Annet Mahendru
| Annet Mahendru | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Anita Devi Mahendru Kabul, Afghanistan |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2006–present |
Anita Devi "Annet" Mahendru[1] is an Afghan-born Russian–Indian actress, best known for her role as Nina Sergeevna Krilova on the FX period drama series The Americans (2013–2016).
Early and personal life
Mahendru was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, the daughter of Olga and Ghanshan "Ken" Mahendru. Her mother is a Russian businesswoman and artist, and her father is an Indian educator and journalist.[1][2] She had what she calls a "gypsy" childhood, regularly travelling between St. Petersburg and Frankfurt before moving with her father to East Meadow, New York at the age of 13 after her parents separated.[3]
Mahendru attended East Meadow High School, where she was active in competitive cheerleading and kick line teams, and graduated in 2004.[1][4] She went on to earn an English degree from St. John's University.[5]
Mahendru is fluent in German, Russian and English, and also speaks French, Persian and Hindi[6] and initially wanted to use what she has called her "ethnic ambiguity" to work for the United Nations.[7] She was enrolled at New York University for a Master's degree in international relations, but dropped out to pursue acting.[3] She then moved to Los Angeles and studied improv at The Groundlings.[3]
Career
Mahendru began her acting career in 2006, appearing in an episode of the sitcom Love Monkey, an episode of the drama Conviction, a Law & Order spinoff, and the short film The Art of Love. The following year, she appeared in an episode of the HBO comedy-drama Entourage. Her next significant roles came in 2011, in episodes of the sitcoms Big Time Rush and 2 Broke Girls. In 2012, she starred in an episode of the sitcom Mike & Molly.
In 2013, Mahendru began playing the recurring character Nina Sergeevna on the FX drama The Americans, appeared in an episode of the crime series White Collar, and played Agent Rosen in two episodes of the crime drama The Blacklist. She also starred in her first film, the fantasy horror Escape from Tomorrow, which drew attention because most of it was filmed on location at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland without permission from The Walt Disney Company, owner and operator of both parks.[2][8]
In 2014, Mahendru was promoted to a series regular for the second season of The Americans.[9] She also starred in the comedy-drama film Bridge and Tunnel, had a voice role in the 2014 animated film Penguins of Madagascar, and guest-starred in the 2016 X-Files miniseries as Sveta, a possible UFO abductee. She went on to play Nafisa Al-Qadi on the FX series Tyrant.
Mahendru stars in the title role of the independent feature film Sally Pacholok (2015), which premiered at and won Best Feature at the DC Independent Film Festival, in Washington, DC[10][11]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The Art of Love | Kala | Short film |
| 2008 | El Padrino 2 | Serge's Wife | |
| 2009 | Erza: Fear of a Faceless God | Erza | |
| 2010 | Ungu | Narrator | Short film |
| 2010 | Duel of the Overmen | Ausler | Short film |
| 2011 | El Padrino II: Border Intrusion | Serge's Wife | |
| 2011 | American Badass: Bernie's Back! | Janet | |
| 2011 | The Hollow | Katie | Short film |
| 2011 | Missed Call | Steph | Short film |
| 2011 | Love, Gloria | Katie | |
| 2011 | Almaz | Natasha | Short film |
| 2012 | Got Rights? | Afghani Female | Short film |
| 2012 | Captain Planet 4 | Scripty | Short film |
| 2013 | Escape from Tomorrow | Isabelle | |
| 2013 | Metropolitan Stories | Esmeralda | Short film |
| 2014 | Bridge and Tunnel | Kelly Jones | |
| 2014 | Smokey Eyes | Barbara | Short film |
| 2014 | Penguins of Madagascar | Eva | Voice |
| 2015 | Sally Pacholok[1] | Sally Pacholok |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Love Monkey | Groupie | Episode: "The Onone That Got Away" |
| 2006 | Conviction | Waitress | Episode: "180.80" |
| 2007 | Entourage | French Girlfriend | Episode: "The Cannes Kids" |
| 2011 | Torchwood: Web of Lies | Pilot | Voice Episode: "Missing Day: Part 1" |
| 2011 | Big Time Rush | Princess Svetlana | Episode: "Big Time Wedding" |
| 2011 | 2 Broke Girls | Robin | Episode: "And the Pop-Up Sale" |
| 2012 | Mike & Molly | Flight Attendant | Episode: "The Honeymoon is Over" |
| 2013 | The Blacklist | Agent Rosen | 2 episodes |
| 2013 | White Collar | Katya | Episode: "Ice Breaker" |
| 2014 | Grey's Anatomy | Ana | Episode: "Only Mama Knows" |
| 2015 | The Following | Eliza | 4 episodes |
| 2016 | The X-Files | Sveta | Episode: "My Struggle: Part 1" |
| 2013–16 | The Americans | Nina Sergeevna Krilova | 42 episodes Nominated—Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series |
| 2016 | Tyrant | Nafisa Al-Qadi | 9 episodes |
References
- 1 2 3 4 Lovece, Frank (May 4, 2014). "Fast Chat: Annet Mahendru". Newsday. New York City / Long Island. p. 91. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
Currently in Baltimore shooting the title role of the fact-based medical drama 'Sally Pacholok'..."
- 1 2 Goldman, Eric (April 16, 2013). "Annet Mahendru Discusses Nina's Future on The Americans and Covertly Filming Escape From Tomorrow at Walt Disney World". IGN.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2016.
- 1 2 3 "Annet Mahendru: 'The Americans' International Woman of Mystery". Rolling Stone. April 2, 2014. Archived from the original on May 3, 2014. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
- ↑ "Graduation 2004". Newsday. New York City / Long Island. June 19, 2004. Archived from the original on May 5, 2014. Retrieved May 5, 2014. (subscription required)
- ↑ Rorke, Robert (March 15, 2014). "'Americans' star a perfect fit as Russian double agent". New York Post. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
- ↑ "Annet Mahendru". (Resume) Actors Access (Breakdown Services, Ltd.). Retrieved 7 April 2014.
- ↑ "Annet Mahendru: A Funny Joke from a Beautiful Woman". Esquire. Archived from the original on January 12, 2016. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
- ↑ Zeitchik, Steven (January 19, 2013). "Sundance 2013: How did a newbie make an unapproved film in Disney parks?". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 25, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
- ↑ Mitovich, Matt Webb (May 7, 2013). "FX's The Americans Promotes Two for Season 2". TVLine.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
- ↑ "Sally Pacholok". DC Independent Film Festival. 2015. Archived from the original on April 3, 2016.
- ↑ "Chevy Chase filmmaker takes 'Best Feature'". The Gazette. Maryland: Post Community Media, LLC. March 18, 2015. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015.