AASIF MANDVI

(Ben Shakir in EVIL)

Aasif Mandvi stars as Ben Shakir on EVIL, which returns this June for its second season on Paramount+. Widely known for his work as a correspondent on the Emmy Award-winning “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” Mandvi got his start in New York theater. Along with his acting teacher, Wynn Handman, he developed and created his critically acclaimed one-man show, “Sakina’s Restaurant,” for which he won an Obie Award.

Mandvi has a recurring role on the UK series THIS WAY UP with Aisling Bea which is available on Hulu. He also lends his voice to the character of Sahil on Disney’s MIRA, ROYAL DETECTIVE, currently in season 2.

Mandvi made his roots in New York theater under the tutelage of the pre-eminent acting teacher Wynn Handman with whom he was able to develop and create his critically acclaimed one-man show SAKINA’S RESTAURANT which made its premiere at the American Place Theater and earned him an Obie Award. He recently revived this production at the Minetta Lane Theatre, directed by Kimberly Senior and produced by Audible. Mandvi received the 2019 United Solo Special Award, which honors outstanding solo performers.

Mandvi received rave reviews for originating the role of Amir Kapoor in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Disgraced” at Lincoln Center. Additional stage credits include the Broadway revival of “Oklahoma,” “Suburbia” and “Brigadoon.”

His feature film credits include “Drunk Parents,” “Mother’s Day,” “Million Dollar Arm,” “The Internship,” “It’s Kind of a Funny Story,” “The Proposal,” “Ghost Town,” “Music and Lyrics,” “Spider-Man 2,” “Analyze This” and “The Siege,” among many others. Also, he co-wrote and starred in “Today’s Special,” which premiered at the London Film Festival and won the Audience Award at the Palm Springs Film Festival.

His television credits include “Blue Bloods” on CBS,“Younger,” “A Series of Unfortunate Events” and “Shut Eye,” among others. Also, he was a host on National Geographic’s “Years of Living Dangerously,” which addressed climate change, and he wrote, produced and starred in “The Brink” on HBO.

Online, Mandvi co-created and starred in the Peabody Award-winning web series “Halal in the Family,” which addressed Islamophobia through parody and satire and garnered over 500 million media impressions within days upon launch.

In addition, Mandvi is an author of a collection of personal stories, No Land’s Man, for Chronicle Books, and in September 2019 he launched the podcast LOST AT THE SMITHSONIAN, where he gets up close and personal with 10 of the most culturally significant artifacts of Americana at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

Aside from his art, Mandvi works closely with the ACLU defending individual rights and liberties including the Deportation Jamboree that he hosted and produced.

Mandvi was born in Bombay, Maharashtra, India, and grew up in Bradford, England, and Tampa, Fla. He is a graduate from University of South Florida, where he majored in theater. His birthday is March 5. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @aasif.