Aasif Mandvi
Born 1966 · Age 59
British–American actor, comedian and writer known as Aasif Mandvi; longtime Daily Show correspondent (2006–2017); stage, film and TV actor; author of No Land's Man.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Bombay (Mumbai), India
Born Aasif Hakim Mandviwala in Bombay (Mumbai), Maharashtra, India, into a Gujarati Muslim Dawoodi Bohra family.
Family moved to England (settled in Bradford)
Family relocated to England when he was one year old; they settled in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Father came initially for textiles research at Bradford University.
Family emigrated to United States (Tampa, Florida)
In the early 1980s (when Mandvi was 16), his father grew frustrated with UK politics and the family moved to Tampa, Florida.
Graduated Chamberlain High School (Tampa)
Graduated from Chamberlain High School in Hillsborough County, Florida (class yearbook entry 1984).
Performer at Disney-MGM and Universal Studios Florida
Worked as a performer at Disney-MGM Studios at Walt Disney World Resort and at Universal Studios Florida after finishing university.
Graduated University of South Florida (BA, Theatre)
Completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre at the University of South Florida (approx. graduation year inferred from timeline).
Television debut on Miami Vice
First TV credit: small role as a doorman in the Miami Vice episode "Line of Fire."
Moved to New York City to pursue theater
Relocated to New York City to work in Off-Broadway and stage productions (date approximate, after initial regional theme-park work and early TV appearances).
Active in band 'Cowboys and Indian'
Was active as a member of the band Cowboys and Indian while establishing himself in NYC theater (approximate period: late 1980s–1990s).
Film role in Die Hard with a Vengeance
Appeared in the major motion picture Die Hard with a Vengeance (small role: Arab cabbie).
Performed and later won Obie Award for Sakina's Restaurant (approx.)
Wrote and performed the one-man show Sakina's Restaurant, which received critical acclaim and an Obie Award (late 1990s; exact award year not specified in source).
Starred in The Siege (film credit)
Appeared in the political thriller The Siege (credited role).
Film role in Analyze This
Played the doctor who diagnoses Robert De Niro's panic attacks in Analyze This.
Supporting role in American Chai
Major supporting role as Engineering Sam in the independent film American Chai.
Broadway: Ali Hakim in Oklahoma!
Appeared on Broadway as Ali Hakim in the 2002 Trevor Nunn–directed revival of Oklahoma!.
Film role: Mr. Aziz in Spider-Man 2
Played Mr. Aziz (owner of Joe's Pizza) in the major blockbuster Spider-Man 2.
First appearance on The Daily Show
Made his first appearance as a contributing correspondent (senior Middle East correspondent) on Comedy Central's The Daily Show; began recurring appearances in 2006.
Regular Daily Show correspondent (promotion)
Promoted to regular correspondent on The Daily Show in 2007 and became widely known for satirical segments about Islamic, Middle-Eastern and South Asian issues.
Tapped to join The Daily Show news team (press release)
Comedy Central issued a press release naming Mandvi to the Daily Show news team; he was hired and became a regular correspondent in 2007.
Film role in Ghost Town (dentist)
Appeared as a dentist opposite Ricky Gervais in the romantic comedy Ghost Town.
Co-wrote and starred in Today's Special; festival premieres
Co-wrote Today's Special with Jonathan Bines; film premiered at the London Film Festival (October 2009) and at New York's Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival on 11 November 2009.
Major film role: Commander Zhao in The Last Airbender
Played Commander Zhao in M. Night Shyamalan's feature The Last Airbender (released 2010).
Film appearances including Margin Call and Dark Horse
Appeared in critically noted films such as Margin Call (2011) and others during this period.
Starred as Amir in Disgraced (Lincoln Center)
Starred in Ayad Akhtar's Disgraced at Lincoln Center's Claire Tow Theater as Amir, the Pakistani-American lawyer lead.
Nominated for Lucille Lortel Award for Disgraced performance
Mandvi received a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for his performance in Disgraced (nomination year referenced by sources).
Disgraced wins Pulitzer Prize for Drama
The play Disgraced (in which Mandvi starred) won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Cast in FOX series Us & Them (recurring)
Cast in a recurring role on the FOX romantic comedy Us & Them in 2013.
Daily Show interview leads to resignation of NC GOP official Don Yelton
During an October 2013 segment on The Daily Show, Mandvi interviewed Don Yelton; comments filmed in the interview led to Yelton's resignation after it aired.
Published book: No Land's Man
Published No Land's Man (Chronicle Books) — a book later adapted into a film project.
Appeared in The Internship and Million Dollar Arm
Played Mr. Chetty in The Internship (2013) and Ash Vasudevan in Million Dollar Arm (2014).
Lead actor/co-writer/producer of web series Halal in the Family (Funny or Die)
Co-wrote, produced and starred in the satirical web series Halal in the Family, which premiered on Funny or Die in 2015 to address Islamophobia.
Guest appearance on Person of Interest
Appeared as Sulaiman Khan, CEO of a software security firm, in Person of Interest (April 2015).
Joined HBO series The Brink (Rafiq Massoud)
Portrayed Rafiq Massoud on HBO's The Brink beginning June 2015; also credited as a producer and writer on the series.
Correspondent on Years of Living Dangerously (climate doc series)
Joined the climate-change documentary series Years of Living Dangerously as a celebrity correspondent in 2016.
Appeared in A Series of Unfortunate Events (3 episodes)
Portrayed Montgomery "Uncle Monty" Montgomery in three episodes of Netflix's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2017).
Married Shaifali Puri
Married girlfriend of three years, Shaifali Puri, an author and humanitarian, at The Fox Theatre in Atlanta, GA.
Appeared in documentary The Problem with Apu (as himself)
Appeared in the documentary The Problem with Apu; participated in cultural conversations around representation.
Cast as Ben Shakir in CBS series Evil
Joined the main cast of Robert and Michelle King's supernatural drama Evil on CBS (role: Ben Shakir), a multi-season recurring/main role (2019–2024).
Awarded Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by Macaulay Honors College
Received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Macaulay Honors College after delivering the commencement speech.
Became a father (son born)
Aasif Mandvi and Shaifali Puri welcomed one son (born in 2020).
Publicly shared diagnosis of chronic tinnitus (interviews)
Has been diagnosed with chronic tinnitus and has discussed it in interviews and public talks (date of diagnosis not specified).
Voice role in Marvel's Wastelanders: Star-Lord (audio)
Provided voice acting (Rattlesnake Pete) in the 2021 audio series Marvel's Wastelanders: Star-Lord.
Film and voice work continue (Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank)
Credited voice roles and film appearances continue, including voice work in Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank (2022).
Voice role in The Magician's Elephant (2023)
Provided a voice role (The King) in the 2023 animated film The Magician's Elephant.
Recognized by Asia Society (profiled as Game Changer)
Profiled by Asia Society for using comedy to challenge perceptions and for advocacy work; linked with Asia Game Changers programming (exact award year not specified).
Estimated net worth circa 2024
Publicly available aggregated profiles estimate Mandvi's net worth in the ballpark of roughly $3M as of 2024.
Key Achievement Ages
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