Rizwan Manji

Manji was born in Toronto, Ontario, to Indian parents who emigrated from Tanzania.^[2] His family is Ismaili-Muslim of Gujarati Indian descent,^[3] and he has said that his religion is very important to him.^[4] When Manji was in grade one, he and his family moved to Calgary, Alberta, where he was raised.^[5] He graduated from Crescent Heights High School.^[1][6]

Manji's parents wanted him to go to university to earn a degree, but he wanted to be an actor.^[7] He attended the University of Alberta, where his sister Rishma was enrolled.^[7] The only class he enjoyed there was drama.^[8] In 1992 Manji enrolled at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City.^[9]

During the early years of Manji's career, he played small parts in various films and television shows, with recurring roles in Privileged, Better Off Ted and 24.^[1]

From 2010 to 2011, Manji played Rajiv Gidwani on the NBC comedy Outsourced. He initially auditioned for the role of Gupta;^[1] Parvesh Cheena got the part, but the producers cast Manji as the scheming assistant manager Rajiv.^[10][11]

Manji played Ray Butani on the CBC comedy Schitt's Creek from 2015 to 2020, for which he was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award.^[12]

He also appeared in seasons 2-5 of The Magicians, a fantasy television series on SyFy.

In 2019, he starred in the NBC comedy Perfect Harmony as Reverend Jax, a missionary who runs a church. The show, which starred Bradley Whitford, was cancelled after one season.

Manji has also appeared in a GEICO commercial as a customer in the checkout aisle who wins the "auction,"^[13][14] and in commercials for Kmart, LendingTree, National Car Rental, The UPS Store,^[14] and Beyond Meat.

Manji co-hosts a podcast titled The Brighter Side of News.^[15]

Manji lives in Studio City, California, with his wife and three children.^[1][16] He has spoken openly about issues facing South Asian and Muslim actors in Hollywood.^[17]

• Rizwan Manji at IMDb