Arjun Gupta

Arjun Gupta was born on November 28, 1986, in Tampa, Florida, to an Indian immigrant family. His early life in Tampa included performing in school plays at Berkeley Preparatory School, which fostered his interest in acting. He pursued formal training at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2007. Gupta began his professional acting career in 2008 with a role in the TV pilot “Redemption Falls” and a guest appearance in “Fringe.” His first major film role came in 2009 alongside Uma Thurman in “Motherhood.” This early work laid the foundation for his career in both television and film.

Gupta achieved a pivotal role in 2009 when he joined the cast of Showtime’s dark comedy series “Nurse Jackie,” playing the character of Sam, a substance-addicted nurse. He appeared in three seasons of the show (2009-2012), contributing to the ensemble’s success, which earned a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy series. Following “Nurse Jackie,” Gupta continued to diversify his roles, appearing in films such as “Stand Up Guys” (2012) and “Bridge and Tunnel” (2014), for which he received the 2014 Maverick Movie Awards Best Supporting Actor award. He also had a recurring role as Kan in the Shonda Rhimes drama “How to Get Away with Murder” (2014-2015).

From 2015 to 2020, Gupta took on another significant role as William “Penny” Adiyodi in Syfy’s “The Magicians,” appearing in all 65 episodes of the series. During this period, he also expanded his creative endeavors beyond acting. He co-founded the California-based Ammunition Theater Company, aimed at providing a platform for underrepresented voices through original stories and modern interpretations of classics. Additionally, Gupta co-hosts the “American Desis” podcast and voices the character Nikhil Sharma in the podcast “Ars Paradoxica,” further showcasing his commitment to storytelling across various mediums.