Danny Pudi

Honing his signature bone-dry comic delivery with the famed improvisational troupe Second City in Chicago, actor Danny Pudi achieved television notoriety with his hilariously dispassionate portrayal of film student Abed on the hit comedy series "Community" (NBC, 2009-15; Yahoo!, 2015). After his migration to Los Angeles in 2005, he began picking up guest spots on series such as "The West Wing" (NBC, 1999-2006), "Gilmore Girls" (The WB/The CW, 2000-07) and "Greek" (ABC Family Channel, 2006-11). Pudi's career made some headway with a supporting role in the raunchy direct-to-DVD sequel "Road Trip: Beer Pong" (2009), but it was his contribution as a member of the "Community" ensemble that put the young actor on the map. Working alongside rising star Joel McHale and comedy legend Chevy Chase, Pudi not only held his own, but became a standout on the show as the near-emotionless, film-obsessed member of an unlikely college study group. When the show secured a place as one of the jewels in the crown of NBC's Thursday night comedy line-up, Pudi found himself in the enviable position of starring on a hit series and awaiting further opportunities to comically shine in a variety of mediums.