Aziz Ansari

Aziz Ismail Ansari (born February 23, 1983) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for playing Tom Haverford on the NBC comedy series Parks and Recreation (2009–2015) and for creating, starring in, writing, and directing the Netflix series Master of None (2015–2021). For Master of None, he won two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award, making him the first Asian American actor to win a Golden Globe for acting on television.

Ansari was born in Columbia, South Carolina, to Tamil Muslim immigrants from Tamil Nadu, India, and grew up in Bennettsville, South Carolina. His mother is an obstetrician and gynecologist, and his father is a gastroenterologist. After skipping the first and second grades, he attended Marlboro Academy and the South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics. In 2004, he graduated from New York University's Stern School of Business with a degree in marketing.

Ansari began performing comedy in New York City in 2000 while attending NYU. He performed at venues like the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and won the Jury Award for "Best Standup" at HBO's 2006 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival. In mid-2006, MTV greenlit Human Giant, a sketch comedy series he co-created and starred in, which debuted in April 2007 and ran for two seasons.

In 2008, Ansari became the first cast member hired for Parks and Recreation, portraying Tom Haverford across seven seasons. During this period, he appeared in films including Funny People, I Love You, Man, Observe and Report, Get Him to the Greek, 30 Minutes or Less, and This Is the End. He also held roles in television series such as Scrubs, Flight of the Conchords, and Bob's Burgers, and hosted Saturday Night Live in January 2017.

In 2015, Ansari co-created and starred as Dev Shah in Master of None. The show received critical praise, a 2016 Peabody Award, and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for Ansari and co-creator Alan Yang. In 2018, Ansari won a Golden Globe Award for his lead role in the series. He later wrote and directed the 2021 installment Master of None Presents: Moments in Love.

As a touring stand-up comedian, Ansari released several specials, including Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening (2010), Buried Alive (2013), and Live at Madison Square Garden (2015). His 2019 special, Aziz Ansari: Right Now, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album, followed by Aziz Ansari: Nightclub Comedian in 2022. He also co-authored the 2015 book Modern Romance: An Investigation with Eric Klinenberg.

In addition to comedy, Ansari ventured into feature film directing with projects such as Being Mortal and Good Fortune. In June 2022, he married Danish forensic data scientist Serena Skov Campbell in Tuscany, Italy, and the couple lives in London.