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Aziz Ansari | |
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 Ansari in 2025 | |
| Born | Aziz Ismail Ansari (1983-02-23)February 23, 1983 (age 42) Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Alma mater | New York University (BBA) |
| Spouse | |
| Comedy Career | |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Medium |
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| Genres | |
| Subjects | |
| Website | azizansari |
Aziz Ismail Ansari[1] (/ɑːnˈsɑːri/ahn-SAR-ee; born February 23, 1983) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He playedTom Haverford on theNBC seriesParks and Recreation (2009–2015) and created and starred in theNetflix seriesMaster of None (2015–2021) for which he won several acting and writing awards, including twoEmmys and aGolden Globe, which was the first award received by anAsian American actor for acting on television.[2][3][4]
Ansari began performing comedy inNew York City, while a student atNYU Stern in 2000. He later co-created and starred in theMTV sketch comedy showHuman Giant, after which he had acting roles in a number of feature films. From 2009 to 2015, Ansari played Tom Haverford in the NBC sitcomParks and Recreation. In 2015, Ansari co-created, and starred in the first two seasons of Netflix's critically acclaimed seriesMaster of None, for which he also served as a writer and director.
As a stand-up comedian, Ansari released his first comedy special,Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening, in January 2010 on Comedy Central Records. He continues to perform stand-up on tour and on Netflix. His first book,Modern Romance: An Investigation, was released in June 2015. He was included in theTime 100 list of most influential people in 2016.[5] In July 2019, Ansari released his fifth comedy specialAziz Ansari: Right Now, which was nominated for aGrammy Award for Best Comedy Album.[6] In 2021, Netflix releasedMaster of None Presents: Moments in Love, which Ansari wrote and directed. The following year he released his comedy specialAziz Ansari: Nightclub Comedian on Netflix.
Aziz Ansari was born in Columbia, South Carolina toMuslim immigrants from the southIndian state ofTamil Nadu.[7][8] Ansari was raised a practicing Muslim but now identifies asnon-religious.[9][10] He has a younger brother, Aniz Adam Ansari, who is seven years his junior.[11] His younger sister, Nafeez, died in childhood fromHurler syndrome.[12] As a child, he skipped the first and second grade in elementary school.[13] Aniz is also a writer, and co-wrote an episode ofMaster of None with his brother.[14][15][16] Ansari grew up inBennettsville, South Carolina[17] where he attended Marlboro Academy as well as theSouth Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics.[18] He graduated from theNew York UniversityStern School of Business in 2004, with a Bachelor of Business degree in marketing.[19][20] His mother, Fatima, is anobstetrician and gynecologist and his father, Shoukath, is agastroenterologist.[20][21][22] Both of his parents appeared in the first two seasons ofMaster of None.
Ansari frequently performed at theUpright Citizens Brigade Theatre, as well as weekly shows such asInvite Them Up. In 2005,Rolling Stone included him in their annual "Hot List" as their choice for the "Hot Standup",[23] and he won the Jury Award for "Best Standup" atHBO's 2006U.S. Comedy Arts Festival inAspen, Colorado.[24]
Around the summer of 2005, Ansari began collaborating with fellow comediansRob Huebel andPaul Scheer (both from the improv troupeRespecto Montalban), as well as directorJason Woliner to make short films. The first series created by the group wasShutterbugs, which followed Huebel and Ansari as cutthroat child talent agents. This was followed up by theIllusionators, which starred Ansari and Scheer asCriss Angel–stylegoth magicians. In mid-2006, MTV greenlitHuman Giant, a sketch series from the group, which debuted April 5, 2007.[25] The show ran for two seasons and the group was offered a third season, but they opted to pursue other opportunities. Ansari had been offered the role ofTom Haverford onParks and Recreation, and since the members wrote everything together, they decided, as Scheer toldVulture, "it would be better if we walked away as friends instead of burn out on each other and the show."[26]
