Kunal Nayyar (/kʊˈnɑːl ˈnaɪ.ər/, kuu-NAHL NY-ər; Hindi: कुणाल नय्यर; born 30 April 1981) is an Indian actor. He portrayed Raj Koothrappali on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory (2007–2019) and voiced Vijay on the Nickelodeon animated sitcom Sanjay and Craig (2013–2016). Nayyar also appeared in the films Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012), The Scribbler (2014), Dr. Cabbie (2014), Consumed (2015), Trolls (2016) and Sweetness in the Belly (2019). Forbes listed Nayyar as the world's third-highest-paid television actor in 2015 and 2018, with earnings of US$20 million and US$23.5 million, respectively.

Early life
Nayyar was born on 30 April 1981 in Hammersmith, London, to a family of Indian Punjabi immigrants. When he was three years old, his family returned to India and he grew up in New Delhi, where his parents live. He attended St. Columba's School, where he played badminton for the school team.

In 1999, Nayyar moved to the United States to pursue a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance from the University of Portland in Oregon. He started taking acting classes and appeared in several school plays while working on his degree.

After participating in the American College Theater Festival, Nayyar decided to become an actor. He then attended Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he received a Master of Fine Arts in acting.