Danny Pudi of 'Community' Speaking At Notre Dame Graduation

Danny Pudi may have graduated from Niles' Notre Dame College Prep in 1997, but he's still attending Greendale Community College in NBC's comedy series Community.

He plays Abed, one of a group of tight-knit friends who study together, in the well-written comedy series about life at a fictional community college.

On Saturday, Pudi will take a break from life in Los Angeles, where he lives, to speak to Notre Dame's Class of 2013 at their commencement. Will he gossip about celebrities he's met in the world of TV glitterati? Tell tales of the funny men and women at Second City, where he studied? Or just reminisce about the balmy weather during Chicago winters while a student at ND? 

As they say, stay tuned. 

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Notre Dame has posted Pudi's NBC-TV biography on its site: 

Danny Pudi stars as Abed, the fast-talking pop-culture junkie on NBC's hit comedy "Community." In the show's first season, Pudi's Abed quickly emerged as a favorite of both fans and TV critics alike. Daily Variety recently named Pudi one of TV's Top 10: New Faces for Fall.¨
Pudi recently wrapped production on the independent horror feature "Knights of Badassdom," opposite Steve Zahn, Ryan Kwanten and Summer Glau. The film, from director Joe Lynch, follows a group of live-action role players who conjure up a demon from hell by mistake.

Half Indian and half Polish, Pudi was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago. He graduated from Marquette University, where he was the recipient of the inaugural Chris Farley Scholarship. Pudi studied improv at Second City Chicago's Conservatory program and is a founding member of Siblings of Doctors, a trio of Indian-American comics that perform sketch comedy and improv at various comedy festivals around the country. His Los Angeles stage credits include "Huck & Holden" (Black Dahlia Theatre), NBC's "Diversity Showcase" (Falcon Theatre), "Token City" (Comedy Central Workspace) and the staged readings of "Loyalties" (Pacific Resident Theatre) and "Air Guitar High" (Pasadena Playhouse).

Pudi's other television credits include recurring roles on the hit dramas "Greek" and "Gilmore Girls," as well as guest-starring parts on "The Bill Engvall Show" and "ER." His recent film credits include Paramount's "Road Trip 2: Beer Pong" and the upcoming independent "Thunder Geniuses," from director Michael Clancy.

Pudi is an avid runner and also enjoys Yahtzee, vacuuming and drinking coffee. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Bridget and they are parents to 15-month-old twins James and Fiona.