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{{Short description|American actress (born 1965)}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Zenobia Shroff
|image = File:Shroff Sacred Heart University Film TV Master Program November 2018.jpg
|image_caption = Shroff in 2018
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1965|5|27}}
|birth_place = [[Mumbai|Bombay]], [[India]] (present-day [[Mumbai]])
|citizenship = United States
|education = [[Circle in the Square Theatre School]]
|occupation = Actress, comedian
|years_active = 1989–present
|known_for = [[Muneeba Khan]] in ''[[Ms. Marvel (miniseries)|Ms. Marvel]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mansworldindia.com/entertainment/brown-mom-representation-west-ms-marvel-never-have-i-ever-entertainment-news-moms/|title=Brown Mom Supremacy: Never Have I Ever & Ms. Marvel Represent (Our)Moms Like It's Nobody's Business!|last=Swaroop|first=Ananya|date=August 12, 2022|publisher=Man's World India|website=www.mansworldindia.com|access-date=June 25, 2023}}</ref>
}}
'''Zenobia Shroff''' (born May 27, 1965)<ref>{{Cite tweet |author=Zenobia Shroff |user=ZenobiaShroff |number=1927661690625147158 |date=May 27, 2025 |title=It was my 60th birthday today. it's been a hell of a ride . when I look back on it and even putting pictures together, I realized I married this career. while that might not be ideal, It's been real. starting at the age of 16 as a commercial print model in #Mumbai #india And having a great early adulthood till 23 where I modeled danced met # #shiamakdavar and of course my mentor #pearlpadamsee. I studied I got a masters degree in psychology. I was to be a therapist . and I moved towards acting. at 24 under pearl's guidance. I went to New York city to become an actor and what followed was two decades of intense struggle . Somewhere there I lost my footing, and I was caught in a vicious cycle of health and finances. without one you can’t have the other and I didn't. Till #soonitaraporevala saw something in me and cast me in #littlezizou. A couple of good years followed with movies parties, red carpets, etc. and then it got quiet again. I made @TheBigSickMovie in the summer of 2016 and I had my worst bout with my health in the fall/winter of that year, it was truly the darkest before the dawn moment. And once big sick open in 2017, my life permanently changed. thank you to @GayleKeller for being so steadfast in getting me cast in that. 2020 saw the pandemic and a hard time for the whole world but a personal victory. I got chosen to play #muneebakhan in the #marvel universe. Big sick put me on the Hollywood map and Marvel put me on people’s lips and in their homes. I'm still trucking. It's not been particularly busy after #themarvels. #Hollywood thinks I'm talented but still doesn’t know what to do with me. I hope that changes but I'm still standing. I have wonderful friends some wonderful family great blessings and 60 feels pretty damn good. Hang in there. If you don't make it at 30, you can try at 40 and if you don't make it at 40, you can try at 50 a lot has changed this past few years for me; seismic personal shifts, I lost both my parents, we all endured a global pandemic and I became the first #southAsian mother in the #marveluniverse. Life will throw shit at you life will throw beautiful things at you. Today is a beautiful day. I hope yours is too. Here's to the future. #india #america #actor #model |access-date=March 4, 2026 |link=https://x.com/ZenobiaShroff/status/1927661690625147158}}</ref> is an Indian-born American actress. Shroff has been an actress, writer, teaching artist and sketch comedian for over 30 years and she is known for her role in the 2017 film ''[[The Big Sick]]'',<ref name="variety.com">{{cite web | url=https://variety.com/2017/film/spotlight/scene-stealer-zenobia-shroff-as-kumail-nanjianis-mother-in-the-big-sick-1202634347/ | title=Scene Stealer: Zenobia Shroff as Kumail Nanjiani's Mother in 'The Big Sick' | date=8 December 2017 }}</ref> and as [[Muneeba Khan]] in the [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]].

==Early life==
Shroff grew up in a [[Parsis|Parsi]] family in South Bombay, in what is now known as [[Mumbai]].<ref name="ew">{{cite web|url=https://ew.com/tv/ms-marvel-zenobia-shroff-interview/ |title=Ms. Marvel star Zenobia Shroff talks Marvel motherhood |publisher=Entertainment Weekly |date=2022-06-22}}</ref>

==Career==
Shroff began her professional career at age sixteen as a commercial print model. After seven successful years as a [[model (person)|model]], she switched to acting. She got her acting start in Mumbai under the mentorship of [[Pearl Padamsee]]. She then moved to study acting at [[New York City]]'s [[Circle in the Square Theatre School]].<ref name="HT1">{{cite web|url=http://elle.in/celebrity/zenobia-shroff/ |title=Zenobia Shroff: The Big Sick changed the game for me |publisher=Elle India |date=2018-05-30}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=http://www.lassiwithlavina.com/thebuzz/little-zizous-zenobia-shroff-stands-up/html |title=Little Zizou's Zenobia Shroff Stands Up |publisher=Lassi With Lavina |date=2010-10-01}}</ref> Soon after, she appeared at the Broadway Castillo Theatre, where she played several roles such as Nora in [[Henrik Ibsen]]'s ''[[A Doll's House]]'' to German avant-gardist [[Heiner Müller]].<ref name="auto"/> She also performed in ''Erotic Adventures in Venice'' at the [[La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club]] and in [[Milan Kundera]]'s ''Jacques and His Master''.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}

