Biography
Philip Toelkes, also known as Swami Prem Niren, is an American lawyer and former follower of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (Osho) who has appeared as himself in several documentaries. He is best known for his contributions to the Netflix series Wild Wild Country (2018), in which he discusses his experiences at the Rajneeshpuram commune in Oregon.
Toelkes served as Rajneesh's personal attorney from 1981 until the guru's death in 1990 and was the second mayor of Rajneeshpuram from 1985 to 1986. He has also appeared in the documentary Rajneeshpuram an Experiment to Provoke God (1993) and the German series Legenden (2003). Born in Tigard, Oregon, he holds degrees from the University of San Francisco and continues to practise law.
