Kumail Nanjiani

Pakistani-born actor-comedian Kumail Nanjiani honed his skills in Chicago doing stand-up and in his one-man show, Unpronounceable. A make-it-or-break-it move to New York led to opening slots for Zach Galifianakis and Eugene Mirman, appearances on most of the late-night talk shows, and a job as a writer and actor on Comedy Central’s short-lived Michael And Michael Have Issues. When the latter crapped out, the dejected Nanjiani moved to L.A. and went full Hollywood. While a pilot development deal with NBC didn’t pan out, Nanjiani’s eccentric enthusiasm for the mundane (think cheese and Dr. Who) earned him champions within the industry and a spot on the TNT lawyer comedy Franklin And Bash.

Updated 11/02/2011