Nazeem Hussain

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Nazeem Hussain
Nazeem Hussain.jpg
Born (1985-04-21) 21 April 1985 (age 36)
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Medium
  • Stand-up
  • television
  • radio
  • film
NationalityAustralian
Years active2007–present
Genres
  • Observational comedy
  • satire
  • character comedy
  • sketch comedy
  • improvisational comedy
  • hidden camera
Subject(s)
  • Racism
  • racism in Australia
  • political humour
  • race relations
  • Islamic humour
  • Islamophobia
  • protest
  • social commentary
  • character comedy
Notable works and rolesSalam Café, Legally Brown, Orange Is the New Brown

Nazeem Hussain (born 21 April 1985) is an Australian comedian, actor, television and radio presenter. He is best known as creator and star of two television comedy shows, Legally Brown (2013-14) and Orange Is the New Brown (2018). His Netflix special Nazeem Hussain: Public Frenemy began streaming worldwide in 2019.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]

Career[]

Hussain's Netflix special ‘Nazeem Hussain: Public Frenemy’, filmed in Montreal at the Just For Laughs Festival, started streaming globally in 2019, introducing Nazeem to many new fans, and receiving critical acclaim. Funny Or Die and Chortle both listed Nazeem’s special amongst their favourites.

Hussain's prime time TV comedy series Orange Is the New Brown aired on Channel 7 in late 2018 to overwhelmingly positive reviews. Nazeem created and starred in the sketch series, working alongside Claudia Karvan, Tim Minchin, Urzila Carlson and Kat Stewart. Several of the sketches have gone viral online, being viewed by over 10 million people.

Hussain began his career as a stand-up comedian. He won the Best Newcomer Award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and has twice been nominated for the Helpmann Award for Best Comedy Performer. 2019 saw Nazeem perform ‘Basic Idiot’, his fifth consecutive stand-up tour, to his largest audiences ever in every major Australian city. He also supported Aziz Ansari on his 2019 Australia tour.

Hussain became a household name when he reached the Grand Final of Channel 10’s ‘I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!’, having to bunk up with Dane Swan, Steve Price, Casey Donovan and Natalie Bassingthwaighte for over six weeks. Nazeem’s chosen charity was InTouch Multicultural Centre Against Domestic Violence.

Hussain is perhaps best known as the creator and star of his TV show, ‘Legally Brown’, airing for two seasons on SBS Television in 2013 & 2014. The show broke ground with its boundary-pushing content, received widespread critical acclaim and was nominated for Most Outstanding Comedy at the 2015 Logie Awards.

He made his American TV debut as an official correspondent for both seasons of the hit Netflix series "Bill Nye Saves the World" with American TV personality Bill Nye (popularly known as ‘Bill Nye the Science guy’). He was also invited to perform at the prestigious Montreal ‘Just for Laughs Festival’ as a part of Kevin Hart’s LOL network.

A regular on international stages, Nazeem has performed around the globe, including sell-out seasons at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, London’s Soho Theatre, all across New Zealand, Paris, Belgium, China, Singapore, Malaysia, the United States (including opening for Dave Chappelle in New York City), and a homecoming show in Sri Lanka to 2,500 people, including the Prime Minister and his wife.

Hussain was a regular on the Comedy Channel’s hugely successful, ASTRA award-winning ‘Balls of Steel Australia’. His self-created character, Calvin Khan – the Very Foreign Correspondent, saw his episodes achieve the highest ratings of the season. Nazeem also starred on the cult-hit Salam Café on SBS, which was nominated for a Logie Award in 2009.

Hussain’s first comedy podcast Burn Your Passport first Comedy Podcast won iTunes Best Comedy Podcast of 2016, and is ranked in the 20 most listened to podcasts in Australia.

Hussain’s other TV appearances include The Project, The Full Brazilian (SBS), Hughesy We Have A Problem, The Weekly With Charlie Pickering, and ABC’s Q&A alongside Malcolm Turnbull.

In July 2021, it was announced that Hussain will be a regular contributor on KIIS 101.1's Jase & Lauren.

References[]

  1. ^ Hussain, Nazeem. Stop hesitating, Indians are being targeted. The Age. 22 May 2009
  2. ^ Episode 209: Nazeem Hussain, Ben McNair. Boxcutters. 25 January 2010
  3. ^ Carmel Guerra, Josh White Jr and Nazeem Hussain. 774 ABC Melbourne. 30 March 2010
  4. ^ Hussain, Nazeem. Nazeem Hussain. The Monthly. February 2011
  5. ^ *Tuohy, Wendy. Lawyer's jokes to plug tolerance. Herald Sun. 1 April 2011
  6. ^ Hussain, Nazeem. Veil request has already been covered. Herald Sun. 4 May 2011
  7. ^ Newsome, Brad. "Balls of Steel Australia, Tuesday, May 31". The Age 26 May 2011
  8. ^ Hussain, Nazeem. Let's start repairing the rifts. Herald Sun. 7 July 2011
  9. ^ Vranjes, Emilia. Muslims in the mainstream. inMyCommunity. 13 July 2011
  10. ^ Schwarten, Chris. Nazeem walks the fine line but is up for the challenge. The Bulletin. 9 May 2013
  11. ^ Nash, Kieran. Interview: Comedian Nazeem Hussain Australian & New Zealand Association. 1 August 2013
  12. ^ Sin, Yuen. Comedian Nazeem Hussain puts his faith for the future in comedy. The Straits Times Communities. 2 August 2013
  13. ^ Interview – Fear of a Brown Planet. Heckler. 2 August 2013
  14. ^ Aryal, Rajish. Nazeem Hussain is legally brown. Special Broadcasting Service. 22 September 2013

External links[]

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