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Aasif Mandvi

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Aasif Mandvi
Mandvi in 2016
Born
Aasif Hakim Mandviwala

(1966-03-05)March 5, 1966(age 58)
Mumbai,India
NationalityBritish
American
EducationUniversity of South Florida
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • writer
Years active1988–present
Spouse
  • Shaifali Puri
    ​
    (m.2017)​
Children1
Websiteaasifmandvi

Aasif Hakim Mandviwala(born March 5, 1966), known professionally asAasif Mandvi(/ˈɑːsɪfˈmɑːndvi/,AH-sifMAHND-vee), is a British-American actor, comedian and author. He was acorrespondentonThe Daily Showfrom 2006 to 2017.[1]Mandvi's other television work includes theHBOcomedy seriesThe Brinkand theCBS/Paramount+psychological dramaEvil.His film roles include playing Mr. Aziz inSpider-Man 2andCommander ZhaoinThe Last Airbender.His stage work includes appearing on Broadway as Ali Hakim inOklahoma!and in productions ofDisgraced(2012), which won the Pulitzer Prize in 2013.

Early life[edit]

Mandvi was born in Bombay (nowMumbai),Maharashtra,India,[2]to aDawoodi Bohra[3]Muslim family.[4]His family moved to England, when he was a year old, settling in theWest Yorkshirecity ofBradford.His father, Hakim, who had originally come to work in textiles research atBradford University,[5]later ran acorner shop.His mother, Fatima, was a nurse.[6][7]Mandvi attended the independentWoodhouse Grove School,and he identifies as a "working-class kid from Bradford".[6]

In the early 80s, his father grew frustrated withMargaret Thatcher's administration and moved his family toTampa,Florida, United States when Mandvi was 16.[6]He attendedChamberlain High School.[8]

Career[edit]

Early[edit]

After graduating from theUniversity of South Floridawith a degree in theatre,[9]Mandvi worked as a performer atDisney-MGM StudiosatWalt Disney World Resort,[4]and Universal Studios Florida. He later moved to New York City, where he began appearing inoff-Broadwayproductions. During this time, he was active in the band Cowboys and Indian. He won anObie Awardfor his one-man showSakina's Restaurant.[10]

On Broadway, Mandvi appeared as Ali Hakim in the 2002 production ofOklahoma!directed byTrevor Nunn.[11]He also appeared in the playHomebody/KabulbyTony Kushner.He portrayedFritz Haberin theoff-BroadwayplayEinstein's Gift.

Mandvi played Melchior inOn the RazzlebyTom Stoppardat theWilliamstown Theatre Festivaland appeared in the docudramaGuantanamo: Honor Bound to Defend Freedomat the Culture Project. In 2012, Mandvi starred inDisgracedatLincoln Center'sClaire Tow Theater.He played the lead role of Amir, a Pakistani- American lawyer struggling with his identity and Islam in the drama byAyad Akhtar.The play won the 2013Pulitzer Prize for Drama.[12]Mandvi was nominated for aLucille Lortel Awardfor his performance.[13]

Television[edit]

Mandvi made his television debut as a doorman at theMiami Biltmore Hotelin the episode "Line of Fire" of the seriesMiami Vice.He has appeared in television shows includingER,The Sopranos,Sex and the City,CSI,Oz,Ed,The Bedford Diaries,Jericho,Sleeper Celland various editions ofLaw & Order,includingCriminal Intent,Special Victims UnitandTrial by Jury.He was the book reader for audio editions ofSalman Rushdie'sShalimar the Clown(2005) andV. S. Naipaul'sMagic Seeds(2004). In 2011 he appeared inTaco Bellcommercials.

In 2006, Mandvi auditioned forThe Daily Show.He was hired immediately and appeared on the show the same day.[4]Mandvi became a regular correspondent in 2007. He often appears in segments satirizing and commenting on Islamic, Middle-Eastern, and South-Asian-related issues with such titles as "Senior Asian Correspondent," "Senior Middle East Correspondent," "Senior Foreign Looking Correspondent," and "Senior Muslim Correspondent."

