Karan Soni

Karan Soni (born January 8, 1989) is an Indian-American actor and comedian. Often appearing in comedic roles, he came to prominence for playing Dopinder in the films Deadpool (2016) and its sequels Deadpool 2 (2018) and Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), and voicing Pavitr Prabhakar / Spider-Man India in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023).

Born in New Delhi, Soni moved to the United States to study business at the University of Southern California before pursuing an acting career. He made his feature film debut in Safety Not Guaranteed (2012), which was followed by lead appearances on the series Betas (2013) and Other Space (2015). Soni has also appeared in the films Ghostbusters (2016), Office Christmas Party (2016), and Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019). On television, he has appeared as a series regular on Blunt Talk (2015–2016) and Miracle Workers (2019–2023).

Early life

Soni was born in New Delhi, India, and he attended an international school there. He came to the United States to study at the University of Southern California.

Career

Soni made his film debut in Yusuf Sumer's 2010 comedy film Kaka Nirvana, alongside Rachel Quinn. In 2013, Soni was cast in the Amazon Studios original series Betas. The series was canceled after one season. In 2014, Soni appeared in commercials for AT&T along with Jim Conroy.

In 2015, Soni appeared in Other Space, a series created by Paul Feig for Yahoo! Screen, as Captain Stewart Lipinski. Yahoo! Screen would be shut down later in the year, preventing the series from being renewed for a second season, while the first season would later be picked up by DUST in 2020. Later in 2015, he appeared in episodes of Melissa & Joey, The Goldbergs and 100 Things to Do Before High School and began starring in Blunt Talk, opposite Patrick Stewart, as Martin. The series was renewed for a second season, which premiered in 2016, but on December 20, was canceled after two seasons.

In 2016, Soni appeared in Deadpool as a taxi driver named Dopinder and in Ghostbusters as the delivery man Benny. He reprised the role of Dopinder in 2018's Deadpool 2 and also appeared in another May blockbuster film, the following year's Pokémon Detective Pikachu. In both Deadpool films and Pokémon Detective Pikachu, he again appeared opposite Ryan Reynolds.

In February 2023, Soni was announced as the voice of Pavitr Prabhakar / Spider-Man India in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. In March 2023, he was confirmed to be returning as Dopinder for Deadpool & Wolverine. In August 2024, Soni confirmed that he would reprise his role as Spider-Man India in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.