Kumail Nanjiani
| Kumail Nanjiani | |
|---|---|
 Nanjiani speaking at Wondercon 2012 in Anaheim, California on March 17, 2012 |
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| Born | Karachi, Pakistan |
| Other names | Kumail Nanga-jani |
| Ethnicity | Pakistani |
| Citizenship | American |
| Occupation | Comedian |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Religion | Atheism |
| Spouse(s) | Emily V. Gordon |
Kumail Nanjiani (pronounced /kuːˈmɛl.nɑːndʒ(i)ˈjɑːni/; koo-MEL-nahn-JYAH-nee) is a Pakistani American stand-up comic and actor.
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Career [edit]
Born in Karachi, Nanjiani lived in Pakistan until he moved to the United States when he was 18 and attended Grinnell College in Iowa.[1] Since beginning his career in Chicago, he has performed standup on a number of television programs including the Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and Conan. He also had a recurring role and was a staff writer on Michael & Michael Have Issues and has appeared on The Colbert Report and Burning Love.
He was named one of Comedy Central's breakout comedians of 2009, along with Nick Kroll, Aziz Ansari, Whitney Cummings, Donald Glover, Matt Braunger, T.J. Miller, Anthony Jeselnik, and Jon Lajoie.
In July 2011 he and Ali Baker began hosting a videogame-themed podcast, titled The Indoor Kids. In late August of the same year Baker left the show and Nanjiani began hosting with his wife, Emily Gordon.[2]
He has a cameo as a delivery man in the 2013 film The Kings of Summer.
Television work [edit]
In addition to guest-starring in various comedy shows like Portlandia, Nanjiani is starring in a supporting role in the TNT series Franklin & Bash. He plays the role of Pindar Singh, an agoraphobic science fiction nerd working for the main characters of the show. He also has an animated comedy Robots coming up on Comedy Central and did the voice of Prismo, an "almighty" being of infinite power on the TV show Adventure Time. He currently has the recurring role of Amir Larussa on Newsreaders. His Comedy Central Special entitled "Beta Male" will air in June of 2013.
Personal life [edit]
Nanjiani was raised Muslim, but became an atheist in later life.[3] He was born in Karachi and moved to the U.S. for college. He is married to Emily V. Gordon. He appears regularly on the Harmontown podcast, where he plays Dungeons and Dragons.
References [edit]
- ^ Konigsberg, Eric (1 November 2009). "For Kumail Nanjiani, A Good Time to Be Funny". New York Times. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
- ^ "The Indoor Kids #1 Steve Agee". Nerdist. 15 July 2012.
- ^ http://www.avclub.com/articles/kumail-nanjiani,487/
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kumail Nanjiani |
- Living people
- American comedians
- American podcasters
- Converts from Islam
- Grinnell College alumni
- People from Karachi
- People from New York
- American people of Pakistani descent
- Pakistani emigrants to the United States
- Naturalized citizens of the United States
- American television actors
- American film actors
- American former Muslims
- Pakistani former Muslims
- American atheists
- Pakistani atheists
- Karachi Grammar School alumni
- Sindhi people
- Actors from Karachi