===2007–2016===
In 2007, she was cast as Roxanne in ''[[Little Zizou]]'', written and directed by [[Sooni Taraporevala]]. For that role she was nominated as best actress at the [[New York Indian Film Festival|New York Indian film festival]].<ref name="not all brown"/> A few years later, she appeared in ''[[When Harry Tries to Marry]]'', an American [[romantic comedy]] film. She followed that up with her first [[Bollywood film]], ''[[Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu]]'' alongside [[Imran Khan (film actor)|Imran Khan]]. The film received critical acclaim.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/13/movies/ek-main-aur-ekk-tu-bollywood-romcom-set-in-las-vegas.html | title=After Mumbai, Letting His Socks Down in Las Vegas | newspaper=The New York Times | date=13 February 2012 | last1=Saltz | first1=Rachel }}</ref> Her solo show, ''Show How to Succeed as an Ethnically Ambiguous Actor'' premiered at the Planet Connections Festival in June 2016. For that performance she has been nominated as Outstanding Solo Performer.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/off-off-broadway/article/Planet-Connections-Theatre-Festivity-Awards-Come-to-Cherry-Lane-This-Weekend-Nominees-Announced-20160808 |title=Planet Connections Theatre Festivity Awards Come to Cherry Lane This Weekend; Nominees Announced |publisher=BroadwayWorld |date=2016-08-08}}</ref>

Shroff has been a lifelong dancer, starting with the classical Indian temple dance, [[Bharatanatyam|Bharat Natyam]] for several years and moving onto jazz and modern as a young adult. She is a founding company member of the [[Shiamak Davar]] dance company with whom she toured nationally doing musical theatre including playing Anita in ''[[West Side Story]]'', ''[[Cabaret (musical)|Cabaret]]'', and ''[[A Chorus Line]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.marvel.com/articles/tv-shows/ms-marvel-bollywood-wedding-dance-episode-3-kamala-khan | title='Ms. Marvel': The Cast on the Most Challenging Scene — the Bollywood Wedding Dance }}</ref>

===2017–present===
She has performed stand-up at the Guild Gallery, the Indo American Arts Council,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.iaac.us/film.htm | title=Indo-American Arts Council, Inc }}</ref> Don't Tell Mama, [[Upright Citizens Brigade|UCB]] and the South Asian International Performing Arts Festival.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}} She went on to perform her show, ''Show How to Succeed as an Ethnically Ambiguous Actor'', with over 30 characters in and off-Broadway at the Castillo Theatre in a full run in the summer of 2017.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.browntaps.org/writing-is-live-2022/ | title=Writing is Live 2022 – Theatre Arts & Performance Studies | access-date=2022-10-04 | archive-date=2023-08-18 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230818215053/https://www.browntaps.org/writing-is-live-2022/ | url-status=dead }}</ref> Also in 2017, she was cast as [[Kumail Nanjiani]]'s mother in ''[[The Big Sick]]'', produced by [[Judd Apatow]]. The cast was nominated for a [[Screen Actors Guild Awards]] in 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/sag-award-nominations-2018-full-list-1063931/item/outstanding-performance-by-a-cast-a-motion-picture-1064213 |title=SAG Awards: 'Three Billboards,' 'Big Little Lies' Top Nominees |publisher=Hollywood Reporter |date=2017-12-13}}</ref>

She has appeared in the American [[medical drama]] series ''[[The Resident (TV series)|The Resident]]'', American [[political drama]] television series ''[[Madam Secretary (TV series)|Madam Secretary]]'', and a recurring role as Priya Ullah in seasons 4 and 5 of ''[[The Affair (TV series)|The Affair]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/01/arts/television/the-affair-recap-season-4-episode-3.html |title='The Affair' Season 4, Episode 3 Recap: Playing the Savior |newspaper=The New York Times |date=2018-07-01|last1=Collins |first1=Sean T.}}</ref> In 2020, she voiced one of the many counselors named “Jerry”, in the [[Walt Disney Pictures|Disney]]-[[Pixar Animation Studios|Pixar]] film ''[[Soul (2020 film)|Soul]]''.

