Annet Mahendru
Born
Anita Devi Mahendru

August 21
Kabul, Afghanistan
OccupationActress
Years active2006–present
Known for
Websitewww.annetmahendru.com Edit this at Wikidata

Anita Devi "Annet" Mahendru[1] (born August 21) is an Afghan-American actress of Indian-Russian descent[2][3][4], best known for her role as Nina Sergeevna Krilova on the FX period drama series The Americans (2013–2016), for which she garnered a nomination for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2014.

Early life and education

Mahendru was born in Kabul, Afghanistan. Her mother, Olga, is from Russia and her father, Ghanshan "Ken" Mahendru,[1] is a Hindu[5][3] Indian educator and journalist from Delhi who moved to Afghanistan when his father moved there for business and completed his studies there.[4][1][6] She had what she calls a "gypsy" childhood, spending her first seven years of her childhood between Afghanistan and St. Petersburg[7] and regularly travelling between St. Petersburg and Frankfurt before moving with her father to East Meadow, New York at age 13 after her parents separated.[8]

Mahendru attended East Meadow High School, where she was active in competitive cheerleading and kick line teams; she graduated in 2004.[1][9] She went on to earn an English degree from St. John's University in New York City.[10]

Mahendru is fluent in German, Russian and English, and also speaks Hindi, French and Persian.[11][12] She initially wanted to use what she has called her "ethnic ambiguity" to work for the United Nations.[13] She was enrolled at New York University for a master's degree in international relations, but dropped out to pursue acting.[8] She then moved to Los Angeles and studied improv at The Groundlings.[8]

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 Krilova 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.[6][14]

In 2014, Mahendru was promoted to a series regular for the second season of The Americans.[15] 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 played 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.[16][17]

Mahendru has also performed at theatre works at LATW. In 2017, she performed in Seven as an Afghan refugee and women's rights activist Farida Azizi at the LA Theatre Works. The play was a collaboration between 7 playwrights and female activists each from around the globe that portrays inspiring stories of overcoming adversities to bring about real change and improve the lives of women.[18][19]

Mahendru stars in the seventh episode of the anthology series The Romanoffs, which began streaming on Amazon Video on November 16, 2018.

She plays a lead role as Jennifer "Huck" Mallick in the AMC series The Walking Dead: World Beyond, which premiered in 2020.

Personal life

Mahendru is married to Louie Gibson, an Australian writer and director and a son of Mel Gibson.[20][21] The couple has a son born circa 2018.[22][23]

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 Woman 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
2021 Manifest West Alice Hayes (post-production)
2021 Grow Kitty / Locasta (post-production)

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"
2013–2016 The Americans Nina Sergeevna Krilova 35 episodes
Nominated—Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
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"
2016 Tyrant Nafisa Al-Qadi 8 episodes
2017 Neo Yokio Mila Malevich 2 episodes
2018 Lethal Weapon Layla Khudari Episode: "Get the Picture"
2018 The Romanoffs Elena Evanovich Episode: "End of the Line"
2020–present The Walking Dead: World Beyond Jennifer "Huck" Mallick Main role
2020 Prodigal Son Fiona Episode: "Scheherazade"

Theatre

Year Title Role Notes
2017 Seven Farida Azizi LATW

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Lovece, Frank (May 4, 2014). "Fast Chat: Annet Mahendru". Newsday. New York City / Long Island. p. 91. Retrieved May 5, 2014. ...dad Ghanshan 'Ken' Mahendru.... Currently in Baltimore shooting the title role of the fact-based medical drama 'Sally Pacholok'..."
  2. ^ Phoebe de Croisset (December 16, 2016). "Multiple Identities". SBJCT Journal. Retrieved March 5, 2021. I am an Indian-Russian-Afghan-American
  3. ^ a b "Annet Mahendru Talk Dead to Me Interview". ‎Talk Dead To Me Skybound. December 8, 2020. Event occurs at 05:46. YouTube. Retrieved March 5, 2021. My dad was an Afghan Hindu
  4. ^ a b Archana Masih (January 27, 2015). "Nina! The 'spy' with designs on India". Rediff.com. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  5. ^ Guy, Mike (April 8, 2015). "Annet Mahendru on Playing 'The Americans'' Seductress". Maxim. Archived from the original on January 10, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  6. ^ a b 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.
  7. ^ "DP/30 Emmy Watch: Annet Mahendru on The Americans". DP/30: The Oral History Of Hollywood. June 11, 2014. Event occurs at 02:51. YouTube. Retrieved March 1, 2021. I spent my first seven years between Afghanistan and St. Petersburg
  8. ^ a b c Leeds, Sarene (April 2, 2014). "Annet Mahendru: 'The Americans' International Woman of Mystery". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 3, 2014. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  9. ^ "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)
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ "Annet Mahendru". (Resume) Actors Access (Breakdown Services, Ltd.). Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  12. ^ "Annet Mahendru Interview". Annet Mahendru. March 2, 2019. Event occurs at 06:57. YouTube. Retrieved March 1, 2021. It's Russian, German and English and Hindi, Farsi and French.
  13. ^ "Annet Mahendru: A Funny Joke from a Beautiful Woman". Esquire. Archived from the original on January 12, 2016. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ "Sally Pacholok". DC Independent Film Festival. 2015. Archived from the original on April 3, 2016.
  17. ^ "Chevy Chase filmmaker takes 'Best Feature'". The Gazette. Maryland: Post Community Media, LLC. March 18, 2015. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015.
  18. ^ Seven, 2017, retrieved February 14, 2021
  19. ^ Lauren Young (January 26, 2017), The Women of “Seven”, Msmagazine, retrieved February 14, 2021
  20. ^ Rorke, Robert (March 15, 2014). "'Americans' star a perfect fit as Russian double agent". New York Post. Archived from the original on May 5, 2014. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  21. ^ Grant, Justin (January 2, 2019). ""The Romanoffs" Actress Annet Mahendru Draws On Her Relationship To Her Character and More". Cliche Mag. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2019. My husband, Louie Gibson, who is a writer and director.
  22. ^ Menon, Nikitha (January 28, 2019). "Toggling Between Two Cultures: An Interview with Annet Mahendru". Brown Girl Magazine. Archived from the original on December 2, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019. I did Bharatanatyam for a while in LA and my son would love to watch.
  23. ^ Chen, Valerie (March 27, 2020). "Elegant Enigma". Venice: Fort Lauderdale's Magazine. Florida. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020. ...and being a mom to her 2-year-old son.

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