Nasim Pedrad
| Nasim Pedrad | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 18, 1981 Tehran, Iran |
| Occupation | Actress and comedian |
| Years active | 2005–present |
Nasim Pedrad (born November 18, 1981) is an Iranian-American comic actress currently appearing as a cast member on Saturday Night Live.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Nasim Pedrad was born in Tehran, Iran to parents Arasteh Amani and Parviz Pedrad. Pedrad and her parents lived in Tehran until 1984, before immigrating to the United States when Nasim was two years old. She has a younger sister, Nina Pedrad, and they both are fluent in Persian language.[1] She was raised in Irvine, California, and graduated from University High School, and the UCLA School of Theatre in 2003[2] and was a member of the UCLA Spring Sing Company.
[edit] Career
Pedrad was a performer with the Sunday Company at The Groundlings and had frequently performed her one-woman show Me, Myself & Iran at the Los Angeles divisions of ImprovOlympic and the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. The show was selected for the 2007 HBO Comedy Festival in Las Vegas. She has received an LA Weekly Best Comedic Performance of the Year Award as the lead in the comedic spoof After School Special.[2]
Pedrad has guest-starred on Gilmore Girls and from 2007 to 2009 had a recurring role on ER[2] as Nurse Suri. In 2011, she was a recurring voice on the Fox animated series Allen Gregory.
[edit] Saturday Night Live
Pedrad joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 2009 as part of the 35th (2009–2010) season. Pedrad is the first (and so far only) Muslim cast member to join the cast, and one of a handful of cast members (joining Tony Rosato, Pamela Stephenson, Morwenna Banks, and Horatio Sanz) to be born outside of both the United States and Canada. As of the 2011–2012 season, Pedrad is now a repertory player after two years of being a featured player.
[edit] Celebrity impersonations
- Paula Abdul
- Christina Aguilera
- Gloria Allred
- Christiane Amanpour
- Barbara Boxer
- Edie Falco (as Jackie Peyton in Nurse Jackie)
- Azam Farahi, wife of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad[3]
- Kathy Griffin
- Karolyn Grimes (as Zuzu Bailey in the film It's a Wonderful Life)
- Vanessa Hudgens
- Arianna Huffington
- Hoda Kotb
- Kim Kardashian
- Alicia Keys
- Michelle Malkin
- M.I.A.
- Maria Menounos
- Nicki Minaj
- Mary-Kate Olsen (with Ashley Olsen played by Jenny Slate)
- Sharon Osbourne
- Natalie Portman (as Nina Sayers in the film Black Swan)
- Kelly Ripa
- Zoe Saldana (as Neytiri from Avatar)
- Shakira
- Sonia Sotomayor
- Debbie Turner (as Marta von Trapp in the film The Sound of Music)
- Barbara Walters
- Charlyne Yi
[edit] Recurring characters
- Bedelia, a teenager who spends more time with her parents than with her friends.
- Lil' Blaster, co-host of Underground Rock Minute with DJ Supersoak (Jason Sudeikis) and MC George Constanza (Jay Pharoah).
- Piper, one of the back-up singers on What Up With That?.
- Hu Jintao's translator at the G20 Summit meetings.
- Wanda Ramirez, one of the anchors at WXPD News.
- Nancy, one of the singing sisters on The Lawrence Welk Show.
[edit] Filmography
| Films | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Other Notes |
| 2005 | The 73 Virgins | Zahra | Short film |
| 2006 | Gilmore Girls | Waitress | 1 episode |
| 2007 | ER | Nurse Suri | 9 episodes |
| The Winner | Waitress | 1 episode | |
| 2008 | A Thousand Words | Photographer | Short film |
| 2009 | Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday | Kathy Griffin | 1 episode |
| It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | Lucy | 1 episode | |
| 2009–present | Saturday Night Live | Various | Cast member |
| 2011 | No Strings Attached | Writer | |
| Allen Gregory | Val/Brinique | 7 episodes | |
[edit] References
- ^ Grace Nasri (2010-01-28). "Saturday Night Live Hires First Iranian-Born Cast Member". Iran Times. http://www.payvand.com/news/10/jan/1274.html. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
- ^ a b c "UCB Theatre - Los Angeles - Performers - Nasim Pedrad". ucbtheatre.com. http://losangeles.ucbtheatre.com/performers/8345. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
- ^ "SNL Archives Weekend Update 10.03.2009". snl.jt.org. http://snl.jt.org/detail.php?i=200910039. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
[edit] External links
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- 1981 births
- Actors from California
- American comedians
- American people of Iranian descent
- American television actors
- The Groundlings
- IO Theater
- Iranian comedians
- Living people
- People from Irvine, California
- People from Tehran
- Iranian Muslims
- American Muslims
- University of California, Los Angeles alumni
- Women comedians
- American comedy writers
- Iranian television actors
- Iranian screenwriters
- American screenwriters