In 2022, she was cast as [[Muneeba Khan]] in the [[Marvel Studios]] series ''[[Ms. Marvel (miniseries)|Ms. Marvel]]'' on [[Disney+]]. She reprised the role in the 2023 film ''[[The Marvels]]''.<ref name="auto1">{{cite web|url=https://www.screenrant.com/captain-marvel-2-characters-show-return-khan-family/|title=Ms. Marvel Star Reveals Show Characters Return In Captain Marvel 2|last=Hussaini|first=Syed Fahadullah|date=September 7, 2021|publisher=Screen Rant|website=www.screenrant.com|access-date=July 15, 2022}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
She holds a master's degree in Psychology.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iaac.us/zenobia_shroff/index.htm |title=Zenobia Shroff in EXOTIC OBSERVATIONS|publisher=[[Indo-American Arts Council]] |date=2010-08-12 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180216183800/https://iaac.us/zenobia_shroff/index.htm | archive-date=2018-02-16 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Filmography==
{{Pending films key}}
===Film===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="margin-right: 0;"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
! class="unsortable" | {{tooltip|Refs.|References}}
|-
| 1989
| ''[[Percy (1989 film)|Percy]]''
| Vera
|
|
|-
| 2008
| ''[[Little Zizou]]''
| Roxanne Pressvala
|
| <ref name="not all brown">{{cite web | url=https://www.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hollywood/ms-marvel-zenobia-shroff-slams-new-york-times-572421.html | title='Not All Brown People Look Alike': Ms Marvel Actor Slams Western Press for Misrepresentation | date=17 June 2022 | access-date=14 July 2022 | archive-date=18 August 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230818172008/https://www.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hollywood/ms-marvel-zenobia-shroff-slams-new-york-times-572421.html | url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
| 2010
| ''[[When Harry Tries to Marry]]''
| Geeta Shankar
|
| <ref name="not all brown"/>
|-
| 2012
| ''[[Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu]]''
| Nicole Braganza
|
| <ref name="not all brown"/>
|-
| 2016
| ''Misaligned''
| Nadia's Mother
| Short film
|
|-
| 2017
| ''[[The Big Sick]]''
| Sharmeen
|
| <ref name="variety.com"/><ref name="looper"/>
|-
| 2019
| ''(t)here''
| Geeta (Mother)
| Short film
| <ref>{{Cite web | title=(t)here Short FILM | url=https://www.thereshortfilm.com | access-date=2024-12-29 | website=www.thereshortfilm.com}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2020
| ''[[Save Yourselves!]]''
| Su's Mom
| Voice role
| <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/screens/2020-02-05/sxsw-announces-midnighters-vr-and-more/ | title=SXSW Announces Midnighters, VR and More }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://culturemixonline.com/review-save-yourselves-starring-sunita-mani-and-john-reynolds/ | title=Review: 'Save Yourselves!,' starring Sunita Mani and John Reynolds }}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Soul (2020 film)|Soul]]''
| Counselor Jerry
| Voice role
| <ref name="btva">{{cite web | url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Zenobia-Shroff/ | title=Zenobia Shroff (Visual voices guide) | work=Behind the Voice Actors | access-date=21 July 2022}}</ref>
|-
| 2021
| ''[[7 Days (2021 film)|7 Days]]''
| Rita's Mom
|
| <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/events/film/2022-03-25/7-days/ | title=Movie Review: 7 Days }}</ref>
|-
| 2023
| ''[[The Marvels]]''
| [[Muneeba Khan]]
|
| <ref name="auto1"/>
|-
| 2025
| ''[[This Tempting Madness]]''
| Lakshmi
|
|
|-
| TBA
| {{Pending film|[[Rest and Relaxation]]}}
| Roshni
| Post-production
|
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="margin-right: 0;"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
! class="unsortable" | {{tooltip|Refs.|References}}
|-
| 2018–2019
| ''[[The Resident (TV series)|The Resident]]''
| Himaya Pravesh
| 3 episodes
| <ref name="looper"/>
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2018
| ''[[The Affair (TV series)|The Affair]]''
| Priya Ullah
| 6 episodes
| <ref name="looper"/>
|-
| ''The Greatest American Hero''
| Leena
| TV film
|
|-
| ''[[Madam Secretary (TV series)|Madam Secretary]]''
| Indian Prime Minister Vanya Kharti
| Episode: "E Pluribus Unum"
| <ref name="looper"/>
|-
| 2022
| ''[[Ms. Marvel (miniseries)|Ms. Marvel]]''
| [[Muneeba Khan]]
| Main role (6 episodes)
| <ref name="ew marvel">{{cite magazine | url=https://ew.com/tv/ms-marvel-zenobia-shroff-interview/ | title='Ms Marvel' star Zenobia Shroff talks Marvel motherhood | magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]}}</ref>
|-
| 2025
| ''[[Marvel Zombies (TV series)|Marvel Zombies]]''
| Muneeba Khan (voice)
| 1 episode
|
|}

== References ==
<references>

<ref name="looper">{{cite web | url=https://www.looper.com/925755/why-muneeba-khan-from-ms-marvel-looks-so-familiar/ | title=Why Muneeba Khan from Ms. Marvel Looks So Familiar | date=12 July 2022 }}</ref>

</references>

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|2801210}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shroff, Zenobia}}
[[Category:1965 births]]
[[Category:Actresses from Mumbai]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Indian film actresses]]
[[Category:Indian television actresses]]
[[Category:Indian emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American television actresses]]
[[Category:American voice actresses]]
[[Category:American women comedians]]
[[Category:American actresses of Indian descent]]
[[Category:American people of Parsi descent]]
[[Category:American Zoroastrians]]
[[Category:American expatriate actresses in India]]
[[Category:Actresses in Hindi cinema]]
[[Category:Circle in the Square Theatre School alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:21st-century American actresses]]

Zenobia Shroff - Revision history

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