Kumail Nanjiani

Kumail Ali Nanjiani (born May 2, 1978) is a Pakistani and American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter. His accolades include a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, and two Emmy Awards. In 2018, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Nanjiani's breakthrough role came with his role as Dinesh in the HBO comedy series Silicon Valley (2014–2019). He is also known for his performances in the TNT series Franklin & Bash, the Adult Swim series Newsreaders, the comedy series Portlandia, the Disney+ miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi, the series The Boys, and the Peacock series Poker Face. His voice acting roles include Prismo on the animated series Adventure Time. He also co-hosted the Comedy Central show The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail. In 2019, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in The Twilight Zone. In 2023, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for his work in the miniseries Welcome to Chippendales.

Nanjiani achieved wider recognition for co-writing and starring in the romantic comedy film The Big Sick (2017), which earned him and his wife Emily V. Gordon a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. He also starred as Kingo in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) superhero film Eternals, which he reprised the role of in the animated anthology series What If...?