Kunal Nayyar (/kʊˈnɑːl ˈnaɪ.ər/, kuu-NAHL NY-ər; born 30 April 1981) is a British actor who gained recognition for playing Raj Koothrappali on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory (2007–2019). He also voiced Vijay Patel on the Nickelodeon animated sitcom Sanjay and Craig (2013–2016). Nayyar was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 2021 British Academy Television Awards for his role as Sandeep Singh in Netflix anthology series Criminal: UK (2020). Forbes listed Nayyar as the world's third-highest-paid television actor in 2015 and 2018, with earnings of US$20 million and US$23.5 million, respectively. As of 2024, his net worth is estimated to be $45 million. The asteroid 8627 Kunalnayyar is named after him.