Actor, writer & producer
Mindy Kaling is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer who became one of television's most prominent multi-hyphenate creators. She first gained recognition for her work on the American version of The Office and went on to create and produce a string of comedy series, becoming a leading voice for inclusive storytelling in television.
Vera Mindy Chokalingam, known professionally as Mindy Kaling, was born on June 24, 1979, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Indian immigrant parents. She grew up in the Boston area and attended Dartmouth College, where she studied playwriting and was active in comedy and theater. After graduating she moved to New York, where she co-wrote and starred in an off-Broadway play, Matt & Ben, which brought her early attention.
Kaling joined the American adaptation of The Office in 2005 as both a writer and a cast member, playing the talkative customer service representative Kelly Kapoor. Over the show's nine-season run she became one of its most prolific writers, penning many episodes, and also served as a producer and director, gaining a reputation as a sharp comedic voice and earning Emmy nominations for her writing. She published a best-selling humorous memoir, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), in 2011, and later released a second collection of essays.
Following The Office, Kaling created and starred in The Mindy Project, a romantic comedy series in which she played an obstetrician-gynecologist navigating her career and personal life. The show ran for several seasons across network and streaming platforms and established her as a creator capable of leading her own projects.
Kaling has built a prolific production career through her company, Kaling International. She co-created the coming-of-age comedy Never Have I Ever for Netflix, drawing on aspects of her own upbringing, and created The Sex Lives of College Girls. She has also developed animated and live-action series including the adult animated comedy Velma, and she wrote and produced the comedy film Late Night, in which she also starred opposite Emma Thompson, as well as contributing to other film projects. Her production work has frequently centered diverse, often South Asian American characters and perspectives that had been underrepresented in mainstream American comedy. A frequent presence at awards ceremonies and a recognizable public figure, Kaling continues to write, produce, and act across film and television while developing new projects and mentoring emerging writers and performers through her production company.
The supermodel steps in front of the camera for the very first time in Mindy Kaling's new comedy Not Suitable for Work, turning up as a scene-stealing girlfriend with a flair for punchlines.
