Annet Mahendru is an Afghan-American actress of Indian-Russian origin, born in Kabul to an Indian father, a journalist and professor, and a Russian mother, a businesswoman and artist. Her early years were spent learning six languages while living in Afghanistan, Russia, and Europe. This unique upbringing allowed her to develop a curious mind, which she utilized by playing competitive chess and earning a brown belt in Karate, even sweeping a free sparring championship.
At the age of 11, Annet's curiosity led her to choreograph a performance that earned her an appearance on German TV as a graceful Russian snow maiden who transforms into a playful Indian dancer. Despite not being enrolled in ballet classes as a child, she joined a local Rock 'n' Roll dance group and later began studying classical Indian dance, Bharatanatyam.
Annet completed high school in New York and received a Bachelor of Arts in English at St. John's University. After graduating, she took acting classes at the HB studio, performed in plays, and Indie films. However, it was during her pursuit of a Master's degree in Global Affairs at NYU that Annet reached a crossroads in her life. She decided to drop out of NYU and moved to the West Coast in search of a new degree that would enable her to make a positive impact. This led her to study Storytelling at the Groundlings School and take on several comedy projects.
Annet has also studied at the Imagined Life in Hollywood, where she found transformative experiences and the expression of empathetic imagination to be the foundation of her work. Her diverse upbringing, from growing up in an Indian family surrounded by Bollywood films to experiencing St. Petersburg's famous ballet, art, and theatre scene, prepared her for her life as an ambassador of change through storytelling.
Becoming an actress allowed Annet to synthesize her many curiosities with her passion and mission. She is best known for her starring role in the 2013 TV series The Americans, where she plays the role of "Nina," a beautiful and mysterious spy opposite FBI Agent Stan Beeman. Her performance as Nina has been praised by Executive Producers Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields, who noted her ability to bring depth and subtlety to the character.
