Nik Dodani Biography

Nik Dodani was born in Dallas, Texas, but grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, where he attended BASIS Scottsdale. After graduating from BASIS Scottsdale in 2011, Nik went on to pursue politics at Occidental College in Los Angeles.

In 2008, Nik made his acting debut in the television film Living With Abandon (2008), in the role of Paku.

In 2016 he made his big screen debut, appearing in the film Other People (2016), where he played Ron. In the same year, Nik appeared in two more films, Goodbye, Felix Chester (2016) playing Ankush, and in The Good Neighbor (2016), playing Sanjay.

Nik caught his big break in 2017, when he landed the role of Zahid Raja on the Netflix show Atypical (2017-2021). Not only did the role of Zahid help Nik gain recognition as an actor and comedian, but it also brought him great joy, saying in an interview with BASIS Alumni Association, "Zahid's character is extra fun for me, because in real life I'm as openly gay as they come."

Following his work on Atypical, Nik was also a part of the revival of CBS' Murphy Brown (2018), playing Pat Patel in the show's 11th season.

Around this time in his career, Nik was practicing his craft as a stand-up comedian. His stand-up routine would often reference his childhood experiences growing up as a gay Asian-American in Arizona.

In 2018, Nik made his late-night comedy debut as a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

He most recently played Jared Kalwani in the 2021 film Dear Evan Hansen (2021), playing based on the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical of the same name.

Outside the world of entertainment, Nik has also done work in the world of politics. In 2016, he produced Laughter Trumps Hate, a project for MoveOn.org in which comedians across America submitted their stand-up sets, and sketch videos making jokes of Trump and his ways of bullying and bigotry.

Nik also interned for Elizabeth Warren’s 2012 Senate campaign.

He currently makes his home in Los Angeles, California. ~Sean Olegario

Filmography:

Dear Evan Hansen (2021)
Escape Room: Tournament of Champions (2021)
Mark, Mary & Some Other People (2021)
Escape Room (2019)
Dark Was the Night (2018)
Alex Strangelove (2018)
Atypical (2017-2021)
The Good Neighbor (2016)
Goodbye, Felix Chester (2016)
Other People (2016)