Rizwan Manji (born October 17, 1974) is a Canadian actor. He is known best for his portrayals of Ray Butani on ''

Schitt's Creek ''Schitt's Creek'' (stylized as ''Schitt$ Creek'') is a Canadian television sitcom created by Dan Levy and his father, Eugene Levy, that aired on CBC Television from 2015 to 2020. It consists of 80 episodes spread over six seasons. Produced by ...

'', Tick Pickwick on '' The Magicians'', Rajiv Gidwani in the

NBC Universal The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

TV series '' Outsourced'', and Jamil in the

DC Extended Universe The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films and television series produced by DC Studios and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on characters that ...

(DCEU) television series ''

Peacemaker Peacemaker or The Peacemaker (in various forms) may refer to: Individuals and groups * UN Peacemaker, a project of the UN to support international peacemakers and mediators * Peace makers, a list of contemporary individuals and organizations inv ...

'' (2022–present) and film ''

Shazam! Fury of the Gods ''Shazam! Fury of the Gods'' is an upcoming American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Shazam. Produced by New Line Cinema, DC Studios, and the Safran Company, and set for distribution by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is intended to ...

'' (2023).

Early life

Manji was born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Ontario, to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n parents who emigrated from

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

. His family is

Ismaili Isma'ilism ( ar, الإسماعيلية, al-ʾIsmāʿīlīyah) is a branch or sub-sect of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor (imām) to Ja'far al-Sa ...

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

i Indian descent, and he has said that his religion is very important to him. When Manji was in grade one, he and his family moved to

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, where he was raised.Ryan, Andrew (October 6, 2010). "Outsourced, in this case, is 'a great honour'". ''The Globe and Mail'' (Toronto). p. R4. He graduated from Crescent Heights High School. Manji's parents wanted him to go to university to earn a degree, but he wanted to be an actor.Hall, Jamie (September 30, 2010). "Actor finds way in with Outsourced; Sitcom set in Indian firm 'a really big deal' for ex-U of A student". ''Edmonton Journal''. p. D1. He attended the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexander Cameron Rutherfor ...

, where his sister Rishma was enrolled. The only class he enjoyed there was drama.Volmers, Eric (September 30, 2010). "Sitcom laughs outsourced to Calgary actor; Rizwan Manji shows funny side in new series". ''Calgary Herald''. p. E4. In 1992 Manji enrolled at the

American Musical and Dramatic Academy The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) is a private conservatory for the performing arts located in New York City and Los Angeles, California. The conservatory offers both Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees and two-year certificates in prof ...

in New York City.

Career

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 ''Better Off Ted'' is an American satirical sitcom series, created by Victor Fresco, who also served as the show's executive producer. The series ran on the ABC network from March 18, 2009, to January 26, 2010. ''Better Off Ted'' focuses on the ...

'' and '' 24''. From 2010 to 2011, Manji played Rajiv Gidwani on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

comedy '' Outsourced''. He initially auditioned for the role of Gupta;

Parvesh Cheena Parvesh Singh Cheena (born July 22, 1979) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Gupta in the TV series ''Outsourced'' and as Sunil Odhav on ''Crazy Ex-Girlfriend''. He also voices Bodhi in '' T.O.T.S.'' Early life Cheena was ...

got the part, but the producers cast Manji as the scheming assistant manager Rajiv. Manji played Ray Butani on the CBC comedy ''

'' from 2015 to 2020, for which he was nominated for a

Canadian Screen Award The Canadian Screen Awards (french: link=no, Les prix Écrans canadiens) are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media (web series) p ...

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

SyFy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...

. In 2019, he starred in the

comedy '' Perfect Harmony'' as Reverend Jax, a missionary who runs a church. The show, which starred

Bradley Whitford Bradley Whitford (born October 10, 1959) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman in the NBC television political drama ''The West Wing'' (1999–2006), for which he w ...

, was cancelled after one season. Manji has also appeared in a

GEICO The Government Employees Insurance Company (GEICO ) is a private American auto insurance company with headquarters in Chevy Chase, Maryland. It is the second largest auto insurer in the United States, after State Farm. GEICO is a wholly owne ...

commercial as a customer in the checkout aisle who wins the "auction,"ispot.tv Manji TV Commercials Ads Retrieved April 7, 2020
/ref> and in commercials for

Kmart Kmart Corporation ( , doing business as Kmart and stylized as kmart) is an American retail company that owns a chain of big box department stores. The company is headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States. The company was inc ...

LendingTree LendingTree is an online lending marketplace headquartered in Charlotte, NC. The business platform allows potential borrowers to connect with multiple loan operators to find optimal terms for loans, credit cards, deposit accounts, insurance, et ...

National Car Rental National Car Rental is a private American rental car agency based in Clayton, Missouri, United States. National is owned by Enterprise Holdings, along with other agencies including Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and Alamo Rent a Car. National typically c ...

, and

The UPS Store The UPS Store (formerly Mail Boxes Etc.) is a subsidiary of United Parcel Service which provides, according to its website, shipping, shredding, printing, fax, passport photos, personal and business mailboxes, and notary services. Histor ...

. Manji co-hosts a podcast titled ''The Brighter Side of News''.

Personal life

Manji lives in

Studio City Studio City is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, in the southeast San Fernando Valley, just west of the Cahuenga Pass. It is named after the studio lot that was established in the area by film producer Mack Sennett in 1927, ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, with his wife and three children. He has spoken openly about issues facing South Asian and Muslim actors in Hollywood.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Manji, Rizwan 1974 births Living people Canadian expatriates in the United States Canadian Ismailis Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Canadian male voice actors Canadian people of Gujarati descent Canadian people of Indian descent Canadian people of Tanzanian descent Male actors from California Male actors from Toronto Gujarati people People from Gujarat People from Studio City, Los Angeles 20th-century Canadian male actors 21st-century Canadian male actors American Musical and Dramatic Academy alumni Khoja Ismailism