Mindy Kaling (born Vera Mindy Chokalingam)
Indian-American
Actor + Writer + Producer + Director
Website: theconcernsofmindykaling.com
Instagram: @mindykaling
Mindy Kaling was born to Indian parents in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Kaling attended private school before entering Dartmouth College, where she earned a degree in playwriting in 2001. During her time at Dartmouth, she was a member of the improv troupe and was an intern at the Late Night with Conan O’Brien Show. After college, Mindy moved to Brooklyn, New York. There she co-wrote and starred in an Off Broadway hit show called matt and ben (about Matt Damon and Ben Affleck). She played the part of ben, and her friend and co-writer played matt.
In 2005, at the age of 24, Mindy not only made her film debut on The 40 Year Old Virgin, but she also became a director, producer, writer and performer on NBC’s The Office – starring in 161 episodes and writing 18 episodes of the series. Mindy has since appeared in several movies, such as Night At The Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009), Despicable Me (voice, 2010), the five-year engagement (2012) and the night before (2015); and is on the New York Times best-selling list for her comedic memoirs 'Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me' and 'Why Not Me?'
Mindy’s other projects include The Mindy Project (2012 to present) – in which she is the creator, executive producer, writer and star of the show; a new comedy show on ABC; a third book in the works; and a major role in the upcoming movie, Ocean’s 8, also starring Anne Hathaway, Cate Blanchett, Rihanna and Awkwafina.
In addition to winning numerous awards, including a Screen Actors Guild Award (2006 and 2007), Asian Excellence Award (2007) and Critics’ Choice Television Award (2012), her other accolades include being named one of '100 Most Influential People in the World' in 2012 by Time Magazine, and one of Glamour's 'Women of the Year' in 2014.
Interesting fact: Mindy changed her last name to Kaling because no one that introduced her during stand-up comedy routines could pronounce her last name, Chokalingam.
Sources: NY Times and The Concerns of Mindy Kaling