In June 2008, Ansari was announced as the first cast hire for NBC's comedyParks and Recreation.[27] The show debuted in April 2009 with Ansari playing one of the main characters,Tom Haverford, for the show's seven seasons. Ansari's performance was praised by critics, includingEntertainment Weekly,TV Guide, andYahoo! TV, which placed him in the No. 1 spot on its list of "TV MVPS".[28]
Starting in November 2015, Ansari starred as Dev Shah in the Netflix original seriesMaster of None,[29] which he created and wrote withParks and Recreation writerAlan Yang.[30][31]James Poniewozik ofThe New York Times called the show "the year's best comedy straight out of the gate" and praised its genre-crossing appeal.[32] The show initially ran for two seasons.[33] Production work began on a third season in early 2020 in London, but was put on hold because of theCOVID-19 pandemic. By January 2021, production was getting ready to resume, withNaomi Ackie joining the cast.[34][35] The season was released on May 23, 2021.[36][37]
Ansari's performance in the show earned him a nomination for theGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy.[38] The series earned fourEmmy nominations in2016:Outstanding Comedy Series,[39]Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for Ansari and Yang, andOutstanding Directing for a Comedy Series andOutstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Ansari; Yang and Ansari won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for the episode "Parents".[40] Yang and Ansari were also honored with aPeabody Award in May 2016 for the series.[41][42]
In 2018 Ansari won a Golden Globe for best actor in a TV comedy for the show; this made him the first Asian-American actor to win a Golden Globe for acting in television.[2][43][44][45][3]
In addition to his work onParks and Recreation, Ansari appeared on theHBO seriesFlight of the Conchords[27] as an eccentric and prejudiced fruit vendor. He had a recurring role in season eight of theABC sitcomScrubs as Ed, a newintern at the hospital. Ansari's character was written off the show so he could work onParks and Recreation. Ansari also has a recurring role on the animated comedyBob's Burgers as Darryl.
In August 2011, Ansari made acameo appearance in the music video for "Otis" byJay-Z andKanye West from their collaborative albumWatch the Throne.[46]
Ansari hosted the January 21, 2017 episode ofSaturday Night Live, becoming the first person of Indian origin to do so.[47]
Ansari has made appearances in several films, includingGet Him to the Greek,I Love You, Man,30 Minutes or Less,This Is the End, andObserve and Report. In 2009, Ansari appeared in theJudd Apatow filmFunny People. Apatow liked Ansari's character, "Randy", and commissioned him andHuman Giant collaboratorJason 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 developing forApatow Productions. Two other ideas in development areLet'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.[48] Ansari is attached to star in another film withDanny McBride based on an idea from Ansari and30 Rock writerMatt Hubbard.[49] In April 2010, it was announced that Ansari would star in the film30 Minutes or Less. The film was directed byRuben Fleischer and co-starredJesse Eisenberg and McBride. The film was released on August 12, 2011.
Ansari tours as astand-up comedian. In 2006 and 2007, he toured with theComedians of Comedy andFlight of the Conchords. In late 2008 and early 2009, his own comedy tour, the Glow in the Dark Tour, became the basis for a DVD/CD special forComedy Central. The set, titledIntimate Moments for a Sensual Evening, aired January 17, 2010.[50]
Ansari's comedy style tends to focus 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".[51]
In July 2010, Ansari began a new tour,Dangerously Delicious, which was in theaters across the United States; stops included theBonnaroo Music Festival andCarnegie Hall in New York City. The tour wrapped with a filming for a special,Dangerously Delicious at theWarner Theatre in Washington, D.C., in June 2011. This special was released on his website in March 2012 for download or stream.[52]
In March 2012, Ansari announced a new tour entitled "Buried Alive", with dates scheduled for Q2/Q3 2012.[52] A third stand-up special,Aziz Ansari: Buried Alive, was filmed during the tour at theMerriam Theater inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, and premiered onNetflix on November 1, 2013.[53] His 2015 special,Aziz Ansari: Live at Madison Square Garden, also premiered on Netflix.
