ALY MAWJI
sag-aftra | actor’s equity
“Painfully shy as a kid, I finally found my voice in an improv class at 13.”
“I was unhappy and felt empty…I decided ‘No regrets’ would be my motto in life. I packed what I could into a hockey bag and moved to NYC.”
“I somehow convinced my wife that climbing Mount Kilimanjaro…would be a romantic getaway.”
My ethnicity is Indian.
My family’s from East Africa.
I was born in Iowa.
Raised in Canada, fluent in French.
Yeah, I know — crazy. I’m a true Global Citizen.
It’s given me an ear for languages, a love for travel and culture, and a unique perspective on what “belonging” really means.
Painfully shy as a kid, I finally found my voice in an improv class at 13. It was my calling. And in high school, I got a chance to live my dream as a lead in the Fox Television pilot Changes (a 90210 for junior high kids).
I didn’t have the confidence or support from my parents to pursue my dreams, so I took a little detour and studied Computer Engineering in college (who you calling a stereotype??).
During my studies, I started a weekly party at a rundown motel, introducing Hip-Hop and Dancehall Reggae to the sleepy college town (ironically named Kingston). But I regretted not honoring my calling; I was unhappy and felt empty.
After graduating, I decided “No regrets” would be my motto in life. I packed what I could into a hockey bag (a lot, surprisingly) and moved to NYC. One of my first roles there was in the Fringe Festival, winning the Audience Favorite Award and a full production at Henry Street Settlement on the Lower East Side.
More roles in productions and readings followed at The Cherry Lane Theatre, Theater for the New City, Target Margin, The Lark, and Ma-Yi.
To further my craft, I chose CalArts to pursue my MFA in Acting. A multi-disciplinary arts school, I was seduced by the opportunities for cross-pollination.
Some of my favorite roles since graduating are Suresh in the West Coast Premiere of Rajiv Joseph‘s Animals Out of Paper at the SF Playhouse (Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy nomination), and VP in Kris Diaz‘s The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity at the Dallas Theatre Center.
Based in Los Angeles, I’m most recognized for my role on HBO’s Silicon Valley (seasons 1-3), helmed by Mike Judge and Alec Berg. I’ve done readings with the Sundance Institute, The Pasadena Playhouse, EST, and am a member of Circle X Theatre Company.
Off screen, I’ve been involved with non-profits Unusual Suspects, BookPALS, and Young Storytellers. I’m a nationally certified personal trainer and enjoy making music, writing, painting and traveling. In 2005, I traveled to Thailand with an NGO to help rebuild a small town called Khao Lak after the Tsunami. I made my first trip to India (the Motherland!) in 2009. But the trip I’m most proud of is my honeymoon to Tanzania; I somehow convinced my wife that climbing Mount Kilimanjaro (elev. 19,341′) would be a romantic getaway. We successfully summited (ahem!), are happily married, and now have a little boy.
If you have a project you’d like me to be a part of, contact me.
Television
CHANGES (pilot) | series regular | FOX / John Binkley |
SILICON VALLEY (seasons 1-3) | recurring guest star | HBO / Mike Judge, Alec Berg |
WILL & GRACE | guest star | NBC / James Burrows |
9-1-1 | guest star | FOX / Bradley Buecker |
PARKS AND RECREATION | recurring | NBC / Jay Karas |
LOOSELY EXACTLY NICOLE | recurring guest star | MTV / Linda Wallem, Daniella Eisman |
CASTLE | guest star | ABC / Bill Roe |
RIZZOLI & ISLES | guest star | TNT / Steve Robin |
GREY’S ANATOMY | co-star | ABC / Rob Corn |
Film
THE DEVIL HAS A NAME | supporting | StoryBoard Media / Edward James Olmos |
LIZA KOSHY HOLIDAY SPECIAL | lead | YouTube Red / Pete Marquis & Jamie McCelland |
CHiPs | supporting | Warner Bros. Pictures / Dax Shepard |
REVERSION* | supporting | Girls with Glasses Prods / Mia Trachinger |
WORKER DRONE | supporting | ITVS (PBS) / Sharat Raju |
FALLING OVERNIGHT | supporting | DPO Productions / Conrad Jackson |
GROWTH | supporting | New Artists Alliance / Gabriel Cowan |
COLORFORMS** | supporting | Warner Home Video / Eva Saks |
* Sundance Film Festival, official selection |
