Aziz Ansari

Some Lesser Known Facts About Aziz Ansari

• Aziz Ansari is an American actor and a stand-up comedian of Indian origin. He is the first actor of Indian descent to win the Golden Globe Award in the Best Actor category in a TV Series. He is known for creating the Netflix series “Master of None.”

• In 2000, Ansari started doing stand-up comedy while he was a student at NYU Stern. In 2006-2007, he went on his first tour of live stand-up comedy with the “Comedians of Comedy,” a stand-up comedy tour with comedians whose performances are captured on film or television, and the “Flight of the Conchords,” a two-man band from New Zealand.

• In 2009, he went on his first solo comedy tour titled ‘Glow in the Dark.’ One of his standup specials titled ‘Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening’ aired on Comedy Central on 17 January 2010, It was later made a DVD/CD special for Comedy Central since it attracted a huge audience. Ansari went on a tour named “Dangerously Delicious” in July 2010 during which he gave performances at numerous theatres, music festivals, and concerts across the United States. In 2011, he completed his tour by filming a special at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C., which was made available in 2012 exclusively on his own website.

• In March 2012, Ansari went on a new tour called “Buried Alive” during which he also shot his third special, ‘Aziz Ansari: Buried Alive,’ at the Merriam Theater in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which premiered on Netflix on 1 November 2013. In 2015, his other special titled ‘Aziz Ansari: Live at Madison Square Garden’ premiered on Netflix.
  

• In May 2019, Ansari worked in collaboration with Dave Chappelle for three of his shows at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas.

• In 2019, he went on a new tour titled “The Road to Nowhere,” which was inspired by his personal experiences from the previous year and addressed subjects like sexual misconduct and cultural appropriation.  He then released his comedy specials ‘Aziz Ansari: Right Now’ and ‘Aziz Ansari: Nightclub Comedian’ in 2019 and 2022 respectively.

• Aziz Ansari started his acting career as a theatre artist. In his initial career phase, he was often seen performing at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, an American improv theatre company and training centre. It was there that he initiated partnerships with fellow comedians Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer, as well as director Jason Woliner, to produce short films. The first series crafted by Aziz Ansari and Rob Huebel, titled ‘Shutterbugs,’ premiered in 2005, and featured performances by Ansari, Huebel, and Scheer.

• In 2007, Aziz Ansari starred in the series ‘Human Giant’ along with Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer, which continued for two seasons. The group was then offered to continue for a third season of the show, but they declined to take on the offer in order to pursue other options.

  

• In 2007, he made an appearance in the HBO series ‘Flight of the Conchords.’ By June 2008, he secured a role in the television series ‘Parks and Recreation,’ becoming one of the main characters throughout all seven seasons of the show.

• In 2015, Ansari portrayed the character Dev Shah in the Netflix series ‘Master of None.’ He not only starred in the series but also co-created it alongside Alan Yang, who had previously worked as a writer on ‘Parks and Recreation.’ Aziz’s younger brother co-wrote an episode of Master of None with him. The New York Times’s James Poniewozik hailed the show as “the year’s best comedy straight out of the gate” in one of his articles.

• Aziz Ansari has appeared in various films such as Funny People (2008), Observe and Report (2009), Get Him to the Greek (2010), 30 Minutes or Less (2011), and This Is the End (2013). He also appeared in a documentary titled ‘The Problem with Apu’ in 2017.

• He was one of the voice-over artists of an animated sitcom, Bob’s Burgers (2011).

• In 2011, Ansari made a brief appearance in the music video of the song “Otis” by Jay-Z and Kanye West.
  

• According to Aziz, he is a feminist and speaks on the topic from time to time. ^[4]The Guardian

• In 2016, Aziz Ansari authored a book titled ‘Modern Romance: An Investigation’ in collaboration with the sociologist Eric Klinenberg. The book talks about the changes in the meaning of romance over the preceding decade and explores the shift in dating dynamics over time.

• In 2016, Aziz Ansari was recognized for his influence and achievements by being included in the Time 100 list of the most influential people. ^[5]Time 100

• In January 2017, Aziz Ansari made history by hosting an episode of Saturday Night Live, becoming the first person of Indian descent to do so.

• In 2018, Aziz Ansari made history by becoming the first Asian actor to win a Golden Globe Award in the category of Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy category for his role in ‘Master of None.’

• Aziz Ansari has formed a group called The Food Club along with his two friends, Eric Wareheim, and Jason Woliner, and has also developed it into a web series titled ‘Food Club’ that is centred around their culinary adventures. As a member of this club, they dress up and go out to explore new dining spots. They commemorate all the spots they ate at and enjoyed the food with a plaque bearing their gold-inscribed faces, signalling that “The Food Club has dined here and deemed it plaque-worthy.” ^[6]Vanity Fair

  

• In 2022, Ansari was set to make his directorial debut with the film “Being Mortal,” which would star Bill Murray, Keke Palmer, and Seth Rogen, but its production stopped indefinitely due to some differences between Ansari and Murray.

• In the show ‘Master of None,’ Aziz Ansari’s real-life parents portrayed the roles of his character’s parents on screen.