Reef Karim

Three-in-one. That pretty much sums up the Reef Karim who trots around with three careers under his belt.

Some days, he is a psychiatrist and addiction fellow on the clinical facility at University of California, Los Angeles� Neuropsychiatric Institute. Other days, he is a professional dancer and actor. He played the lead in the Indian-American film �Flavors,� and also starred in �Laurel Canyon� and the upcoming �Lords of Dogtown.�

Nowadays, Karim is very much in the news with Court TV�s �House of Clues.� In its second season, the show that airs every Monday night turns everyday people into profilers.

Karim helps contestants use intuition, instinct and old-fashioned snooping skills to craft a detailed profile of homeowners based solely on the contents of their house. �The whole concept of the show is treating someone�s home as a crime scene,� says Karim, who is in his mid-30s. �It�s another way of learning how a person lives his or her day-to-day life.�

Born in England to parents of Indian origin (his father is a physician while his mother a nurse), Karim was raised in Chicago and moved to Texas to become a professional dancer in a band. Though he applied to medical school in Kansas City, he completed his residency and fellowship at UCLA.

�I liked the UCLA program and the fact that Hollywood was based in the city,� says Karim, who also has worked as a behavioral profiler and psychiatrist for the LA Sheriff�s Office, conducting psychological profiles of criminals.

Karim also is directing and producing �Homeland Insecurity,� a 10-minute film on racial profiling. �It�s exciting to see Asians earning a place in mainstream cinema,� he says. �This is changing the mindset of the entire system.�

What about Bollywood? �Well, I am a professional actor and dancer, which could be great assets for Bollywood,� he says. �I visited India last in 2000 and I would consider a role in Bollywood if it suited me.�

Any takers?

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