In House, M.D., which actor portrays doctor Lawrence Kutner?

In House, M.D., Kal Penn portrays doctor Lawrence Kutner.

Kutner is introduced as one of the applicants competing for places on House’s new diagnostic team in season four. He is energetic, inventive, and willing to attempt unconventional procedures, making him a memorable member of the expanded team. The character’s surname is sometimes written incorrectly, but the canonical spelling is Kutner.

Kal Penn played Kutner before taking a position in the Obama administration in 2009. The series wrote the character out through a sudden death by suicide, and the storyline affects House and the rest of the team. That plot point is separate from Penn’s real-life career change, although the timing of the two events is often discussed together.