In 2013, Mandvi was cast in a recurring role on theFOXromantic comedy,Us & Them.[14]

In October 2013, during a segment onThe Daily Show,Mandvi interviewed Don Yelton of the North Carolina Republican Party office. Comments Yelton made then resulted in his resigning after the interview was aired.[15]

Beginning in June 2015, Mandvi portrayed Rafiq Massoud in theHBOcomedy seriesThe Brink.In April 2015, Mandvi appeared onPerson of Interestas Sulaiman Khan, the CEO of a software security firm. He was the lead actor, co-writer and producer of the web seriesHalal in the Family,which premiered onFunny or Diein 2015.

In 2016, Mandvi joined the climate change documentary showYears of Living Dangerouslyas one of its celebrity correspondents.[16]

Beginning in 2017, Mandvi appeared in three episodes of the Netflix seriesA Series of Unfortunate Eventsas Montgomery "Uncle Monty" Montgomery,[17]aherpetologistand distant relative of the Baudelaire children.

In 2019, Mandvi was cast in theRobertandMichelle Kingsupernatural drama seriesEvilonCBSas Ben Shakir, a carpenter who works as a technical expert, equipment handler and debunker of supernatural phenomena.[18][19]

Film[edit]

Mandvi played minor roles in the filmsThe SiegeandDie Hard with a Vengeanceas well as the title role inMerchant Ivory Productions' filmThe Mystic Masseur.He had a major supporting role in the independent filmAmerican Chai,playing the lead character's roommate, "Engineering Sam." He played the doctor who diagnosed Paul Vitti's (Robert De Niro) panic attacks inAnalyze This,and had a role as Mr. Aziz of "Joe's Pizza" inSpider-Man 2.He was also in commercials byDomino's Pizzaand theFinancial Industry Regulatory Authority(FINRA). He played thetone deafdoorman Khan inMusic and Lyrics.

Mandvi at the 2010San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival.

Mandvi played a dentist alongsideRicky Gervaisin the 2008 romantic comedyGhost Town,as well as office employee Bob Spaulding inThe Proposal,starringSandra Bullock.Today's Special,which Mandvi co-wrote with Jonathan Bines, premiered at theLondon Film Festivalin October 2009 and New York'sMahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festivalon November 11, 2009.[20]He appeared inIt's Kind of a Funny Story,a coming-of-age film written and directed byAnna BodenwithRyan Fleck,adapted from the 2006 novel byNed Vizzini.[21]He also co-starred as aGuantanamo captivein the filmThe Response,a script based on the transcripts ofCombatant Status Review Tribunalsconvened inGuantanamoin 2004.[22]InM. Night Shyamalan'sThe Last Airbender(released in 2010) he played a major role asCommander Zhao.Mandvi played the role of Mr. Chetty in the 2013 comedyThe Internshipand portrayedAsh Vasudevanin the 2014 filmMillion Dollar Arm.

Personal life[edit]

On August 27 2017, Mandvi married his girlfriend of three years, Shaifali Puri, an author and humanitarian, atThe Fox Theatre in Atlanta, GA.[23][24]They have one son, born March 14 2020.[25]

Mandvi has been diagnosed with chronictinnitus.[26]

In June 2019, he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degree by theMacaulay Honors Collegeafter delivering the commencement speech that year.[27]

Charity work and advocacy[edit]

Mandvi is involved with disaster-relief organizations such as the charity initiative Relief 4 Pakistan, which assists in flood relief in Pakistan. In 2010, he hosted the "Stand Up for Religious Freedom" comedy event to raise money for the organization.[28]After the2010 Haiti earthquake,he performed with fellowDaily ShowcorrespondentWyatt CenacatConan O'Brien's "I'm with Coco" Benefit for earthquake victims.[citation needed]He is also a supporter of the Endometriosis Foundation of America.[29][30][31]

Filmography[edit]

Actor[edit]

Film[edit]

