Karan Brar

Karan Brar was born on January 18, 1999, in Redmond, Washington,^[1][2] to parents who are of Punjabi ancestry.^[3] He was raised in Bothell, Washington, and has an older sister named Sabreena.^[4][5][6] Brar attended Cedar Wood Elementary School. He studied acting at John Robert Powers and Patti Kalles workshops.^[7][5]

Brar began his acting career at the age of 11, starring as Indian middle schooler Chirag Gupta in the comedy feature film Diary of a Wimpy Kid.^[4][5] Brar naturally speaks with an American accent and worked with a dialect coach to perfect his Indian accent for the role.^[5][8]

In March 2011, Brar reprised his role as Chirag Gupta in the feature film sequel Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules.^[4] In October 2011, it was confirmed that he would also be reprising his role as Chirag for the third installment of the Wimpy Kid franchise, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, released on August 3, 2012.^[9] In April 2010, he appeared in the Seeds of Compassion advertorial campaign announcing the Dalai Lama's visit to Seattle, as well as appearing in commercials for Shell Gasoline and Committee for Children.^[4][6]

From 2011 to 2015, Brar starred in Jessie as Indian adoptee Ravi Ross.^[4][10] Ravi was originally intended to be a South American boy named Javier, but casting directors were impressed with Brar during the audition process and reimagined the character for him.^[11][12][13]

In February 2015, the Jessie spinoff Bunk'd was announced, in which Brar reprised his role as Ravi Ross.^[14] That year, he played the role of George in the Disney Channel film Invisible Sister.^[15] In 2018, he had a minor role in the science fiction film Pacific Rim Uprising.^[16]

Brar lived in the Los Angeles area with his parents and older sister,^[4] until he moved in with fellow actors Cameron Boyce and Sophie Reynolds in May 2019.^[17][18] On November 30, 2023, Brar penned an essay for Teen Vogue, detailing his struggles with PTSD and major depressive disorder and coming out as bisexual.^[19]