| Janina Gavankar | |
|---|---|
| Born | Janina Zione Gavankar November 29, 1980 Joliet, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress/Musician |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Height | 5' 7" |
Janina Zione Gavankar (born November 29, 1980) is an Indian-American actress and musician of mixed Indian and Dutch descent. Gavankar is also trained as a pianist, vocalist, and orchestral percussionist.[1] She majored in Theatre Performance at the University of Illinois at Chicago.[2][3] Gavankar's is known for her more notable roles as Papi, a promiscuous lesbian in The L Word, Leigh Turner, a cop with a big secret on "The Gates", and Ms. Dewey, the personification of a Microsoft branded search engine who comments about the user's searches. Gavankar has appeared in theatre, commercials, short films, independent films, as well as Barbershop and its sequel, Barbershop 2: Back in Business.
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Gavankar was born in Joliet, Illinois, to Pete and Mohra Gavankar. Her maternal grandmother was Dutch, and her mother, Shan-de-Mohra is half-Indian half-Dutch, from Pune, India.[4] Her father, Pete Gavankar, is an Indian engineer who first travelled to the United States to pursue a masters degree.[5]
From 2004 to 2010 she was in a relationship with DeviantArt CEO Angelo Sotira.[6]
Gavankar's more notable roles include Papi in The L Word, and Ms. Dewey, a Microsoft marketing character. She has also appeared in theatre, commercials, short films, independent films, as well as Barbershop and its sequel, Barbershop 2: Back in Business.
Gavankar has appeared on Epileptic Gaming's Up All Night, where she helped review Rock Band, Burnout Paradise, and Army of Two.[7]
In 2008, Gavankar appeared in TV series Stargate Atlantis, Grey's Anatomy and NCIS. In 2009, she appeared in The Cleaner, Dollhouse and Three Rivers. Gavankar played the voice of "Nikki" in Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey. She landed a lead role in the now-canceled ABC Television supernatural drama The Gates.[8]
As of 2011 Gavankar has become a series regular in HBO's True Blood. She plays a public school teacher and shapeshifter named Luna Garza, who gets romantically involved with one of the main characters of the series.[9]
She recently revealed she finished filming on a movie called Satellite of Love.[10]
Gavankar has returned to music with a rethinking of Kanye West's Love Lockdown[11]
She used to be in Endera, a group signed to Universal Records.[12] She also collaborated on a project for a song called "Tell Me What" in India with Pratichee Mohapatra of Viva, Deep (along with Rock Star Anand Bhatt), and Navraaz. She has had songs licensed to movies and television, and has played marimba on film scores.
Gavankar was featured in Russian artist Ella Leya's music video for "Wish I Could",[13] in the San Francisco band Recliner's music video for their single "Float Away",[14] as well as the music video for Manu Narayan's band Darunam.[15]
In 2008, Gavankar was nominated for an Asian Excellence Award.[16]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Why Is God | Mina | |
| 2002 | Barbershop | Fine Woman | |
| 2003 | Dark | Kaya | |
| 2004 | Barbershop 2: Back in Business | Field Reporter | Sequel |
| 2005 | Cup of My Blood | Iona | |
| 2006 | BBQ Bill | The Fiance | |
| Ms. Dewey | Ms. Dewey | ||
| 2007 | The L Word | Papi | TV series |
| Dash 4 Cash | Melanie | TV series | |
| Epileptic Gaming | Janina Gavankar | ||
| 2008 | Shattered! | Maria | |
| Factory | Laura | TV series | |
| My Boys | Terri | TV series | |
| Stargate Atlantis | Sgt. "Dusty" Mehra | TV series | |
| Grey's Anatomy | Lisa | TV series | |
| NCIS | Angela | TV series | |
| 2009 | The L Word | Papi | TV series |
| NCIS | Angela | TV series | |
| Dollhouse (TV series) | Lynn | TV series | |
| The Cleaner | Usha | TV series | |
| Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey | Nikki (voice) | Animated Movie | |
| Men, Interrupted | Cece Smith | Independent Movie | |
| Three Rivers | Ada | TV series | |
| Indian Gangster | Geeta | Independent Movie | |
| The League | Shiva | TV Series | |
| 2010 | 6 Month Rule | Reese | Independent Movie |
| The Gates | Leigh | TV series | |
| The League | Shiva | TV Series | |
| 2011 | The Custom Mary | Ms. Rime | Independent Movie |
| "Traffic Light" | Alexa | TV Series | |
| The Exes | Kerry | TV Series | |
| Method Shapeshifting | Herself | Funny or Die short | |
| '"Herpacol DX | Actress | Funny or Die Short | |
| "God Reschedules Rapture" | Blogger | Funny Or Die short | |
| True Blood | Luna | TV Series | |
| Satellite of Love | Michelle | Movie |