Mouzam Makkar

Mouzam Makkar was an Indian-American TV actress who was best known for her recurring roles on "The Vampire Diaries" (The CW, 2009-2017), "The Exorcist" (Fox, 2016- ), and "Champions" (NBC, 2018- ). Makkar was born in India and spent the majority of her formative years living in the United Arab Emirates. She moved with her family once again, however, as a teen - this time settling in Chicago. Makkar quickly adapted to her new life in the United States, but never intended on becoming an actress. When it came time to attend college she enrolled in the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she studied Finance. Makkar graduated with a B.S. in Finance and immediately embarked on a lucrative career in investment banking. There was just one problem - Makkar was incredibly unhappy and bored. Foreseeing an unhappy future in investment banking, Makkar decided on a whim to take a few acting classes. She quickly fell in love and before long was appearing on stage in various plays. Makkar's professional training during this period included the School at Steppenwolf and the Second City - two of Chicago's most iconic creative institutions. After a number of years honing her acting chops on stage, Makkar decided to broaden her acting prospects by auditioning for film and TV roles. She nabbed a small recurring role on "Chicago Fire" (NBC, 2012- ) in 2012, and followed that up with roles in the films "Promised Land" (2013), "Consumed" (2015), and "Halloweed" (2016). Then in 2016 Makkar nabbed recurring roles on two major TV shows: "The Vampire Diaries" and "The Exorcist." She appeared in several episodes of each series throughout 2016, thus putting her acting career on an upward trajectory. Her career would hit a high point once again in 2018 when she joined the cast of the NBC comedy "Champions." That show, which was co-created by Mindy Kaling of "The Mindy Project' (Fox/Hulu, 2012-17), premiered on the network in March of 2018.