkar and Steven Boyer, Premieres at Second Stage Sept. 21".
68. (October 18, 2012). "Review: 'Modern Terrorism, or They Who Want to Kill Us and How We Learn to Love Them'". Variety.
69. (October 18, 2012). "Funny, but Plotting Havoc Isn't Easy, 'Modern Terrorism,' by Jon Kern, at the Second Stage Theater". The New York Times.
70. Baysinger, Tim. (February 9, 2020). "Who Is Utkarsh Ambudkar, the Guy Who Just Freestyle Rap Recapped the Oscars?".
71. (October 29, 2018). "Lin-Manuel Miranda Puts Freestyle Love Supreme Back Onstage". The New York Times.
72. "Freestyle Love Supreme".
73. (February 12, 2019). "Review: At 'Freestyle Love Supreme,' Attention Must Be Paid. Really.". The New York Times.
74. "Freestyle Love Supreme".
75. (November 5, 2019). "Freestyle Love Supreme Extends on Broadway".