Biography
Poorna Jagannathan is an Indian-American actress and producer. Born on 22 December 1972 in Tunis, Tunisia, she grew up in several countries including India, Pakistan, Ireland, Brazil and Argentina. She graduated in journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park, and trained in acting at the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University and The Barrow Group.
Jagannathan is known for her role as Safar Khan in the HBO miniseries The Night Of (2016) and as Dr Nalini Vishwakumar in the Netflix series Never Have I Ever (2020–2023). She co-conceived, produced and performed in the play Nirbhaya (2013), which addressed sexual violence and received an Amnesty International Award. Her other credits include recurring roles in Better Call Saul (2015), The Act (2019) and Defending Jacob (2020), the series Deli Boys (2025–2026), and the film Wolfs (2024). She appears as Zoe Macon in the HBO series Lanterns (2026).
