Zenobia Shroff
Personal details
  • Born:
    • