Malil, a veteran Hollywood actor best known for his performance in the hit 2005 comedy The 40-Year-Old Virgin, was detained on Tuesday night in Oceanside, outside San Diego.
The 43-year-old, being held in lieu of US$ two million bail at a detention centre, has been booked on suspicion of attempted murder, mayhem and burglary in connection with an attack that San Diego authorities said left his ex-girlfriend in a critical condition with 20 stab wounds.
Malil's arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Authorities said there was no immediate motive for the attack, but county sherrif spokesman
Phil Brust said in a statement that "Malil and the victim had apparently been in a dating relationship which recently ended."
Police were summoned to a house in the San Marcos area after neighbours reported hearing glass breaking and a woman screaming for help.
The victim, who was not identified, was taken to a local hospital where she was reported to be in critical condition with stab wounds and cuts to her face.
Malil's attorney was not immediately available for comment, the report said.
Malil, who was born in Kerala in 1964 and migrated to the US at the age of 10, played Haziz, one of Steve Carell's co-workers at an electronics retail store in the The 40-Year-Old-Virgin. He also has appeared in dozens of TV shows, including NYPD Blue and Scrubs.
