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{{short description|Indian actor, film director, producer, and music director}}
{{BLP sources|date=January 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Luke Kenny
| image = Luke Kenny.jpg
| caption = Kenny in 2012
| birth_place = [[Kolkata]], West Bengal, India
| years_active = 1989–present
| known_for = ''[[Rock On!!]]''
}}

'''Luke Kenny''' is an Indian actor, film director, producer, music director, composer, and former [[video jockey|VJ]]. He began his career as a DJ, followed by a successful stint as the first male VJ on Channel V.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fireflydaily.com/kya-karrele-hai-baapu/|title=This Is What Our Favorite Channel V and MTV VJs Are Doing These Days|website=Firefly Daily|access-date=18 August 2019|archive-date=18 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190818073519/http://www.fireflydaily.com/kya-karrele-hai-baapu/|url-status=dead}}</ref> He gained widespread recognition for his role in the 2008 rock musical drama ''[[Rock On!!]]''

In 2018, Kenny came back into prominence for his role as the hired mercenary Malcolm Murad in the [[Netflix]] series ''[[Sacred Games (TV series)|Sacred Games]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nathan |first=Archana |title=Cuckoo, Katekar and Malcom: Introducing three stand-out characters (and actors) from 'Sacred Games' |url=https://scroll.in/reel/885232/cuckoo-katekar-and-malcom-introducing-three-stand-out-characters-and-actors-from-sacred-games |access-date=7 August 2022 |website=Scroll.in|date=5 July 2018 }}</ref>

==Early life==
Kenny was born in [[Kolkata]] and is of [[Anglo-Indian people|Anglo-Indian]] descent. His Irish grandfather was originally from [[Burma]] but moved to India after [[WWII]] and married Kenny's British grandmother. The actor's father, Robert Kenny, was born in [[Delhi]] and was a musician. He later moved to [[Kolkata]] and married Kenny's mother, who was Italian.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lal |first1=Niharika |title=I love Delhi, but not its people, says Luke Kenny – Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/music/news/I-love-Delhi-but-not-its-people-says-Luke-Kenny/articleshow/45238780.cms |accessdate=20 August 2019 |work=The Times of India |date=22 November 2014}}</ref>
Kenny's parents divorced when he was very young and he grew up in [[Mumbai]] with his father and grandfather, both musicians, prompting his interest in music from a young age.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}} He was a student at [[Elphinstone College]] in Mumbai but left the school early to pursue a career in music.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}

==Career==
Kenny began his career as a dancer, influenced by [[Michael Jackson]]. He was spotted and later recruited by [[Arshad Warsi]]'s dance crew. In 1991, he joined the rock band Greek as a vocalist. Between 1993 and 1995, he had a small stint as a DJ. In 1995, he joined the newly launched [[Channel V]] as their first male VJ. He became popular and had a long-term association with the channel.<ref>{{cite news |title=Been creatively contributive whenever I could be: VJ Luke Kenny |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/been-creatively-contributive-whenever-i-could-be-vj-luke-kenny-116102100239_1.html |accessdate=20 August 2019 |work=Business Standard India |date=21 October 2016}}</ref>
Kenny got his first acting break in the 1997 film ''Bombay Boys'' alongside [[Naveen Andrews]], albeit in a small role. After this, he went back to Channel V and served as their head of music programming until 2008. In 2005, Kenny tried his hand at directing and producing, with the film ''13th Floor'', starring [[Purab Kohli]] and [[Sandhya Mridul]]. The production was India's first digitally-released film and received recognition at film festivals. Kenny returned to acting with his breakthrough role in the 2008 film ''[[Rock On!!]]''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Banerjee |first=Kaushani |date=8 March 2020 |title='Rock On!!' fames Luke Kenny's journey in Bollywood |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/magazine/2020/Mar/08/rock-on-fames-luke-kennys-journey-in-bollywood-2112855.html |access-date=11 July 2025 |website=The New Indian Express}}</ref>

Kenny has also been a contributor to various news columns. He used to write "If I May Say So" for the ''[[Hindustan Times]]'' and "LukeBox" for ''Rolling Stone India''. In 2011 he became the channel head of 9XO, a 24/7 international music channel owned by [[9X Media]]. In 2013, he produced and starred in India's first zombie film, ''Rise of the Zombie''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Getting ready for Rise of the Zombie was painful: Luke Kenny - NDTV Movies |url=https://movies.ndtv.com/bollywood/getting-ready-for-rise-of-of-the-zombie-was-painful-luke-kenny-610554 |website=NDTVMovies.com |date=February 2013 |accessdate=20 August 2019}}</ref>