In February 2019, Ansari began a new stand-up tour entitledThe Road to Nowhere, which was his official public return after the sexual-misconduct allegations and media backlash that put his career on a year-long hiatus in 2018.[54] The performance was a response to the events of that past year, and touched on topics ranging from cultural appropriation, racism to sexual misconduct.[55] His next comedy specialAziz Ansari: Right Now was released on July 9, 2019, followed byAziz Ansari: Nightclub Comedian, released on January 25, 2022.[56]
In May 2019, Ansari teamed up withDave Chappelle for three shows inAustin, Texas at theParamount Theatre.[57]
Ansari's book,Modern Romance: An Investigation, was released on June 16, 2015. The book is about the comedic pitfalls of dating in the modern world and was written with sociologistEric Klinenberg.[58]
In February 2022, Ansari was set to make his feature directorial debut with a dramedy film titledBeing Mortal starringBill Murray,Keke Palmer andSeth Rogen.[59] It is an adaptation of the non-fiction bookBeing Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by surgeonAtul Gawande, published in 2014.[60] In April 2022, production of the film was halted due to a complaint of inappropriate behavior by Murray on set.[61] According toThe Hollywood Reporter, Ansari's second projectGood Fortune was scheduled to begin filming in May 2023, but was delayed indefinitely due to the2023 Writers Guild of America strike.[62][63] The film was written and is being directed by and stars Ansari alongsideKeanu Reeves,Seth Rogen, andKeke Palmer.[29] In January 2024, the project was revealed to have begun filming with Ansari, Rogen, Reeves, and Palmer.[64]
Ansari was raised as aMuslim,[65] but has described himself as "not religious" on Twitter.[9][10]
In 2014, he identified as afeminist, saying his girlfriend has helped influence him. Ansari also incorporated an episode about feminism titled "Ladies and Gentlemen" inMaster of None. In 2015, he spoke about the episode's meaningfulness to him saying "I thought it was interesting that this is happening, yet so many people are unaware of it. And the problem is people aren't talking about it. What I've learned, as a guy, is to just ask women questions and listen to what they have to say. Go to your group of female friends and ask them about times they've experienced sexism at their job, and you'll get blown away by the things they tell you."[66][67]
Ansari,Eric Wareheim, andJason Woliner had formed what they called "The Food Club", which involves them dressing up in suits and captain hats and rewarding restaurants with "Food Club" plaques. The plaques have their faces engraved along with the words: "The Food Club has dined here and deemed it plaque-worthy".[68] He explained toVanity Fair, "It's a really serious-looking plaque and all of the restaurants we've given it to have put it front and center. It's funny because people will walk into a restaurant and be like, 'What the fuck is the Food Club? Who are these guys etched in gold?'"[69] They also produced a tongue-in-cheek video about the club forJash, filming them debating whether or not restaurants were plaque-worthy.[70]
Ansari was a close friend of the comedianHarris Wittels; they frequently worked together and were working on a new script together at the time of Wittels's death. Wittels had also been set to star inMaster of None before his death; his role was ultimately taken by Wareheim.[71][72]
Ansari purchased an apartment inTribeca,Downtown Manhattan in 2018 that had been owned byNew York Rangers captainRyan McDonagh for US$5.7 million.[73]
In January 2018, a woman using thepseudonym "Grace" accused Ansari ofsexual misconduct in an article onBabe.net, a site aimed atMillennial andGen-Z women. According to the article, the woman later texted Ansari expressing her discomfort, and he replied with an apology.[74][75][76] Media critic Allison Davis, who later interviewed the article's author, Katie Way, called theBabe.net article "some combination of as-told-to and reported piece and morning-after group-chat gossip", saying it became a "flashpoint of discussion about#MeToo".[77] There was disagreement in media commentary as to whether the incident described constituted sexual misconduct.