** Tribeca Film Festival, official selection |
Theatre
ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY | V.P. | Dallas Theater Center / Jaime Castañeda |
ANIMALS OUT OF PAPER* | Suresh | SF Playhouse (San Fran) / Amy Glazer |
BACK OF THE THROAT | Asfoor | Pasadena Playhouse / Damaso Rodriguez |
HOMELAND SECURITY | Raj | InterAct Theatre Co., PA / Seth Rozin |
¡BOCON! | Kiki/Calavera | Henry Street Settlement, NYC / David Anzuelo |
DEAD END** | Spit | Henry Street Settlement, NYC / David Gaard |
THE WATCHERS | Raphaim | CalArts (staged reading) / Bart DeLorenzo |
LEAR’S WILD ROSE | Miner | CalArts (staged reading) / Matthew McCray |
TAMBURLAINE | Theridamas | Target Margin Theatre, NYC / Yuri Skujins |
* Best Comedic Performance (Supporting) nomination, San Francisco Bay Area Theater Critics Circle |
** Winner of Audience Favorite Award, New York International Fringe Festival |
Training
Studio Class (Ongoing) | Stan Kirsch / Colleen Foy | |
Studio Class | Jonathan Slavin / Michael Adams | |
Studio Class | Billy O’Leary | |
CalArts, MFA in Acting | ||
Acting | Craig Belknap / Marissa Chibas / Mirjana Jokovic / Lewis Palter / Travis Preston / Elaine Tse | |
Voice | Fran Bennett / Irene Connors | |
Speech | Denise Woods / Dwight Bacquie | |
Stage Combat | Jan Bryant / Dan Speaker | |
Private Coaching | Julie Boyd, NYC | |
Scene Study | Darci Picoult / Louis Scheeder, NYC | |
The Mask & The Clown | Christopher Bayes, NYC |
Special Skills
Fluent in French |
Dialects: Indian, Middle-Eastern |
Certified Personal Trainer, Football, Rugby, Soccer, Track, Cross-Country Running, Ice Skating, Rollerblading, Stage Combat, Piano, Driving (standard and automatic), Dual Citizen (USA/Canada) |
Manager
GS Entertainment
323.860.0270
Theatrical
SDB Partners
310.785.0060
Commercial
Osbrink Agency
818.760.2488
Voiceover
A3 Artists Agency
310.728.1081
O Models Agency
323.612.7790
ALY MAWJI
sag-aftra | actor’s equity
My ethnicity is Indian.
My family’s from East Africa.
I was born in Iowa.
Raised in Canada, fluent in French.
Yeah, I know — crazy. I’m a true Global Citizen.
It’s given me an ear for languages, a love for travel and culture, and a unique perspective on what “belonging” really means.
Painfully shy as a kid, I finally found my voice in an improv class at 13. It was my calling. And in high school, I got a chance to live my dream as a lead in the Fox Television pilot Changes (a 90210 for junior high kids).
I didn’t have the confidence or support from my parents to pursue my dreams, so I took a little detour and studied Computer Engineering in college (who you calling a stereotype??).
“Painfully shy as a kid, I finally found my voice in an improv class at 13.”
During my studies, I started a weekly party at a rundown motel, introducing Hip-Hop and Dancehall Reggae to the sleepy college town (ironically named Kingston). But I regretted not honoring my calling; I was unhappy and felt empty.
After graduating, I decided “No regrets” would be my motto in life. I packed what I could into a hockey bag (a lot, surprisingly) and moved to NYC. One of my first roles there was in the Fringe Festival, winning the Audience Favorite Award and a full production at Henry Street Settlement on the Lower East Side.
More roles in productions and readings followed at The Cherry Lane Theatre, Theater for the New City, Target Margin, The Lark, and Ma-Yi.
To further my craft, I chose CalArts to pursue my MFA in Acting. A multi-disciplinary arts school, I was seduced by the opportunities for cross-pollination.
Some of my favorite roles since graduating are Suresh in the West Coast Premiere of Rajiv Joseph‘s Animals Out of Paper at the SF Playhouse (Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy nomination), and VP in Kris Diaz‘s The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity at the Dallas Theatre Center.
“I was unhappy and felt empty…I decided ‘No regrets’ would be my motto in life. I packed what I could into a hockey bag and moved to NYC.”
Based in Los Angeles, I’m most recognized for my role on HBO’s Silicon Valley (seasons 1-3), helmed by Mike Judge and Alec Berg. I’ve done readings with the Sundance Institute, The Pasadena Playhouse, EST, and am a member of Circle X Theatre Company.