Year Film Role Notes
1990 No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers Terrorist
1995 Die Hard with a Vengeance Arab Cabbie
1996 Eddie Mohammed
1998 The Siege Khalil Saleh
1999 Hook'd Up Indian Guy
Analyze This Dr. Shulman
Gofer Gorby
Random Hearts Electronics Store Salesman
ABCD Ashok
2001 3 A.M. Singh
American Chai Engineering Sam
Peroxide Passion Beaumond
2002 The Mystic Masseur Ganesh Ramsumair
Book of Kings Dr. Mitra Short film
2003 Undermind Shark/Roger
2004 Spider-Man 2 Mr. Aziz
2005 Sorry, Haters Hassan
The War Within Abdul
2006 Freedomland Dr. Anil Chatterjee
2007 Music and Lyrics Khan
2008 Eavesdrop Don
Pretty Bird Ted the Banker
The Understudy Sarfras
Ghost Town Dr. Prashar
2009 The Proposal Bob Spaulding
Today's Special Samir Also screenwriter
2010 It's Kind of a Funny Story Dr. Mahmoud
The Last Airbender Commander Zhao
2011 Margin Call Ramesh Shah
Dark Horse Mahmoud
2012 Premium Rush Raj
The Dictator Doctor
Ruby Sparks Cyrus Modi
2013 Movie 43 Robert Segment "iBabe"
The Internship Mr. Roger Chetty
Gods Behaving Badly Maxwell
2014 Million Dollar Arm Ash Vasudevan
Lennon or McCartney Himself Short documentary film; interview clip[32]
2016 Mother's Day Russell
Undecided: The Movie Roger Ayeels
2019 Drunk Parents Nigel
Human Capital Godeep
2022 Crush Coach Murray
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank Ichiro (voice)
2023 The Magician's Elephant The King (voice)

Television[edit]

Year Show Role Notes
1988 Miami Vice Doorman Episode: "Line of Fire"
1995 New York Undercover Omar Episode: "The Smoking Section"
The Cosby Mysteries Cabbie Episode: "Big Brother Is Watching"
1995–1998 Law & Order Peanut Vendor / Gulab Singh / Technician / Khan 4 episodes
1996 Jake's Women Driver Television film
Nash Bridges Aziz Kadim Episode: "Trackdown"
1998 Dellaventura Aasif Episode: "The Human Factor"
2000 Welcome to New York Doorman Episode: "Jim Gets an Apartment"
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Professor Husseini Episode: "Honor"
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Dr. Leever Episode: "Anonymous"
2001 Sex and the City Dmitri Episode: "My Motherboard, My Self"
2002 Oz Dr. Faraj 2 episodes
2003 Ed Buyer Episode: "Goodbye Stuckeyville"
2004 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Sateesh Episode: "Inert Dwarf"
Tanner on Tanner Salim Barik 4 episodes
2006 Law & Order: Trial by Jury Judge Samir Patel Episode: "Bang & Blame, Baby Boom"
The Sopranos Dr. Abu Bilal Episode: "Kaisha"
Sleeper Cell Khalid Episode: "Al-Baqara"
2006–2007 ER Manish 3 episodes
2006–2008 Jericho Dr. Kenchy Dhuwalia 8 episodes
2006–2015 The Daily Show Himself 188 episodes
2010 King of the Hill Mike Patel (voice) Episode: "When Joseph Met Lori, and Made Out with Her in the Janitor's Closet"
2011 Curb Your Enthusiasm Man in Elevator Episode: "Larry vs. Michael J. Fox"
2014 Us & Them Dave Coaches Episode: "Crunch & Brunch"
2015 Madam Secretary Prince Yousif Obaid Episode: "Chains of Command"
Person of Interest Suleiman Khan Episode: "Search and Destroy"
The Brink Rafiq Massoud 10 episodes; also producer and writer[33][34]
Halal in the Family Aasif Qu'osby Web series
Jake and the Never Land Pirates Pirate Pharaoh (voice) 3 episodes
2016–2019 Elena of Avalor King Raja (voice) 2 episodes
2016 Another Period Parshwall Episode: "The Prince and the Pauper"
2017 Younger Jay Malick 4 episodes
Shut Eye Pazhani "Paz" Kapoor 6 episodes
National Geographic Explorer Host Season 10 Episode 2
The Problem with Apu Himself Documentary film
2017–2018 A Series of Unfortunate Events Dr. Montgomery Montgomery (Uncle Monty) 3 episodes
2018 Explained Narrator (voice) Episode: "Cricket, explained"
2018–2020 Blue Bloods Samar "Sam" Chatwal Recurring, season 9
2019–2024 Evil Ben Shakir Main cast
2019 This Way Up Vish Main cast
Ghostwriter Bagheera (voice) 2 episodes
Room 104 Eugene Hill Episode: "The Specimen Collector"
2020 The Boss Baby: Back in Business OCB Corporate Consultant (voice) Season 4: Episodes 6 & 10 - 12
2020–2022 Mira, Royal Detective Sahil (voice) 18 episodes
2021 Archer Cornelius Varma (voice) Episode: "London Time"
2022 Would I Lie to You? (USA) Host

Writer[edit]

Year Film Notes
2009 Today's Special

Stage[edit]

Actor[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1993 Suburbia Norman Chaudry
1995 Death Defying Acts Delivery Boy In one-act "Hotline"
1997 Crosscurrents Paul
1998 Sakina's Restaurant One man play
2002 Oklahoma! Ali Hakim Revival
2012 Disgraced Amir Kapoor Lincoln Center/LCT3

Writer[edit]

Year Title Notes
1998 Sakina's Restaurant

Radio drama/podcast[edit]

Actor[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
2021 Marvel's Wastelanders: Star-Lord Rattlesnake Pete

Published works[edit]

  • Mandvi, Aasif (2014).No Land's Man.Chronicle Books.ISBN978-1452107912.The book has been adapted for the American-Indian-Bangladeshi filmNo Land's Mandirected byMostofa Sarwar Farooki.[35][36]

References[edit]

  1. ^"COMEDY CENTRAL'S 'THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART' TAPS AASIF MANDVI TO JOIN THE 'DAILY SHOW' NEWS TEAM AS A CORRESPONDENT"(Press release).Comedy Central.March 12, 2007. Archived fromthe originalon January 2, 2008.RetrievedNovember 7,2008.
  2. ^Kilachand, Tara (May 31, 2008)."In the US, they say Indians are always laughing".Livemint.Archivedfrom the original on July 2, 2008.RetrievedNovember 7,2008.
  3. ^"'Interview with The Last Airbender's Aasif Mandvi: Part II'".Archivedfrom the original on April 13, 2014.RetrievedApril 10,2014.
  4. ^abcDeggans, Eric (June 1, 2008)."For Aasif Mandvi, cultural irreverence on 'The Daily Show'".St. Petersburg Times.Archived fromthe originalon December 14, 2008.RetrievedNovember 7,2008.
  5. ^"NPR Media Player".npr.org.Archivedfrom the original on May 5, 2015.RetrievedSeptember 2,2015.
  6. ^abcSarfraz Manzoor (June 7, 2009)."'I get to sit on the fence between cultures': Sarfraz Manzoor talks to Aasif Mandvi, the Daily Show's 'fake news' correspondent ".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on January 29, 2017.RetrievedDecember 13,2016.
  7. ^Deggans, Eric (May 31, 2008)."For Aasif Mandvi, cultural irreverence on 'The Daily Show'".Tampa Bay Times.Archived fromthe originalon September 3, 2014.RetrievedJune 28,2014.
  8. ^Chamberlain High School Totem Yearbook.Tampa, Florida. 1984. p. 178.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  9. ^"Asif Mandvi – Biography".IMDb.December 7, 2011.Archivedfrom the original on January 14, 2017.RetrievedJune 30,2018.
  10. ^"25 NEW FACES OF INDEPENDENT FILM".Filmmaker Magazine.2008.Archivedfrom the original on March 5, 2010.RetrievedNovember 7,2008.
  11. ^Horwitz, Simi (March 29, 2002)."Aasif Mandvi: Giving Broadway a Persian Hello".Backstage.Archivedfrom the original on January 7, 2009.RetrievedNovember 7,2008.
  12. ^"Ayad Akhtar's 'Disgraced,' play about a dinner party gone awry, wins Pulitzer Prize for drama".Washington Post.Associated Press. April 16, 2013. Archived fromthe originalon July 13, 2019.
  13. ^"2013 Nominees - The Lucille Lortel Awards".The Lucille Lortel Awards.Archivedfrom the original on February 7, 2020.RetrievedFebruary 7,2020.
  14. ^Andreeva, Nellie."Aasif Mandvi & Michael Ian Black Join New Fox Series 'Us & Them'".Deadline.Archivedfrom the original on August 26, 2013.RetrievedAugust 28,2013.
  15. ^Farley, Christopher John (October 26, 2013)."GOP's Don Yelton Resigns After 'Lazy Blacks' Remark on 'Daily Show'".Wall Street Journal.Archivedfrom the original on November 11, 2020.RetrievedMarch 5,2017.
  16. ^"Critically Acclaimed Climate Change Series" Years of Living Dangerously "Comes to Nat Geo".Archived fromthe originalon May 13, 2016.RetrievedJune 17,2016.
