Jason Mantzoukas (born December 18, 1972) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for his recurring role as Rafi in the FX comedy series The League and co-starring alongside Sacha Baron Cohen in The Dictator. He also appears in such films as Sleeping with Other People, They Came Together and Conception.
Mantzoukas also co-hosts the popular movie discussion podcast How Did This Get Made? alongside Paul Scheer and June Diane Raphael.
Personal life
Mantzoukas was born in Nahant, Massachusetts. He was an accomplished drummer in high school, anchoring a band named Slygoul. He is of Greek descent. During his May 2012 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Mantzoukas revealed that he is severely allergic to eggs. He states during every episode of the podcast How Did This Get Made? that he does not have a Twitter account. Mantzoukas is known to frequently wear a white Oxford shirt and blue jeans.
Career
He began performing improvisational comedy while attending Middlebury College in Vermont as a part of the Otter Nonsense Players. After college, Mantzoukas studied music and lived abroad for several years, traveling to North Africa and the Middle East. After moving to New York in 1998, he began performing comedy regularly at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater (UCBT) where he was a member of the improv team "Mother", one of the UCBT's earliest house teams. He continues to perform in the weekly show "Soundtrack", an improvised show based on iPod playlists from audience members. During the summer of 2004, collaborated with Lin-Manuel Miranda to co-write the Tony award winning musical In the Heights. Mantzoukas continues to perform and teach at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in Los Angeles. Mantzoukas has appeared in movies such as Baby Mama and I Hate Valentine's Day and The Dictator and has made guest appearances in comedy programs such as The Life & Times of Tim, Parks and Recreation, Enlightened, Broad City, Kroll Show, and Modern Family. He currently co-hosts the Earwolf podcast How Did This Get Made? along with Paul Scheer and June Diane Raphael. Although he is often cast as characters of Middle Eastern ethnicity, Mantzoukas is of Greek descent. Mantzoukas and comedian Ed Herbstman performed as comedy duo "The Mantzoukas Brothers" for a number of years, and they were named "Best Improv Duo" by Time Out New York magazine in 2006.
Mantzoukas appears in the recurring roles of Rafi on the FX comedy The League and Eagle Wing in the "Gigolo House" sketches on Comedy Central's sketch series Kroll Show.
Mantzoukas co-wrote the screenplay for the 2014 Ice Cube and Kevin Hart comedy Ride Along. He has also served as a consulting writer and producer on comedy programs such as Childrens Hospital and Portlandia.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
- Jason Mantzoukas at the Internet Movie Database
