Ajay Naidu

2021-01-30T23:43:15Z

2600:1000:B05B:7800:D552:6B94:3A13:621D:

{{short description|American actor}}
{{BLP sources|date=March 2013}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Ajay Naidu
| image = 
| birth_name = Ajay Kalahastri Naidu
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1972|2|12}}
| birth_place = [[Evanston, Illinois|Evanston]], [[Illinois]], U.S.
| occupation = Actor
| years_active = 1985–present
| spouse = [[Heather Burns]]
}}

'''Ajay Kalahastri Naidu''' (born February 12, 1972) is an American actor best known for playing Samir in ''[[Office Space]]''. Naidu was nominated for the [[Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male]] for his performance in the film ''[[SubUrbia (film)|SubUrbia]]''.

==Early life and education==
Naidu was born in [[Evanston, Illinois]]. His parents came from [[India]] to the United States in 1964.<ref name="Yoon">Cindy Yoon."[http://www.asiasource.org/asianamerica/ajaynaidu.cfm Interview with Ajay Naidu] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060806123554/http://www.asiasource.org/asianamerica/ajaynaidu.cfm |date=August 6, 2006 }}".'' Asiasource''.April 29, 2003. Retrieved August 5, 2006.</ref> He attended [[Evanston Township High School]]. He trained with the [[American Repertory Theater]]'s [[Institute for Advanced Theater Training]] at [[Harvard University]].<ref name="Yoon" />

==Career==
Naidu's first professional acting job was the 1986 film ''[[Touch and Go (1986 film)|Touch and Go]]'' which he won from an open call. 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. Naidu then appeared in the ''MacGyver'' TV series' first-season episode, "To Be a Man" in 1986.

Other early film credits include ''[[Where the River Runs Black]]'' (1986) and ''[[Vice Versa (1988 film)|Vice Versa]]'' (1988). Between 1988 and 1995 he worked extensively in classical theatre.

Naidu returned to film acting with ''[[SubUrbia (film)|SubUrbia]]'' in 1996.

On screen, Naidu starred in the cult film ''[[Office Space]]'', as well as appearing in films such as ''[[K-PAX (film)|K-Pax]]'', ''[[Subway Stories]]'', ''[[Pi (film)|π]]'', ''[[Requiem for a Dream]]'', ''[[Bad Santa]]'', ''[[The War Within (film)|The War Within]]'', ''[[The Guru (2002 film)|The Guru]]'', ''[[Waterborne (film)|Waterborne]]'', and ''[[Loins of Punjab Presents]]''. He co-starred as a series regular in the sitcom ''[[LateLine (sitcom)|LateLine]]'' and had guest starring roles on the television dramas ''[[The Sopranos]]'', ''[[The West Wing (television)|The West Wing]]'' and ''[[Bored to Death]]''.

Naidu has been working extensively with musicians from the Asian underground music movement for many years as a dancer and an M.C. His vocals have appeared on many records, most notably Talvin Singh's mercury award winner "OK".

In 2006, Naidu directed his first feature film ''Ashes'' which had its release in 2010 and for which he won Best Actor accolades from the MIACC Film Festival in New York and the [[London Asian Film Festival]]. In 2009, he played as ACO Jake in ''[[Hotel for Dogs (film)|Hotel for Dogs]]''.

Naidu's most recent theatre credits include ''The Master'' and ''Margarita'' with [[Complicite]], a world tour of Shakespeare's ''Measure for Measure'' with Complicite, ''[[The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui]]'' alongside Al Pacino, directed by Simon McBurney and ''The Little Flower of East Orange'' alongside Ellyn Burstyn at New York's Public Theater directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman.<ref>[http://theenvelope.latimes.com/extras/lostmind/year/1997/1997ind.htm Past Winner Database]. "The Envelope". ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. Retrieved on August 5, 2006.</ref> In 2001 Naidu's solo theatre piece ''Darwaza'' was a sold-out hit at New York's Labyrinth Theatre.

==Personal life==
Naidu is married to actress [[Heather Burns]].<ref>Daniel Maurer.[http://newyorkmetro.com/movies/filmfestivals/tribeca/12212/ "Tribeca: The Party Report"] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.is/20120720052901/http://newyorkmetro.com/movies/filmfestivals/tribeca/12212/ |date=July 20, 2012 }}.''[[Metro New York]]''. April 26, 2006. Retrieved August 5, 2006.</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|619651}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2015}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Naidu, Ajay}}
[[Category:1972 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Male actors from Chicago]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American male voice actors]]
[[Category:Institute for Advanced Theater Training, Harvard University alumni]]
[[Category:Evanston Township High School alumni]]
[[Category:American male actors of Indian descent]]

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Ajay Naidu