Off screen, I’ve been involved with non-profits Unusual Suspects, BookPALS, and Young Storytellers. I’m a nationally certified personal trainer and enjoy making music, writing, painting and traveling. In 2005, I traveled to Thailand with an NGO to help rebuild a small town called Khao Lak after the Tsunami. I made my first trip to India (the Motherland!) in 2009. But the trip I’m most proud of is my honeymoon to Tanzania; I somehow convinced my wife that climbing Mount Kilimanjaro (elev. 19,341′) would be a romantic getaway. We successfully summited (ahem!), are happily married, and now have a little boy.
If you have a project you’d like me to be a part of, contact me.
“I somehow convinced my wife that climbing Mount Kilimanjaro…would be a romantic getaway.”
Television
CHANGES (pilot) | series regular | FOX / John Binkley |
SILICON VALLEY (seasons 1-3) | recurring guest star | HBO / Mike Judge, Alec Berg |
WILL & GRACE | guest star | NBC / James Burrows |
9-1-1 | guest star | FOX / Bradley Buecker |
PARKS AND RECREATION | recurring | NBC / Jay Karas |
LOOSELY EXACTLY NICOLE | recurring guest star | MTV / Linda Wallem, Daniella Eisman |
CASTLE | guest star | ABC / Bill Roe |
RIZZOLI & ISLES | guest star | TNT / Steve Robin |
GREY’S ANATOMY | co-star | ABC / Rob Corn |
Film
THE DEVIL HAS A NAME | supporting | StoryBoard Media / Edward James Olmos |
LIZA KOSHY HOLIDAY SPECIAL | lead | YouTube Red / Pete Marquis & Jamie McCelland |
CHiPs | supporting | Warner Bros. Pictures / Dax Shepard |
REVERSION* | supporting | Girls with Glasses Prods / Mia Trachinger |
WORKER DRONE | supporting | ITVS (PBS) / Sharat Raju |
FALLING OVERNIGHT | supporting | DPO Productions / Conrad Jackson |
GROWTH | supporting | New Artists Alliance / Gabriel Cowan |
COLORFORMS** | supporting | Warner Home Video / Eva Saks |
* Sundance Film Festival, official selection |
** Tribeca Film Festival, official selection |
Theatre
ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY | V.P. | Dallas Theater Center / Jaime Castañeda |
ANIMALS OUT OF PAPER* | Suresh | SF Playhouse (San Fran) / Amy Glazer |
BACK OF THE THROAT | Asfoor | Pasadena Playhouse / Damaso Rodriguez |
HOMELAND SECURITY | Raj | InterAct Theatre Co., PA / Seth Rozin |
¡BOCON! | Kiki/Calavera | Henry Street Settlement, NYC / David Anzuelo |
DEAD END** | Spit | Henry Street Settlement, NYC / David Gaard |
THE WATCHERS | Raphaim | CalArts (staged reading) / Bart DeLorenzo |
LEAR’S WILD ROSE | Miner | CalArts (staged reading) / Matthew McCray |
TAMBURLAINE | Theridamas | Target Margin Theatre, NYC / Yuri Skujins |
* Best Comedic Performance (Supporting) nomination, San Francisco Bay Area Theater Critics Circle |
** Winner of Audience Favorite Award, New York International Fringe Festival |
Training
Studio Class (Ongoing) | Stan Kirsch / Colleen Foy | |
Studio Class | Jonathan Slavin / Michael Adams | |
Studio Class | Billy O’Leary | |
CalArts, MFA in Acting | ||
Acting | Craig Belknap / Marissa Chibas / Mirjana Jokovic / Lewis Palter / Travis Preston / Elaine Tse | |
Voice | Fran Bennett / Irene Connors | |
Speech | Denise Woods / Dwight Bacquie | |
Stage Combat | Jan Bryant / Dan Speaker | |
Private Coaching | Julie Boyd, NYC | |
Scene Study | Darci Picoult / Louis Scheeder, NYC | |
The Mask & The Clown | Christopher Bayes, NYC |
Special Skills
Fluent in French |
Dialects: Indian, Middle-Eastern |
Certified Personal Trainer, Football, Rugby, Soccer, Track, Cross-Country Running, Ice Skating, Rollerblading, Stage Combat, Piano, Driving (standard and automatic), Dual Citizen (USA/Canada) |
Manager
GS Entertainment
323.860.0270
Theatrical
SDB Partners
310.785.0060
Commercial
Osbrink Agency
818.760.2488
Voiceover
A3 Artists Agency
310.728.1081
O Models Agency
323.612.7790