Next person biography:
Zenobia Shroff has had a remarkable career spanning thirty years. She began her journey in Mumbai under the guidance of the renowned Pearl Padamsee. With Padamsee's encouragement, she moved to New York to study acting at the prestigious Circle in the Square Theatre School. She further honed her craft at the off-Broadway theatre Castillo, where she played a diverse range of roles, including Nora in Ibsen's A Doll's House and German avant-gardist Heiner Muller.
In addition to her acting career, Zenobia has also taught drama and movement extensively throughout New York City and Mumbai, primarily working with inner-city and low-income children. She has taught at various institutions, including Arts Connection, Education in Dance, and is a proud founding teacher of Youth Onstage, a fully free theatre school for inner-city children.
Zenobia has appeared in several films, including Sooni Taraporevala's "Little Zizou," for which she was nominated as Best Actress at the New York Indian Film Festival, and "When Harry Tries to Marry," a Hollywood independent film. She has also starred in her first Bollywood blockbuster, "Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu," alongside superstars Kareena Kapoor and Imran Khan.
Her critically acclaimed one-woman show, "How to Succeed as an Ethnically Ambiguous Actor," has been performed at the Planet Connection Theatre Festival and was nominated for Best Actress. She has also had a successful off-Broadway run at the Castillo theatre.
In 2017, Zenobia had her breakout role as Kumail Nanjiani's mother in "The Big Sick," which was a box office success and earned her stellar reviews and a SAG nomination for Best Ensemble Cast. She has since appeared in several television shows, including a recurring role on season 4 of "The Affair" as Priya Ullah, and recurring roles on "The Resident" and "Madam Secretary." She will return for season 5 of "The Affair" in August 2019.
Zenobia is a talented Bharatanatyam dancer and also writes and performs sketch comedy. Her one-woman show, "Exotic Observations," has been performed at various venues, including the Guild gallery, the Indo-American Arts Council, and the UCB. She holds a Master's degree in Psychology.
