Danny Pudi (born Daniel Mark Pudi) is the American actor and comedian who portrays Abed Nadir on Community. He was born on March 10, 1979 and was the child of Indian and Polish immigrants. His parents divorced not long after he was born and his father left him with his mother Teresa Pudi. Danny was raised in a Polish community by his mother and grandparents. Exposure to both Polish and English cultures made him fluent in both languages. After graduating high school he attended Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In his junior year, Danny was awarded the first Chris Farley Scholarship Award. Named after the late comic actor and Marquette graduate, it was given to students who displayed exceptional creativity and positive use of humor. In 2001, he graduated college with a degree in Communication and Theater. He then returned to Chicago where he was accepted into the Conservatory Program of the famous improvisational comedy troupe The Second City. Alongside two other Indian comedians named Ranjit Souri and Rasika Mather they formed their own sketch comedy group, "Siblings of Doctors". In 2004, Pudi married his college girlfriend Bridget Showalter whom he had met in his freshmen year at school. She worked as a teacher while he worked at home as an actuarial recruiter. The newlyweds left Chicago the following year in 2005 for Los Angeles so Pudi could pursue an acting carer. He appeared in a few commercials (see T-Mobile section) and began landing a few notable roles on "ER", "Gilmore Girls" and "Greek". In 2009, Danny auditioned for and was eventually offered the role of Abed Nadir on "Community". During filming of Season Three on January 12, 2012, Danny and his wife Bridget became parents after she gave birth to twins; son James Timothy and daughter Fiona Leigh.
