Aziz Ansari: Difference between revisions
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Ansari is an atheist.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/04/arts/television/04aziz.html</ref> He has a residence in the [[Cooper Square]] area of New York City's East Village. |
Ansari is an atheist.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/04/arts/television/04aziz.html</ref> He has a residence in the [[Cooper Square]] area of New York City's East Village. |
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According to a performance at University of Maryland on October 13, 2011, when Aziz eventually does have a child, he does not want his child's babysitter to give anyone hand-jobs near his baby. |
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==Career== |
==Career== |
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Revision as of 03:00, 14 October 2011
| Aziz Ansari | |
|---|---|
 Ansari at the 2011 Time 100 gala | |
| Born | February 23, 1983 Columbia, South Carolina |
| Medium | Stand-up Television Film |
| Nationality | American |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Genres | Observational comedy, Improvisational comedy |
| Subject(s) | Everyday life, race relations, racism, self-deprecation, American culture, pop culture |
| Notable works and roles | Randy Springs in Funny People Various in Human Giant Tom Haverford in Parks and Recreation Host of the 2010 MTV Movie Awards Chet in 30 Minutes or Less |
| Website | AzizIsBored.com |
Aziz Ansari (Tamil: அஸிஸ் அன்சாரி; born February 23, 1983) is an American actor, writer, and stand-up comedian. He currently stars as Tom Haverford on the NBC show Parks and Recreation.
Ansari began his career performing standup comedy in New York City during the summer of 2001 while attending New York University. In 2007, he created and starred in the critically acclaimed MTV sketch comedy show Human Giant, which ran for two seasons. This led to acting roles in feature films including Funny People, I Love You, Man, and Observe and Report. In addition to his acting work, Ansari has continued to work as a standup comedian. He released his debut CD/DVD, entitled Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening, in January 2010 on Comedy Central Records, and still tours nationally between acting commitments. In June 2010, he hosted the 2010 MTV Movie Awards. In 2011, he starred in the film 30 Minutes or Less, with Jesse Eisenberg, Nick Swardson and Danny McBride.
Personal life
Aziz Ansari was born in Columbia, South Carolina, to Indian Muslim parents who immigrated from Tamil Nadu, India.[1] His father is a gastroenterologist and his mother works in a medical office.[2] Ansari grew up in Bennettsville, South Carolina, where he attended Marlboro Academy as well as the South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics.[3]
Ansari is an atheist.[4] He has a residence in the Cooper Square area of New York City's East Village.
According to a performance at University of Maryland on October 13, 2011, when Aziz eventually does have a child, he does not want his child's babysitter to give anyone hand-jobs near his baby.
Career
Early career
Ansari began his career performing stand-up comedy in New York while attending Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University and graduated in 2004 with a degree in marketing.[5] He frequently performed at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, as well as weekly shows such as Invite Them Up. In 2005, Rolling Stone included him in their annual "Hot List" as their choice for the "Hot Standup",[6] and he won the Jury Award for "Best Standup" at HBO's 2006 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado.[7]
Human Giant
Around the summer of 2005, Ansari began collaborating with fellow comedians Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer (both of the famed improv troupe Respecto Montalban), as well as director Jason Woliner to make short films. The first series created by the group was Shutterbugs, which followed Huebel and Ansari as cutthroat child talent agents. This was followed up by the Illusionators, which starred Ansari and Scheer as Criss Angel–style goth magicians. In mid-2006, MTV greenlit a sketch series from the group which debuted April 5, 2007. The critically acclaimed show completed two seasons. The group was offered a third season, but opted to pass in order to pursue other opportunities.
Parks and Recreation
In June 2008, Ansari was announced as the first cast hire for NBC's new comedy from producers of The Office.[8] The show, Parks and Recreation, debuted in April 2009 with Ansari portraying government employee Tom Haverford. Ansari's performance has received notable praise from critics, including Entertainment Weekly naming him one of 2009’s “Breakout TV Stars,” TV Guide naming him a “Scene Stealer” and Yahoo! TV placing him in the number one spot on their list of “TV MVPS.”[9]
MTV Movie Awards
On June 6, 2010, Ansari hosted the 2010 MTV Movie Awards. The show opened with a spoof of the film Precious with Ansari appearing as Aziz "Precious" Ansari. Ansari also created the short film Stunt Kidz which reunited him with his Human Giant castmates. A second short film was also made with actor Zach Galifianakis in which Ansari portrayed Taavon, Galfianakis' "Swagga Coach." He accepted Galifianakis' award for Best Comedic Performance in character as Taavon. Ansari also performed a musical tribute to the film Avatar in the style of singer R. Kelly.
Other notable television work
In addition to his work on Parks and Recreation, Ansari appeared on the HBO series Flight of the Conchords[8] as a xenophobic fruit vendor. He also had a recurring role in season eight of the ABC sitcom Scrubs as Ed, a new intern to the hospital. Ansari's character was written off the show to allow him to film Parks and Recreation.
In August 2011, Ansari made a cameo appearance in the music video for Otis by Jay-Z and Kanye West from their collaborated album, Watch the Throne.
Film career
Ansari has made appearances in several films, including Get Him to the Greek, I Love You, Man, and Observe and Report. In the summer of 2009, Ansari appeared in the Judd Apatow film Funny People with Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen. Apatow liked Ansari's character, "Randy", and commissioned him and Human Giant collaborator Jason Woliner to create online shorts centered around his character, to promote the film. These shorts proved successful and the character became the subject of one of the film ideas Ansari and Woliner are currently developing for Apatow Productions. Two other ideas in development are Let's Do This, a road movie about two motivational speakers, and an untitled film about two disgraced astronauts who must return to space to clear their names.[10] Ansari is also attached to star in another film with Danny McBride based on an idea from Ansari and 30 Rock writer Matt Hubbard. Parks and Recreation writer Harris Wittels is currently scripting the project.[11] In April 2010, it was announced that Ansari would star in the film 30 Minutes or Less. The film was directed by Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer and co-starred Jesse Eisenberg and Danny McBride. The film was released on August 12, 2011.
Stand-up comedy
Even amongst various acting commitments, Ansari has continued performing and touring as a standup comedian. In 2006 and 2007, he toured with the Comedians of Comedy and Flight of the Conchords. In the fall of 2008 and early 2009, Ansari headlined his own comedy tour, the Glow in the Dark Tour. The material on this tour became the basis for a DVD/CD special for Comedy Central. The set, titled Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening, aired January 17, 2010, with a CD/LP/DVD release on January 19.[12]
Ansari's comedy style has always shied away from ethnic humor and more focused on aspects of his personal life. “I like talking about things that are going on in my life, because that’s always going to be different and original,” he says. “No one else is gonna be talking about my personal experiences."[13]
In the summer of 2010, Ansari began a new theatre tour titled the Dangerously Delicious Tour.
Filmography
| Films | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
| 2006 | School for Scoundrels | Classmate | |
| 2008 | The Rocker | Aziz | |
| 2009 | Funny People | Randy Springs | |
| Observe and Report | Saddamn | ||
| I Love You, Man | Eugene | ||
| 2010 | Get Him to the Greek | Matty Briggs | |
| 2011 | 30 Minutes or Less[14][15][16] | Chet | |
| What's Your Number? | Voice | ||
| 2012 | Ice Age: Continental Drift | Walter | Voice |
| 2013 | Let's Do This | ||
| Television | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
| 2007 | Flight of the Conchords | Sinjay | Episode "Drive By" |
| Human Giant | Cast Member | Writer, Co-Creator (2007–2008) | |
| 2008 | Worst Week | Morgue Employee | |
| 2009 | Reno 911! | Insurance Representative | (3 episodes) |
| Scrubs | Ed Dhandapani | (4 episodes) | |
| Parks and Recreation | Tom Haverford | Main cast (2009-present) | |
Discography
- Raaaaaaaandy Mixtape (with Dave Sitek) (2009)
- Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening (2010)
References
- ^ "Aziz Ansari Biography". AskMen.com, AskMen.
- ^ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123810831170052517.html
- ^ "NBC's Parks and Recreation star has SC ties". WISTV.com, Jeremy Turnage.
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/04/arts/television/04aziz.html
- ^ B, Pat. "Biography for Aziz Ansari". Biography. IMDB. Retrieved 3/19/11.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "Hot Standup", Rolling Stone
- ^ HBO's Comedy Fest announces winners, HBO press release, festivalfocus.org, 12 March 2006.
- ^ a b Schneider, Michael. Aziz Ansari hired for 'Office' spinoff, Variety, 12 June 2008.
- ^ Aziz Ansari Artist Bio, Artist Bio from Bonnaroo
- ^ Siegel, Tatiana (November 23, 2009). "Apatow, Universal pick up pitches. Ansari, Woliner score with trio of comedy concepts". Variety. Retrieved 2010-02-13.
- ^ Fleming, Mike. (2010-05-10) Mandate Pictures Mounts Laugher Starring Aziz Ansari And Danny McBride –. Deadline.com. Retrieved on 2010-11-05.
- ^ "Aziz Ansari Preps Stand-Up Album". Pitchfork.
- ^ Aziz Ansari, 1 June 2006
- ^ 30 Minutes or Less (2011), IMDB.com
- ^ Twitter / Aziz Ansari: BREAKING NEWS: For my role. Twitter.com. Retrieved on 2010-11-05.
- ^ Twitter / Aziz Ansari: Whoa. Lot of ppl mourning. Twitter.com. Retrieved on 2010-11-05.
External links
- Official website
- The Human Giant
- Aziz Ansari at IMDb
- Aziz Ansari on National Public Radio
- Feeding the Comedy Beast Without Serving Leftovers, "The New York Times"
- Aziz Ansari: The Funniest Tool In 'Parks' Utility Shed, "NPR Fresh Air"
- The Rise of the Likable Jerk, "The Wall Street Journal"
- Human Giant profile, New York Magazine
- Winner – Jury Award – Best Standup – 2006 HBO US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen
- Human Giant Named One of Variety's "10 Comics to Watch" in 2006, Variety
- Interview With Scene Missing Magazine
- Pitchforkmedia – Human Giant Interview, 03.10.08
- Pitchforkmedia – Human Giant Interview, 03.29.07
- Human Giant interview, The Onion AV Club
- "No One Says '9/11.' No One Needs To.", The New York Times
- Human Giant 24 Hour Marathon Coverage, The Onion AV Club
- Human Giant 24 Hour Marathon Coverage, Village Voice
- "Aziz Ansari Will Make You Laugh": 2007 interview by Ranjit Souri in The DesiConnect
- – Liberation Frequency interview
- WTF with Marc Maron Podcast, Episode 127 11.29.2010 (audio)