Kenny recently regained public attention with his acclaimed portrayal of Malcolm Murad, a hired mercenary, in the first Netflix India original series, ''[[Sacred Games (TV series)|Sacred Games]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.easterneye.biz/cast-of-sacred-games-2-goes-retro-in-latest-photoshoot/|title=Cast of Sacred Games 2 goes retro in latest photoshoot|last=Singh|first=Mohnish|date=22 July 2019|website=EasternEye|language=en-GB|access-date=13 December 2019}}</ref> Kenny was part of the cast in both seasons of the show. He next appeared as GDPA official Wolfgang Hummels (inspired by [[World Anti-Doping Agency|WADA]]) in the second season of the [[Amazon Prime]] show ''[[Inside Edge (TV series)|Inside Edge]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/tv/inside-edge-season-2-trailer-amazon-s-indian-original-will-sustain-you-till-mirzapur-2/story-TzpNmc405LqaQugzNMKpFK.html|title=Inside Edge season 2 trailer: Amazon's Indian original will sustain you till Mirzapur 2|date=18 November 2019|website=Hindustan Times|language=en|access-date=13 December 2019}}</ref> The same year, he also appeared in the film ''[[Tanhaji]]'', portraying the Mughal emperor [[Aurangzeb]].

In 2022, Kenny appeared in the [[Disney+ Hotstar]] series ''[[Rudra: The Edge of Darkness]]''. The same year, he was added to the upcoming web series ''Parth aur Jugnu''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Suthar |first=Manisha |date=16 July 2022 |title=Exclusive: Luke Kenny bags web series Parth aur Jugnu |url=https://www.iwmbuzz.com/digital/news-digital/exclusive-luke-kenny-bags-web-series-parth-aur-jugnu/2022/07/16 |access-date=7 August 2022 |website=IWMBuzz}}</ref>

==Filmography==


===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ {{Sronly|List of film appearances, with year, title, and role shown}}
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1998
| ''[[Bombay Boys]]''
| Xavier
|
|-
| 2008
| ''[[Rock On!!]]''
| Rob Nancy
|
|-
| 2013
| ''[[Rise of the Zombie]]''
| Neil Parker
|
|-
| rowspan=2|2016
| ''[[Banjo (2016 film)|Banjo]]''
| Mickey a.k.a. Mic
|
|-
| ''[[Rock On 2]]''
| Rob Nancy
| Cameo in the song "You Know What I Mean"
|-
| 2017
| ''[[Qarib Qarib Singlle]]''
| Sidkong
|
|-
| 2020
| ''[[Tanhaji]]''
| [[Aurangzeb]]
|
|-
| 2023
| ''[[The Archies (film)|The Archies]]''
| [[Families of Archie's Gang#The Mantle family|Ricky Mantle]]
|
|-
| 2024
| ''[[Merry Christmas (2024 film)|Merry Christmas]]''
| Jerome
|
|-
| 2025
| ''[[Kesari Chapter 2]]''
| [[Appeal court]] judge
|
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ {{Sronly|List of television appearances, with year, title, and role shown}}
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 2018
| ''[[21 Sarfarosh – Saragarhi 1897]]''
| Major Des Voeux
| [[Discovery Jeet]]
|-
| 2018
| ''[[Sacred Games (TV series)|Sacred Games]]''
| Malcolm Mourad
| [[Netflix]]
|-
| 2019
| ''[[Inside Edge (TV series)|Inside Edge]]''
| Wolfgang Hummels
| [[Amazon Prime Video]]
|-
|rowspan="2"|2022
| ''[[Rudra: The Edge of Darkness]]''
| JK Lamba
| [[Disney+ Hotstar]]
|-
| ''[[Dharavi Bank]]''
| Michael
| Disney+ Hotstar
|-
| 2023
| ''[[Fireflies: Parth Aur Jugnu]]''
| Sleeman/Mritunjay Vyas
| [[ZEE5]]
|-
|2025
|''[[The Royals (2025 TV series)|The Royals]]''
|Adi Mehta / Maurice
|[[Netflix]]
|-
|}

===Other crew positions===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year || Title
! Director || Producer
|-
| 2005
| ''13th Floor''
| {{Yes}}
| {{Yes}}
|-
| 2013
| ''Rise of the Zombie''
|
| {{Yes}}
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* {{IMDb title}}
* {{BH person}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kenny, Luke}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Male actors from Kolkata]]
[[Category:Indian male film actors]]
[[Category:Male actors in Hindi cinema]]
[[Category:Indian male television actors]]
[[Category:Male actors in Hindi television]]
[[Category:Indian people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:Indian people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:Anglo-Indian people]]
[[Category:Indian people of Anglo-Burmese descent]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian composers]]

Luke Kenny - Revision history

CleanupBot at 03:37, 22 March 2026