Annet Mahendru

Annet Mahendru
Born
Anita Devi Mahendru

(1985-11-05) November 5, 1985 (age 38)
NationalityAmerican
EducationSt. John’s University
OccupationActress
Years active2006–present
SpouseLouie Gibson
Children2
Websitewww.annetmahendru.com Edit this at Wikidata

Anita Devi "Annet" Mahendru (born November 5, 1985) is an American actress. She is known for playing 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 and as Jennifer "Huck" Mallick in the AMC series The Walking Dead: World Beyond in 2020.

Early life and education

Mahendru was born on November 5, 1985, in Kabul, then in the DR Afghanistan. Her mother, Olga, is Russian, and her father, Ghanshan "Ken" Mahendru, is a Punjabi Hindu Indian educator and journalist with roots from Delhi, did his studies from Kabul University and later met her mother in Russia where he was working. The Mahendru family had moved to Afghanistan where her grandfather had a sweets business in Kabul and her grandmother originally hailed from Nepal. She had what she calls a "gypsy" childhood, spending her first seven years of her childhood between Afghanistan and Saint Petersburg. She then lived with her mother at Saint Petersburg and regularly travelled between there and Frankfurt, before moving with her father to East Meadow, New York, at age 13, after her parents separated.

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

Mahendru grew up speaking Persian, Russian, German, English, and also speaks conversational Hindi and French. She also uses Dari to speak with her relatives. She initially wanted to use what she has called her "ethnic ambiguity" to work for the United Nations. She was enrolled at New York University for a master's degree in international relations as she wanted to work for the women in Afghanistan, but dropped out to pursue acting. She then moved to Los Angeles and studied improv at The Groundlings.

Career

Mahendru appeared in an episode of the sitcom Love Monkey, an episode of the drama Conviction, a Law & Order spinoff[which?], 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 played Nina Sergeevna Krilova in 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 starred in the unapproved Disney film Escape from Tomorrow, which is set in Walt Disney World.

In 2014, Mahendru was promoted to a series regular for the second season of The Americans. 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.

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.

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 Australian filmmaker Louie Gibson. The couple have a son (born c. 2018).

Despite both her parents' families not being from Afghanistan and having lived across the world since she was young, Mahendru maintains strong ties to her Indian and Russian roots as well as her connection to her birthplace, stating in 2022:

I feel my Afghan roots deeply in my temperament, as I do my Indian and Russian colours. I feel at home equally at an Afghan wedding as I do at Holi or Fourth of July.

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? Afghan 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 Sally Pacholok
2021 Grow Kitty / Locasta
2021 Jack London’s Martin Eden Lizzie Connolly
2022 Father Stu Virgin Mary
2022 Manifest West Alice Hayes

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 Pickle & Peanut Mia 1 Episode
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"
2020–2021 The Walking Dead: World Beyond Jennifer "Huck" Mallick Main role; 18 episodes
2020 Prodigal Son Fiona Episode: "Scheherazade"
2023 True Lies Yelena Episode: "Waking Dreams"

Theatre

Year Title Role Notes
2017 Seven Farida Azizi LATW

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result Ref
2014 Critics' Choice Television Award Best Supporting Actress in a Drama The Americans Nominated
Gold Derby TV Award Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Nominated
Laugh or Die Comedy Festival Best Supporting Actress Bridge and Tunnel Nominated
Long Beach International Film Festival Best Supporting Actress Nominated
Northeast Film Festival Best Supporting Actress Nominated
Showbiz India's Trailblazer award 'Emerging Leader' as a rising South Asian Female Actor in Hollywood Herself Won
2015 Television, Internet and Video Association of DC (TIVA-DC) Peer Awards Acting on Camera - Fiction, Female - Gold Sally Pacholok Won

This page was last updated at 2023-11-26 04:44 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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