  17. ^Andreeva, Nellie (March 18, 2016)."Aasif Mandvi Cast In Netflix's 'A Series Of Unfortunate Events' & USA's 'Mr. Robot'".deadline.Deadline Hollywood.Archivedfrom the original on March 20, 2016.RetrievedFebruary 15,2017.
  18. ^Chaney, Jen (September 26, 2019)."Evil Is Smart, Scary, and Philosophical".Vulture.Vox Media, Inc.Archivedfrom the original on March 6, 2020.RetrievedFebruary 7,2020.
  19. ^"'The Show Has Gone In Such Unexpected Places': Aasif Mandvi On CBS's 'Evil'".CBS Boston.CBS Broadcasting Inc. January 30, 2020.Archivedfrom the original on February 7, 2020.RetrievedFebruary 7,2020.
  20. ^Priyanka Boghani (November 12, 2009)."New York City's Indian Film Festival: MIAAC".Huffington Post.Archivedfrom the original on April 12, 2012.RetrievedNovember 10,2009.
  21. ^Sciretta, Peter (November 30, 2009)."Ryan Fleck's It's Kind of a Funny Story Begins Production".Archived fromthe originalon March 6, 2010.RetrievedJune 12,2010.
  22. ^ "New role for 'Daily Show' reporter".MLive.May 9, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon October 4, 2012.
  23. ^"The Daily Show's Aasif Mandvi's Multicultural Wedding in Atlanta".brides.Archivedfrom the original on May 17, 2019.RetrievedMay 17,2019.
  24. ^Jordan, Julie."The Daily Show's Aasif Mandvi Is Married".People.Archivedfrom the original on March 27, 2018.RetrievedMarch 27,2018.
  25. ^Boucher, Ashley."Evil Star Aasif Mandvi and Wife Shaifali Puri Welcome Son".People.Archivedfrom the original on April 14, 2021.RetrievedMarch 31,2021.
  26. ^"Getting out of my own head".Meditative Story.Archivedfrom the original on February 26, 2021.RetrievedFebruary 14,2021.
  27. ^"Class Of 2019 Commencement Ceremonies Feature Hillary Clinton, Rep. John Lewis, N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James And Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez as Keynote Speakers".CUNY Newswire.Archivedfrom the original on August 2, 2019.RetrievedJune 11,2019.
  28. ^Fuerstenberg, Brittany."Aasif Mandvi: Comic Relief for Pakistan".MSNBC.Archivedfrom the original on January 19, 2024.RetrievedSeptember 26,2011.
  29. ^"Endometriosis Foundation of America: Celebrity Supporters".Look to the Stars.Archivedfrom the original on April 20, 2020.RetrievedMay 16,2019.
  30. ^"Blossom Ball 2011".Endometriosis Foundation of America.January 31, 2018.Archivedfrom the original on September 27, 2020.RetrievedMay 16,2019.
  31. ^"Comedian Aasif Mandvi attends the Endometriosis Foundation of..."Getty Images.September 2, 2011.Archivedfrom the original on June 10, 2022.RetrievedMay 16,2019.
  32. ^Falkner, Scott (December 22, 2014)."Lennon or McCartney? New Documentary Asks 550 Celebrities Their Preference — See Their Answers".Inquisitr.Archivedfrom the original on November 12, 2016.RetrievedNovember 11,2016.
  33. ^"Aasif Mandvi Will Write, Co-Produce and Co-Star in HBO Series" The Brink "".Playbill.Archived fromthe originalon June 6, 2014.RetrievedSeptember 2,2015.
  34. ^Nellie Andreeva (November 23, 2013)."Aasif Mandvi Joins HBO Pilot 'The Brink'; Katherine LaNasa In USA's Sean Jablonski - Deadline".Deadline.Archivedfrom the original on June 9, 2014.RetrievedSeptember 2,2015.
  35. ^The Hitlist Team (June 12, 2020)."AR Rahman to co-produce Nawazuddin Siddiqui's film, No Land's Man".Mid-Day.Mumbai:Mid-Day Infomedia, Jagran Prakashan Limited.Archivedfrom the original on August 23, 2020.RetrievedOctober 29,2020.
  36. ^Philipose, Rahel (April 5, 2019)."Nawazuddin to star in film version of novel 'No Land's Man'".Inshorts.Archivedfrom the original on October 29, 2020.RetrievedOctober 29,2020.

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