‘The Office’ Star Ranjit Chowdhry aka Vikram Dies at 64

Ranjit Chowdhry, the Indian actor who is best known to American audiences as Vikram from The Office, has died at the age of 64.

Chowdhry passed away on April 15, according to his sister Raell Padamsee. Padamsee said in an Instagram post that Chowdhry’s funeral would be held on May 5. Chowdhry’s cause of death has not been made public.

In their tribute to Chowdhry, The Hindu’s Namrata Joshi wrote that he will be remembered for his “eternally boyish charm that he exuded on screen in the middle-of-the-road films of the late 70s and early 80s.”

In addition to his appearances in The Office, Chowdhry also appeared in the Queen Latifah comedy, Last Holiday and in two episodes of Prison Break. According to his IMDb page, Chowdhry had not appeared in anything since his 2013 role in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victim’s Unit.

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In his most famous American role, Chowdhry played Vikram, whom Steve Carrell’s Michael Scott regards as the “best salesman” he has ever met. The two characters meet while working at a telemarketing company in Season 5. Later, in Season 7, Scott recruits Vikram to work for his fledgling Michael Scott Paper Company. That episode marks Vikram’s last appearance in the show as he leaves when the new company fails to garner investment from Scott’s grandmother.

Arguably Vikram’s most famous line is his proverb, “Confidence – It’s the food of the wise man but the liquor of the fool.”

Fellow Bollywood star Rahul Khanna said of Chowdhry’s sad death, “Gutted to learn of #RanjitChowdhry’s passing. Despite his diminutive frame, he was a towering icon of Indian diaspora cinema and a master of his craft. By far, one of the most endearingly quirky and acerbically witty people I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. A true original!”

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