Kunal Nayyar Net Worth and Salary: Kunal Nayyar is a UK-born Indian actor who has a net worth of $45 million. He is best known for his role as Rajesh Koothrappali on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory (2007–2019). At his peak, he earned $800,000 per episode, roughly $18 million per season, making him one of the highest-paid actors in the world at his peak. For several of the show’s final seasons, it earned $20 million or more. Nayyar is also a writer, publishing the book “Yes, My Accent is Real: and Some Other Things I Haven’t Told You” in 2015. He also co-wrote the critically acclaimed song “Cotton Candy” when it premiered. in New Delhi, India.
Early Life: Kunal Nayyar was born on April 30, 1981, in Hounslow, London, England. His parents were Indian immigrants and the family moved to New Delhi when Kunal was 4 years old. He studied at St. Columba’s School, where he was a member of the badminton team. Nayyar moved to America in 1999 to attend the University of Portland. While working on his business degree, Kunal took acting classes, appeared in school plays and starred in a musical duo called The Prince and the Pauper, and after winning an award at the American College Theater Festival , decided to dedicate his life. acting. After Kunal earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance in 2003, he enrolled at Temple University in Philadelphia and graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in Acting.
Career:Nayyar made his professional acting debut in 2004 playing a pizza delivery boy in the film SCIENCE. After earning his MA, Kunal starred in American TV commercials and stage productions in London, and in 2006, his performance in a Los Angeles production of Rajiv Joseph. “Huck and Holden” won him a Garland Award. That year, he co-wrote the song “Cotton Candy” with Arun Das, which won rave reviews in New Delhi. In 2007, Nayyar starred in the popular CBS drama “NCIS”, playing an Iraqi terrorist. Later that year, Kunal landed a life-changing role as astrophysicist Rajesh Koothrappali in The Big Bang Theory. The sitcom ran for 12 seasons and Nayyar appeared in all 279 episodes. In 2017, Forbes reported that Kunal and his colleagues, Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki,
During her time on “The Big Bang Theory,” Nayyar appeared in several films, including “The Scribbler” (2014), “Dr. Cabbie’ (2014) and ‘Consumed’ (2015), and lent his voice to Nickelodeon. “Sanjay and Craig” (2013–2016), as well as the animated feature films “Ice Age: Continental Drift” (2012), “Trolls” (2016) and “Trolls World Tour” (2020). In 2015, Kunal appeared in an off-Broadway production of Jesse Eisenberg’s The Spoils and reprized his role when the production moved to London’s Trafalgar Studios in 2016.
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Personal life: Kunal married actress, model and former Miss India Neha Kapur on 22 December 2011. The couple tied the knot in New Delhi, celebrating with over 1,000 guests during a 6-day ceremony. Nayyar’s favorite sport is badminton, but he is also a cricket fan and narrated the 2013 cricket-centric film Beyond All Limits. Kunal is also a “Star Wars” fan and named his dog Boba Fett.
Awards and Honors: In 2003, Nayyar won the Mark Twain Award for Comic Brilliance at the American College Theater Festival and received a Garland Award for Best Lead Actor in a West Coast Play for “Huck and Holden” in 2006.” The Big Bang Theory” earned him 6 Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, as well as a 2014 People’s Choice Award nomination for Favorite TV Bromance and a 2015 Teen Choice Award nomination for Choice TV: Chemistry. In 2020, the CinEuphoria Awards presented the cast of “The Big Bang Theory” with an Honorary Award – Merit.
Real Estate: In 2012, Kunal and Neha paid $2.9 million for a 4,100-square-foot home in the Hollywood Hills and put it on the market for just under $4 million in June 2020. In October 2019, they purchased a 9,000 square foot home. in LA’s Hancock Park neighborhood for $7.5 million. Nicolas Cage previously owned the home, paying $2.7 million in 2001, but lost it to foreclosure in 2011 after blowing an enormous fortune.