Kunal Nayyar (/kʊˌnɑːl ˈnaɪər/; Hindi: कुणाल नय्यर, Punjabi: ਕੁਨਾਲ ਨੈਯ੍ਯਰ, born April 30, 1981) is a British-Indian actor and writer known for his role as Dr. Raj Koothrappali in the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory.