Kumail Nanjiani

Kumail Nanjiani

Nanjiani speaking at Wondercon 2012 in Anaheim, California on March 17, 2012
Born February 21, 1978[1][2]
Karachi, Pakistan
Ethnicity Pakistani
Citizenship American
Occupation Actor, stand-up comedian
Years active 2008–present
Spouse(s) Emily V. Gordon

Kumail Nanjiani (/kuːˈmɛl nɑːndʒⁱˈjɑːni/ koo-MEL-nahn-JYAH-nee; born 21 February 1978) is a Pakistani-American stand-up comedian, actor and podcast host. He starred on the TNT series Franklin & Bash and co-hosts the show The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail. Nanjiani is also a regular on HBO's Silicon Valley. On top of his television and film work, he hosts two podcasts: The Indoor Kids and The X-Files Files.

Career

During his childhood, Nanjiani lived in Karachi and attended Karachi Grammar School. At 18, he moved to the United States and attended Grinnell College in Iowa from which he graduated in 2001.[1][3][4] He completed a double major in Computer Science and Philosophy.

In July 2011, he and X-Play staffer 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 V. Gordon.[5] He also appears regularly on Dan Harmon's podcast Harmontown, where he plays Dungeons & Dragons with Harmon as a character named Chris de Burgh. He played a delivery man as a cameo in the 2013 film, The Kings of Summer.[6]

In addition to guest-starring in various comedy shows like Portlandia, Nanjiani was featured in a supporting role in the TNT series Franklin & Bash. He played the role of Pindar Singh, an agoraphobic science fiction nerd working for the title characters.

Nanjiani also guest-starred on HBO's Veep as a statistician. He currently has the recurring role of Amir Larussa on Newsreaders, as well as Prismo on Adventure Time. His Comedy Central special titled Beta Male aired in July 2013.[7]

In late June 2013, Comedy Central announced the pickup of a show The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail hosted by Jonah Ray and Nanjiani.[8] The show, featuring Nerd Melt comedy regulars and various comedians, began airing in July 2014.[9]

In April 2014, he began playing the character Dinesh in the HBO sitcom Silicon Valley.[4] He also voiced Reggie in the video game The Walking Dead: Season Two.[10]

As of July 2014, Nanjiani hosts a weekly podcast titled The X-Files Files, dedicated to discussion and fond reminiscences about The X-Files . Each episode features Nanjiani and a guest, including former X-Files writers, producers, actors, and directors, in light-hearted banter centered around one or two episodes of the series.[11][12]

On July 30, 2014 Kumail appeared on Ken Reid's TV Guidance Counselor Podcast.

Personal life

Nanjiani was born in Karachi, Pakistan. He was raised as a Muslim, but became an atheist in later life.[13] He is related to the Pakistani-Scottish radio presenter Shereen Nanjiani.[14][15]

Nanjiani is married to Emily V. Gordon, an author, comedy producer, and former couples and family therapist. She is the booker and producer of The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail, a comedy show that began airing on Comedy Central in July 2014.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Konigsberg, Eric (30 October 2009). "It’s Not a Bad Time to Be Funny in the City". New York Times. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  2. ↑ "Twitter / TVsJonDore: Happy Birthday Kumail Nanjiani!!". Twitter.com. 2011-02-21. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
  3. ↑ "Interview with Comedian Kumail Nanjiani ’01". Grinnell College. September 22, 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Kavner, Lucas (4 April 2014). "'Silicon Valley,' a Comedy Central project and a killer bidet joke: Kumail Nanjiani has it all". Washington Post. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  5. ↑ Baker, Ali; Nanjiani, Kumail (15 July 2012). "#1 Steve Agee". The Indoor Kids. Nerdist Industries.
  6. ↑ "The Kings of Summer Red-Band Trailer". Collider.com. 2013-05-20. Retrieved 2014-06-29.
  7. ↑ Sims, David (23 July 2013). "Kumail Nanjiani: Beta Male". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  8. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (20 June 2013). "Comedy Central Greenlights ‘The Meltdown With Jonah and Kumail’". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  9. ↑ "The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail". NerdmeltLA.com. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
  10. ↑ Casey, Dan (13 May 2014). "Game Review: The Walking Dead Season 2: In Harm's Way". Nerdist Industries. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  11. ↑ Eakin, Marah (June 9, 2014). "Kumail Nanjiani to take on every episode of The X-Files in new podcast". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
  12. ↑ "The X-Files Files". iTunes. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
  13. ↑ Wolinsky, David (23 August 2007). "Kumail Nanjiani · Interview". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  14. ↑ Nanjiani, Shereen (1 September 2012). "Extended Interview with Kumail Nanjiani". Shereen. BBC Radio Scotland. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  15. ↑ Allison, Kevin (11 February 2013). "Live From San Francisco!". Risk!. Retrieved 13 February 2013.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kumail Nanjiani.