Portrait of Kumail Nanjiani

Birthday profile

Kumail Nanjiani

Kumail Nanjiani, Pakistani-American actor, stand-up comedian, and screenwriter

Born
May 2, 1978
Age in 2026
48
Zodiac sign
Taurus
Birth year
1978

About Kumail Nanjiani

Kumail Ali Nanjiani (born May 2, 1978) is a Pakistani and American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter. His accolades include a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, and two Emmy Awards. In 2018, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Nanjiani's breakthrough role came with his role as Dinesh in the HBO comedy series Silicon Valley (2014–2019). He is also known for his performances in the TNT series Franklin & Bash, the Adult Swim series Newsreaders, the comedy series Portlandia, the Disney+ miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi, the series The Boys, and the Peacock series Poker Face. His voice acting roles include Prismo on the animated series Adventure Time. He also co-hosted the Comedy Central show The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail. In 2019, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in The Twilight Zone. In 2023, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for his work in the miniseries Welcome to Chippendales. Nanjiani achieved wider recognition for co-writing and starring in the romantic comedy film The Big Sick (2017), which earned him and his wife Emily V. Gordon a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. He also starred as Kingo in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) superhero film Eternals, which he reprised the role of in the animated anthology series What If...? In 2019, Nanjiani headlined the first episode of the CBS All Access revival of the anthology series The Twilight Zone. Nanjiani stated, "I play an alien so you won't see my face but you'll hear my voice, I'm a little alien frog/lizard... thing." Nanjiani also stars in the action comedy film Stuber, released on July 12. In January 2026, Nanjiani was announced as a contestant on the twenty-first series of Taskmaster.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Kumail Nanjiani timeline

  1. In 2019, Nanjiani headlined the first episode of the CBS All Access revival of the anthology series The Twilight Zone.
  2. In January 2026, Nanjiani was announced as a contestant on the twenty-first series of Taskmaster.

The world when Kumail Nanjiani was born

Kumail Nanjiani was born in 1978. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1978

  • #1 song"Shadow Dancing" – Andy Gibb
  • Top movieThe Deer Hunter
  • Top TV showLaverne & Shirley
  • Best-selling bookThe World According to Garp – John Irving

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentMuhammad Ali wins heavyweight title for the third time
  • Top headlineCamp David Accords — Egypt and Israel sign peace agreement
  • Technology milestoneFirst spam email sent
  • Defining fadDisco and Saturday Night Fever
  • Notable inventionGarfield comic strip debuts
  • World population4.30 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderJimmy Carter
  • Sports championNew York Yankees (World Series)
  • Also wonWashington Bullets (NBA)
  • U.S. population222.6M

1978 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Kumail Nanjiani's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19782026
Gas$0.63$3.45/gal
Average home$55,700$435,000
Average income$17,730$67,500
Minimum wage$2.65$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$2.34$11.95
Postage stamp$0.15$0.73
Population222.6M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, IMDb. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.