Maulik Pancholy

Early life and education

Pancholy was born in Dayton, Ohio, to Gujarati parents Gita Jayantilal and Navin Chimanlal Pancholy. He moved around while growing up, living in Ohio, Indiana, and Texas before his family settled in Tampa, Florida, where he attended junior high and high school at Berkeley Preparatory School. His family comes from Gujarat, and his grandparents lived in Ahmedabad. He is a 1991 graduate of the Berkeley Preparatory School in Tampa, and went on to major in theater at Northwestern University, where he received his bachelor's degree in 1995. He then attended the Yale School of Drama, where he received his Master of Fine Arts in 2003.

Career

Pancholy played the character of Jonathan on the award-winning NBC series 30 Rock, Sanjay Patel on Showtime's Weeds and Nickelodeon's Sanjay & Craig, Neal on the first season of NBC's Whitney, and voiced the character of Baljeet Tjinder on Disney's Phineas & Ferb. Additional television work includes guest roles on The Good Fight, The Good Wife, Elementary, Dynasty, Friends from College, Tracey Takes On..., The Sopranos, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and The Comeback.

On February 13, 2017, StarTrek.com stated that Pancholy will play Nambue, Chief Medical Officer of the USS Shenzhou in the upcoming TV series Star Trek: Discovery. His character appeared in the pilot episode, "The Vulcan Hello", which aired on September 24, 2017, and streamed on CBS's online service in America and Netflix abroad.

His stage credits in New York City include the Culture Project's production of Guantanamo: Honor Bound to Defend Freedom in 2004, a workshop of the play Morbidity & Mortality at the historic Cherry Lane Theatre in 2005, and the lead role in India Awaiting at the Samuel Beckett Theatre. In January 2015, he joined the cast of Terrence McNally's It's Only a Play, replacing Rupert Grint when the production's Broadway run was extended. Washington DC stage credits include Katherina in an all-male version of the Shakespeare Theatre Company's "The Taming of The Shrew" in 2016. He starred as 'Kevin' in the world premiere engagement of Ken Urban's The Remains at the Studio Theatre in 2018.

In 2019, Pancholy played 'Tommy' in Bess Wohl's Grand Horizons at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. It was announced that he will reprise the role in Second Stage's Broadway production of the play at the Helen Hayes Theater.

Personal life

Pancholy came out as gay in a November 2013 interview with Out in which he discussed his partner of nine years, chef and caterer Ryan Corvaia. They were engaged at the Taj Mahal in January 2014 and were married in September that year. Pancholy and Corvaia were among the invited guests at a state dinner President Joe Biden held for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Pancholy speaks English, Gujarati, and Spanish. He is also proficient in Hindi, which he speaks in the 30 Rock episode "Khonani".

Political activism

On April 25, 2014, Pancholy was named to President Barack Obama's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders as part of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. On February 25, 2017, Pancholy and nine other members of the commission resigned from their positions, citing administrative actions by President Donald Trump that they claimed went "against the commission's principles".

Pancholy is active with several non-profit and social policy organizations including Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Los Angeles, the New York City Anti-Violence Project, and OutRight Action International, formerly known as the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission.

Pancholy is the chair and co-founder of the anti-bullying nonprofit Act To Change. He helped launch the campaign during his time serving on President Obama's Advisory Commission. Act To Change was transitioned outside of the White House after the 2016 presidential election.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video Games

Stage

References

References

1. "The Best at It - Maulik Pancholy - Hardcover".
2. "Stonewall Book Awards List {{!}} Rainbow Roundtable".
3. Pancholy, Maulik. (2022). "Nikhil out loud".
4. "2023 Winners".
5. Schaub, Michael. (June 12, 2023). "2023 Lambda Literary Award Winners Are Revealed".
6. (October 10, 2014). "Angry Reader of the Week: Maulik Pancholy". Angry Asian Man.
7. "Rock Star: A Conversation with Maulik Pancholy". ABCD Lady.
8. "Maulik Pancholy - Biography". The Internet Movie Database.
9. Gregory Kirschling. (May 11, 2007). "Maulik Pancholy: You Might Know Me From...The 33-year-old".
10. "Maulik Pancholy". IMDb.
11. Schwindt, Oriana (February 13, 2017). "'Star Trek: Discovery' Adds Three More Starfleet Members". Variety. Archived from the original on February 14, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2017
12. Gordon, David.[http://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/news/martin-short-katie-finneran-maulik-pancholy-photos_71297.html "It's Only a Play's New Stars Martin Short, Katie Finneran, and Maulik Pancholy Meet the Press"] theatermania.com, January 13, 2015
13. BWW News Desk. "Williamstown Theatre Festival Announces Additional Casting; Ellen Barkin, Thomas Sadoski, and More".
14. Evans, Greg. (August 5, 2019). "Michael Urie, Thomas Sadoski, Maulik Pancholy Among Cast Of Broadway-Bound 'Grand Horizons'".
15. (November 11, 2013). "Out100: Maulik Pancholy". Out Magazine.
16. (September 28, 2014). "Maulik Pancholy Woke Up a Married Man". The Backlot.
17. (June 22, 2023). "White House Releases State Dinner Guest List".
18. (August 4, 2011). "That Khonani brings it out of me".
19. Garcia, Michelle. (April 27, 2014). "Out Actor Maulik Pancholy Named to White House Commission".
20. Withers, James. (April 27, 2014). "Out actor Maulik Pancholy appointed to White House advisory commission". [[Gay Star News]].
21. . (April 24, 2014). ["President Obama Announces his Intent to Appoint Fourteen Individuals to the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders"](https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/04/24/president-obama-announces-his-intent-appoint-fourteen-individuals-presid). *The White House*.
22. Lee, Traci G.. (February 16, 2017). "10 Resign from President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders". [[NBC News]].
23. Hughes, William. (February 18, 2017). "''30 Rock'''s Maulik Pancholy just quit a presidential commission because of Donald Trump". [[Onion, Inc.]].
24. (December 5, 2018). "Act to Change {{!}}".
25. Sabrina Siddiqui. (November 11, 2010). "30 Rock & Weeds Star on Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey and Shattering Stereotypes". Divanee.
26. (28 July 2025). "Stan Zimmerman's Right Before I Go Is Getting a 4-Performance Off-Broadway Run for Suicide Prevention Month". Playbill.