Ajay Naidu
62 movies · 19 TV shows
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- Feb 12, 1972 (age 54)
- Place of birth
- Evanston, Illinois, USA
Biography
Ajay Kalahastri Naidu (born 12 February 1972) is an American actor.
Naidu was born in Evanston, Illinois and raised in Chicago, the son of Indian immigrants from Chittor District, Andhra Pradesh to the U.S. He attended Evanston Township High School. As an actor, he trained with the American Repertory Theater's Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University.
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His first professional acting job was the film Touch and Go (released in 1986) which he won from an open call, this in turn led to television jobs.He starred in the TV-movie, Lady Blue (1985) as "Paquito". This was followed by an ABC Afterschool Special episode, "No Greater Gift" (1985), where he played "Nick Santana", a 12-year old boy with a terminal illness. He then appeared in an uncredited role as "Ahmed" in the "MacGyver" TV series, during the first season, in episode, "To Be a Man" in 1986.
Other film credits when younger include Where the River Runs Black (1986) and Vice Versa (1988). Between 1988 and 1995 he worked extensively in classical theatre.
He returned to film acting in SubUrbia (1996), where he was praised for his role as the convenience store owner, "Nazeer Choudhury" and for which he was nominated for an independent spirit award for best supporting actor.
On screen, Naidu has appeared in the film Office Space, as well as K-Pax, π, Requiem for a Dream, Bad Santa, The War Within, American Chai, The Guru, Waterborne and Loins of Punjab Presents and many more. He co-starred in the sitcom LateLine and had guest starring roles on the television dramas The Sopranos, in the episode entitled Big Girls Don't Cry, as well as The West Wing. In 1997, Naidu was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for his role in the independent film subUrbia. Naidu has been working extensively with musicians from the Asian underground music movement for many years and his vocals have appeared on many records most notably Talvin Singh's mercury award winner "OK". In 2006 he directed his first feature film Ashes which came out in 2010. His most recent Theatre credits include A world tour of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure with Simon McBurney's Theatre Complicite, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui alongside Al Pacino, and The Little Flower of East Orange at New York's Public Theater. He is currently engaged to actress Heather Burns.
Known for
Ajay Naidu: movies and TV shows
Acting (81)
- Upcoming
- Upcoming Wire & Cloth
as Sunil
- Upcoming Vivien & the Florist
as Eldridge
- Upcoming Intimité
as Darren Swiss
- 2026 Only Good Feelings
as Lee
- 2026 Brenda
as Dennis
- 2025 Bunny
as Officer Cellestino
- 2025 Peas and Carrots
as Director
- 2024
- 2023 The Zombie Wedding
as Brick Rivers
- 2023 The Magnificent Meyersons
as Mohammed
- 2023
- 2022 The Good Nurse
as Dr. Robert Hind
- 2022
- 2022
- 2021
- 2020 Thorp
as Pat
- 2020 Antarctica
as Principle Pepp
- 2020 The Sleepless
as Vivek
- 2020
- 2018
- 2018 The Kindergarten Teacher
as Nikhil Roy
- 2018
- 2017 Lost Cat Corona
as Amir
- 2016
- 2015
- 2013
- 2012 3 Days of Normal
as Vik Donowitz
- 2011 Mister Handsome
as Mister Handsome
- 2011 Ashes
as Ashes
- 2010 PIA
as Rakesh
- 2009 Today's Special
as Munnamia
- 2009 Falling Up
as Paco
- 2009
- 2009
- 2009 Hotel for Dogs
as ACO Jake
- 2009 Stream
as Kyle
- 2008 The Wrestler
as Medic
- 2008 Righteous Kill
as Dr. Chadrabar
- 2008 The Accidental Husband
as Deep
- 2007 Loins of Punjab Presents
as Turbanotorious B.D.G.
- 2006 Hiding Divya
as Divya's Husband
- 2006
- 2005 Confess
as Account Executive
- 2005 The War Within
as Naved
- 2005 The Honeymooners
as Vivek
- 2005 Scooby-Doo! in Where's My Mummy?
as Prince Omar (voice)
- 2005 Alchemy
as Best Man
- 2005 Waterborne
as Vikram Bhatti
- 2005 Perception
as Kamal
- 2005 212
as Vincent
- 2004
- 2003 Bad Santa
as Hindustani Troublemaker
- 2003 Scary Movie 3
as Sayaman
- 2003 Justice
as Mohammed
- 2002
- 2002 The Guru
as Sanjay
- 2002
- 2001 K-PAX
as Dr. Chakaraborty
- 2001 Hannibal
as Perfume Expert
- 2001 American Chai
as Hari
- 2000 Requiem for a Dream
as Mailman
- 2000 Dinner Rush
as Ademir the Matre'd
- 2000 More Dogs Than Bones
as Andy
- 2000 You Are Here*
as Sanjay
- 1999 Office Space
as Samir
- 1999
- 1998 Pi
as Farroukh
- 1998 Scotch and Milk
as Armand
- 1998 My Giant
as Hot Dog Vendor
- 1998
- 1998 Montana
as Ives
- 1997 Once We Were Strangers
as Apu
- 1997 Subway Stories
as Prashant (segment "Honey-Getter")
- 1997 SubUrbia
as Nazeer Choudhury
- 1997
- 1988 Vice Versa
as Dale
- 1986 Where the River Runs Black
as Segundo
- 1986 Touch and Go
as Louis DeLeon
- 1985
- 1985 No Greater Gift
as Nick Santana
Behind the camera (1)
- 2011 Ashes
Director, Writer