[78] Ansari stated that the encounter "by all indications was completely consensual",[79] but some commentators alleged his actions weremisogynistic, lackedaffirmative consent, and spoke to a larger culture ofharmful male expectations.[80][81] Others said Ansari's actions did not constitute sexual misconduct and that his accuser's narrative trivializes the #MeToo movement against sexual abuse.[82][83] Way was criticized for her handling of the story and not following journalistic standards.[84][85]James Hamblin wrote that these "stories of gray areas are exactly what [...] need to be told and discussed...Even Ansari, the semi-ironic expert who authored a book on interpersonal communication...was seeing something totally different from his date, Grace", who felt coerced.[81] Ansari briefly receded from public and resumed stand-up in May 2018.[86]
In 2021, it was reported Ansari had become engaged to Danish forensic data scientist Serena Skov Campbell.[87] In June 2022, Ansari and Campbell got married inTuscany, Italy.[88]
| Year | Title | Role | 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 | Chet | |
| What's Your Number? | Jay | Voice | |
| 2012 | Ice Age: Continental Drift | Squint | Voice[89] |
| Cruel Summer | Prisoner | ||
| 2013 | Epic | Mub | Voice[89] |
| This Is the End | Himself | ||
| 2014 | Date and Switch | Marcus | |
| Food Club | Captain Ansari | Short | |
| 2017 | The Problem with Apu[90] | Himself | Documentary |
| 2022 | The Bob's Burgers Movie | Darryl | Voice |
| 2025 | Good Fortune | Arj | Also director, writer, and producer[64][91] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Uncle Morty's Dub Shack | MC Bricklayer | Episode: "Didja Listen to My Demo?" |
| 2007 | Flight of the Conchords | Sinjay | Episode "Drive By" |
| 2007–2008 | Human Giant | Various roles | 16 episodes; also co-creator, writer, executive producer |
| 2008 | Worst Week | Morgue employee | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2009 | Reno 911! | Insurance representative | 3 episodes |
| Scrubs | Ed Dhandapani | 4 episodes | |
| 2009–2015, 2020 | Parks and Recreation | Tom Haverford | Main cast (all 7 seasons) |
| 2010 | Aziz Ansari: Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening | Himself | Stand-up special |
| The Life & Times of Tim | Gabe | Episode: "Nagging Blonde/Tim & the Elephant" | |
| 2010 MTV Movie Awards | Himself (host) | TV special | |
| 2012 | Aziz Ansari: Dangerously Delicious | Himself | Stand-up special |
| NTSF:SD:SUV:: | The Toucher | Episode: "Prairie Dog Companion" | |
| 2012–2018 | Bob's Burgers | Darryl | Voice, 13 episodes[89] |
| 2013 | The Venture Bros. | Martin | Voice, episode: "What Color Is Your Cleansuit?"[89] |
| Comedy Bang! Bang! | Himself | Episode: "Aziz Ansari Wears A Charcoal Blazer" | |
| The Comedy Central Roast of James Franco | Himself (roaster) | TV special | |
| The Getaway | Host | Episode: "Aziz Ansari in Hong Kong" | |
| Aziz Ansari: Buried Alive | Himself | Stand-up special | |
| Wander Over Yonder | Westley | Voice, episode: "The Little Guy"[89] | |
| Arcade Fire in Here Comes The Night Time | Li'l Bud | TV special | |
| 2013–2014 | Ben 10: Omniverse | Billy Billions | Voice, 2 episodes[89] |
| 2013–2015 | The League | Dr. Hector Rocha | 2 episodes |
| 2013–2015 | Adventure Time | DMO | Voice, 3 episodes[89] |
| 2014 | Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee | Himself (guest) | Episode: "It's Like Pushing a Building Off a Cliff" |
| 2015 | Kroll Show | Sly Dufrense | Episode: "Body Bouncers" |
| Major Lazer | Goosh | Voice, episode: "I'm Gonna Git You Suckoid" | |
| Aziz Ansari: Live at Madison Square Garden | Himself | Stand-up special | |
| 2015–2021 | Master of None | Dev Shah | Main cast (season 1–2); Recurring (season 3) also Co-creator, Executive Producer, Writer, and Director |
| 2016 | Animals. | Charles | Voice, episode: "Dogs."[89] |
| 2017 | Saturday Night Live | Himself (host) | Episode: "Aziz Ansari/Big Sean" |
| 2018 | Ugly Delicious | Himself | Episode: "Pizza." |
| 2019 | Aziz Ansari: Right Now | Himself | Stand-up special |
| 2022 | Aziz Ansari: Nightclub Comedian | Himself | Stand-up special |
| Year | Artist | Song | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Jay-Z andKanye West | "Otis" | Himself[92] |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Academics | |
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| People | |
| Other | |
