Nasim Pedrad

Biography

Nasim Pedrad is an American actress and comedian best known for her five seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2009 to 2014. She has since gone on to co-star in sitcoms such as Mulaney, People of Earth, and New Girl, and the live-action remake of Aladdin.

Pedrad was born in Tehran, Iran. Her parents are Arasteh Amani and Parviz Pedrad. Although her father was able to migrate to the United States, Pedrad and her mother had to stay in Germany, reuniting with her father when she was 3 years old. Her younger sister, Nina, is a comedy writer. They are both fluent in Farsi, were raised in Irvine, California, and graduated from University High School. Nasim graduated from UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in 2003.

Pedrad joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 2009 as part of the 35th (2009–2010) season. Pedrad is one of a handful of cast members born outside North America (joining Italian-born Tony Rosato, New Zealand-born Pamela Stephenson, English-born Morwenna Banks, Chilean-born Horatio Sanz, and Australian-born Bowen Yang). Pedrad became a repertory player in the 2011–12 season after two years of being a featured player. Pedrad left SNL in 2014 to work on Mulaney.