Ranjit Chowdhry, ‘The Office’ And ‘Prison Break’ Actor, Dies at 64

By Bruce Haring, Deadline
Published April 19, 2020, 12:20 p.m. ET

Ranjit Chowdhry, a Bollywood actor who crossed over to the US mainstream, died Wednesday at a Mumbai hospital. He was 64-years-old and suffered a ruptured ulcer that required emergency surgery, according to reports. Chowdhry had returned to India for some dental work, but then was trapped there by the pandemic travel shutdown.

Chowdhry first starred in Indian comedies of the late ’70s and early ’80s before moving to the US.  Chowdhry appeared in two episodes of The Office in season 5 of the NBC sitcom, where he played a telemarketer named Vikram opposite Steve Carell. In the story arc, he was recruited to work at the Michael Scott Paper Company.

His US acting resume also includes the TV shows Prison Break, Girls, and Law & Order: SVU. In films, he appeared in Last Holiday starring Queen Latifah and the 1990 film Lonely in America.

Survivors include a half-sister, Raell Padamsee. She said a celebration of his life will be held on May 5.