Kumail Nanjiani ’01 to be 2017 Commencement Speaker
Dec 14, 2016
Learn all the things (more than you ever wanted to know) about Nanjiani, "the new Mr. Right," in the New York Time's "Is the New Mr. Right an Immigrant Rom-Com Hero?"
Los Angeles-based writer, actor, and comedian Kumail Nanjiani ’01 will be Grinnell's Commencement speaker on May 22, 2017.
Nanjiani's comedy special Beta Male made the "best of 2013" lists for Vulture, Village Voice, and the Onion AV Club. It was also chosen best comedy special of the year by Entertainment Weekly.
He's a recurring character on Portlandia, AdventureTime, and The Grinder, among others. He appears often in feature films, including Hell Baby, Sex Tape, Hello My Name is Doris, The Kings of Summer, and Five Year Engagement. Nanjiani currently plays the role of Dinesh on HBO's Silicon Valley.
A native of Pakistan, the computer science major got his comedic start at Grinnell's Bob's Underground Café.