Dileep A. Rao is an American actor who has starred in both feature films and television programs. He was born on July 29, 1973. He appeared in the James Cameron science fiction series Avatar (2009–present), the Sam Raimi horror movie Drag Me to Hell (2009), and the Christopher Nolan thriller Inception (2010).
Rao’s first performance after graduating was in Tom Stoppard’s Indian Ink, which had its U.S. debut. Rao relocated to Los Angeles and started working in regional theater, including for the Manhattan Theater Club, Berkeley Rep, and South Coast Repertory.
On June 7, 2002, he participated in Jeopardy! and took home $34,400. Rao was chosen at random from more than 1,600 applicants on June 8, 2008, to play the NPR Weekend Edition Sunday puzzle live on air with Will Shortz.
Where did Dileep Rao go to college and high school? Did Dileep Rao go to film school?
He obtained his diplomas from the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco as well as Claremont High School and the University of California in San Diego (where he was a classmate of Anna Belknap and Elizabeth Banks).
Following graduation, Rao was cast in the play Indian Ink by Tom Stoppard. Rao afterward relocated to Los Angeles where he performed for a number of regional theaters, including the Berkeley Rep, South Coast Repertory, and Manhattan Theater Club.
