Aziz Ansari facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Aziz Ansari
Ansari in 2012
Birth name	Aziz Ismail Ansari
Born	(1983-02-23) February 23, 1983 (age 42) Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up television film books
Alma mater	New York University (BBA)
Years active	2004–present
Genres	Observational comedy sketch comedy surreal humor satire
Subject(s)	Indian culture everyday life current events popular culture human interaction racism self-deprecation
Spouse	Serena Skov Campbell ​ (m. 2022)​

Aziz Ismail Ansari (/ɑːnˈsɑːri/ ahn-sar-ee; born February 23, 1983) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is well-known for playing Tom Haverford on the NBC show Parks and Recreation (2009–2015). He also created and starred in the Netflix series Master of None (2015–2021). For his work on Master of None, he won several awards. These include two Emmys and a Golden Globe. He was the first Asian American actor to win a Golden Globe for acting on television.

Ansari started doing comedy in New York City in 2000. At that time, he was a student at NYU Stern. Later, he helped create and starred in the MTV sketch comedy show Human Giant. After that, he acted in several movies. From 2009 to 2015, Ansari played Tom Haverford in the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation. In 2015, Ansari co-created and starred in the first two seasons of Netflix's popular series Master of None. He also worked as a writer and director for the show.

As a stand-up comedian, Ansari released his first comedy special, Intimate Moments for a ... Evening, in January 2010. It was released on Comedy Central Records. He still performs stand-up comedy on tour and on Netflix. His first book, Modern Romance: An Investigation, came out in June 2015. In 2016, he was named one of the Time 100 most influential people. In July 2019, Ansari released his fifth comedy special Aziz Ansari: Right Now. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album. In 2021, Netflix released Master of None Presents: Moments in Love, which Ansari wrote and directed. In 2022, he released another comedy special, Aziz Ansari: Nightclub Comedian, on Netflix.

Early Life and Education

Aziz Ansari was born on February 23, 1983, in Columbia, South Carolina. His parents were Tamil Muslim immigrants from Tamil Nadu in Southern India. Ansari himself says he is not religious. He has a younger brother named Aniz Adam Ansari. Aniz is also a writer and helped write an episode of Master of None with Aziz.

Ansari grew up in Bennettsville, South Carolina. He went to Marlboro Academy and the South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics. In 2004, he graduated from the New York University Stern School of Business. He earned a Bachelor of Business degree in marketing. His mother, Fatima, is a doctor who specializes in women's health. His father, Shoukath, is a doctor who treats stomach and gut problems. Both of his parents appeared in the first two seasons of Master of None.

Career Highlights

Early Comedy Work

Ansari often performed at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. He also did weekly shows like Invite Them Up. In 2005, Rolling Stone magazine called him a "Hot Standup" on their annual "Hot List." In 2006, he won the Jury Award for "Best Standup" at HBO's U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado.

Human Giant Sketch Show

Around 2005, Ansari started working with comedians Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer. They also worked with director Jason Woliner to make short films. Their first series was Shutterbugs, about child talent agents. Then came Illusionators, where Ansari and Scheer played Criss Angel-style magicians.

In mid-2006, MTV decided to make Human Giant, a sketch comedy series from the group. It first aired on April 5, 2007. The show ran for two seasons. The group was offered a third season but chose to do other projects. Ansari was offered the role of Tom Haverford on Parks and Recreation. Since they wrote everything together, they decided it was best to move on as friends.

Starring in Parks and Recreation

In June 2008, Ansari was the first actor announced for NBC's comedy Parks and Recreation. The show started in April 2009. Ansari played one of the main characters, Tom Haverford, for all seven seasons. Critics praised Ansari's acting. Entertainment Weekly, TV Guide, and Yahoo! TV all gave him high praise. Yahoo! TV even put him at No. 1 on its list of "TV MVPS."

Creating Master of None

In November 2015, Ansari began starring as Dev Shah in the Netflix series Master of None. He created and wrote the show with Alan Yang, who also worked on Parks and Recreation. James Poniewozik of The New York Times called it "the year's best comedy." He also praised how the show mixed different styles. The show first ran for two seasons.

Work on a third season began in London in early 2020. However, it was paused because of the COVID-19 pandemic. By January 2021, production was ready to start again. Naomi Ackie joined the cast for the new season. The third season was released on May 23, 2021.

Ansari's acting in Master of None earned him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy. The series received four Emmy nominations in 2016. These included Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for Ansari and Yang. Ansari also received nominations for Outstanding Directing and Outstanding Lead Actor. Yang and Ansari won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for the episode "Parents." They also received a Peabody Award in May 2016 for the series.

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.

Other TV Appearances

Aziz Ansari at the 71st Annual Peabody Awards Luncheon in 2012

Besides Parks and Recreation, Ansari appeared on the HBO series Flight of the Conchords. He played a fruit seller. He also had a recurring role in season eight of the ABC sitcom Scrubs. He played Ed, a new intern at the hospital. Ansari's character left the show so he could work on Parks and Recreation. Ansari also has a recurring voice role on the animated comedy Bob's Burgers as Darryl.

