Kal Penn played Lawrence Kutner, the doctor who joined House’s diagnostic team in season 4 of House M.D.
Kutner was introduced as one of the applicants competing for places on House’s newly rebuilt team. He is energetic, inventive, and willing to attempt unconventional approaches, qualities that make him useful in difficult cases. His medical background is sports medicine and rehabilitation, though the series places him within House’s broader diagnostic group.
Kal Penn’s departure from the regular cast became part of the show’s storyline. Kutner’s sudden death affects House deeply and contributes to House’s later psychological and professional struggles. Viewers sometimes confuse the performer with Michael Weston, who played Lucas Douglas, or with Peter Jacobson, who played Chris Taub. Kutner, however, was portrayed by Penn, who later took a temporary break from acting for work in the White House.