Ajay Nayyar
Encyclopedia
Ajay Pratap Singh Nayyar (born 21 September 1982) is a British-Indian film
, television
, and stage
actor
, producer
and director
.
Ajay featured in two TV shows in 2009, the Fox
thriller drama series 24
and the CBS
series NCIS
and also starred in a feature film titled Rejouer playing the role of a music producer. This independent feature was the first movie to be entirely shot with an HDSLR camera. Originally, Ajay auditioned for the small role of a news reporter, only to be offered a leading role as a music producer. The script was, in turn, rewritten for him to play this role. Two US national commercials for The Hartford
, and Subway (restaurant)
were to follow in his blossoming acting career. His dream is to, one day, be able to work with his idol, for most of his life, Al Pacino
.
His passion for the industry has since grown immensely and he decided he didn't want to restrict himself to just acting, realizing his potential as a producer. The finance background obviously helped a great deal with this and in 2010, he formed Khando Entertainment in London
.
, England
on September 21, 1982, to parents of Indian origin. The entertainment industry was a large part in his life from as young as age 3, watching movies and going to the theatre continuously. He started acting himself at age 6 in local theaters, and also put on plays for the neighbors with his sister and one of her friends. This fueled his desire to be a part of entertaining. After studying drama at school, he acquired an immense passion for the art and went on to star in some commercials and did a variety of acting work as well as some modeling.
His main profession was, however, in the finance industry having studied business and finance at Kingston University
. Working as an Independent Financial Adviser the lure of acting and the entertainment industry in general was too tempting and so in March 2008 he moved to Los Angeles
to pursue a full time acting career and to aid with this, participated in intensive acting classes for 8 months.
It was also in 2009 that he appeared in the TV programs NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Services and Surviving Disaster.
In 2010 Ajay appeared in 8 episodes of the popular TV series 24
as a worker at CTU.
in a stage adaptation of 19th century Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel
The Idiot. Later in the year, Ajay will be appearing in the feature film Rejouer as Nikesh Rose.
.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, and stage
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
.
Ajay featured in two TV shows in 2009, the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
thriller drama series 24
24 (TV series)
24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...
and the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
series NCIS
NCIS (TV series)
NCIS, formerly known as NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, is an American police procedural drama television series revolving around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which conducts criminal investigations involving the U.S...
and also starred in a feature film titled Rejouer playing the role of a music producer. This independent feature was the first movie to be entirely shot with an HDSLR camera. Originally, Ajay auditioned for the small role of a news reporter, only to be offered a leading role as a music producer. The script was, in turn, rewritten for him to play this role. Two US national commercials for The Hartford
The Hartford
The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. , usually known as The Hartford, is a Fortune 500 company and one of America’s largest investment and insurance companies...
, and Subway (restaurant)
Subway (restaurant)
Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries and territories as of October 25th, 2011...
were to follow in his blossoming acting career. His dream is to, one day, be able to work with his idol, for most of his life, Al Pacino
Al Pacino
Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
.
His passion for the industry has since grown immensely and he decided he didn't want to restrict himself to just acting, realizing his potential as a producer. The finance background obviously helped a great deal with this and in 2010, he formed Khando Entertainment in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Early life
Ajay was born in MiddlesexMiddlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on September 21, 1982, to parents of Indian origin. The entertainment industry was a large part in his life from as young as age 3, watching movies and going to the theatre continuously. He started acting himself at age 6 in local theaters, and also put on plays for the neighbors with his sister and one of her friends. This fueled his desire to be a part of entertaining. After studying drama at school, he acquired an immense passion for the art and went on to star in some commercials and did a variety of acting work as well as some modeling.
His main profession was, however, in the finance industry having studied business and finance at Kingston University
Kingston University
Kingston University is a public research university located in Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, United Kingdom. It was originally founded in 1899 as Kingston Technical Institute, a polytechnic, and became a university in 1992....
. Working as an Independent Financial Adviser the lure of acting and the entertainment industry in general was too tempting and so in March 2008 he moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to pursue a full time acting career and to aid with this, participated in intensive acting classes for 8 months.
2008–2010
Ajay appeared in the short film Men will be boys in 2008. He also wrote and directed this film. In 2009 he had an uncredited role in the Hannah Montana movie as the concert guy.It was also in 2009 that he appeared in the TV programs NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Services and Surviving Disaster.
In 2010 Ajay appeared in 8 episodes of the popular TV series 24
24 (TV series)
24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...
as a worker at CTU.
2011
In June 2011, Ajay played the lead role of Prince Lev Nikolayevich MyshkinPrince Myshkin
Prince Lev Nikolaevich Myshkin is the protagonist of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's The Idiot.Dostoyevsky wanted to create a character that was "entirely positive... with an absolutely beautiful nature," and a good way to make such a character plausible in 19th century St Petersburg society was to make him...
in a stage adaptation of 19th century Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
The Idiot. Later in the year, Ajay will be appearing in the feature film Rejouer as Nikesh Rose.
Producing
As well as with his work at Khando Entertainment, Ajay is also involved in the crowd funded independent film Invasion of the Not Quite DeadInvasion of the Not Quite Dead
Invasion of the Not Quite Dead is a black comedy horror film directed by Tony Lane.- Plot :In 1978 a meteorite crash lands into the Swiss Mountains, unleashing a deadly virus. Killing everyone within a 20 mile radius, the incident was covered up by local officials. Now thirty years later the virus...
.