In August 2011, Ansari made a brief appearance in the music video for "Otis" by Jay-Z and Kanye West.

Ansari hosted the January 21, 2017, episode of Saturday Night Live. He was the first person of Indian origin to host the show.

Film Roles

Ansari has appeared in several movies. These include Get Him to the Greek, I Love You, Man, 30 Minutes or Less, This Is the End, and Observe and Report. In 2009, Ansari was in the Judd Apatow film Funny People. Apatow liked Ansari's character, "Randy." He asked Ansari and Human Giant collaborator Jason Woliner to create online videos about Randy to promote the film. These videos were popular.

Ansari was set to star in a film with Danny McBride. In April 2010, it was announced that Ansari would star in 30 Minutes or Less. The film was directed by Ruben Fleischer and also starred Jesse Eisenberg and McBride. It was released on August 12, 2011.

Stand-up Comedy Tours

Aziz Ansari at the 2012 Time 100 gala.

Ansari travels around performing as a stand-up comedian. In 2006 and 2007, he toured with the Comedians of Comedy and Flight of the Conchords. In late 2008 and early 2009, his own comedy tour, the Glow in the Dark Tour, became a DVD/CD special for Comedy Central. The special, called Intimate Moments for a ... Evening, aired on January 17, 2010.

Ansari's comedy often focuses on his own life. He says, "I like talking about things that are going on in my life, because that's always going to be different and original. No one else is gonna be talking about my personal experiences."

In July 2010, Ansari started a new tour called Dangerously Delicious. He performed in theaters across the United States. This included the Bonnaroo Music Festival and Carnegie Hall in New York City. The tour ended with a filming for a special, Dangerously Delicious, in Washington, D.C., in June 2011. This special was released on his website in March 2012 for download or streaming.

In March 2012, Ansari announced a new tour called "Buried Alive." A third stand-up special, Aziz Ansari: Buried Alive, was filmed during this tour. It premiered on Netflix on November 1, 2013. His 2015 special, Aziz Ansari: Live at Madison Square Garden, also premiered on Netflix.

In February 2019, Ansari began a new stand-up tour called The Road to Nowhere. This was his public return after a break in 2018. The show talked about what happened that year. His next comedy special Aziz Ansari: Right Now was released on July 9, 2019. This was followed by Aziz Ansari: Nightclub Comedian, released on January 25, 2022.

In May 2019, Ansari performed three shows with Dave Chappelle in Austin, Texas.

Writing and Directing

Ansari's book, Modern Romance: An Investigation, was released on June 16, 2015. The book is about the funny challenges of dating in today's world. He wrote it with sociologist Eric Klinenberg.

In February 2022, Ansari was set to direct his first feature film. It was a dramedy called Being Mortal. It was to star Bill Murray, Keke Palmer, and Seth Rogen. The film is based on a non-fiction book by surgeon Atul Gawande. In April 2022, filming for Being Mortal stopped due to a complaint about behavior on set.

Ansari's second directing project, Good Fortune, was scheduled to begin filming in May 2023. However, it was delayed due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. The film was written and is being directed by Ansari. He also stars in it alongside Keanu Reeves, Seth Rogen, and Keke Palmer. In January 2024, it was reported that filming for Good Fortune had begun.

Personal Life

Ansari was raised as a Muslim, but he has said he is "not religious."

In 2014, he said he was a feminist. He mentioned his girlfriend helped him understand more about it. Ansari also included an episode about feminism called "Ladies and Gentlemen" in Master of None. In 2015, he spoke about the episode's importance to him. He said, "What I've learned, as a guy, is to just ask women questions and listen to what they have to say."

Ansari, Eric Wareheim, and Jason Woliner formed "The Food Club." They dress up in suits and captain hats. They give "Food Club" plaques to restaurants they like. The plaques have their faces on them and say, "The Food Club has dined here and deemed it plaque-worthy." Ansari explained that restaurants put the plaques front and center.

Ansari was a close friend of comedian Harris Wittels. They often worked together. Wittels was also going to star in Master of None before he passed away. His role was later taken by Wareheim.

In 2018, Ansari bought an apartment in Tribeca, Downtown Manhattan. It had been owned by hockey player Ryan McDonagh. In 2021, it was reported that Ansari was engaged to Serena Skov Campbell, a Danish forensic data scientist. In June 2022, Ansari and Campbell got married in Tuscany, Italy.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music Videos

Discography

• Intimate Moments for a ... Evening (Comedy Central Records, 2010)
• Dangerously Delicious (Comedy Central Records, 2012)
• Buried Alive (Comedy Central Records, 2015)

Stand-up Specials

• Intimate Moments for a ... Evening (released on Comedy Central and DVD, 2010)
• Aziz Ansari: Dangerously Delicious (released on Aziz's Website, 2012)
• Aziz Ansari: Buried Alive (released on Netflix, 2013)
• Aziz Ansari: Live at Madison Square Garden (released on Netflix, 2015)
• Aziz Ansari: Right Now (released on Netflix, 2019)
• Aziz Ansari: Nightclub Comedian (released on Netflix, 2022)

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Aziz Ansari para niños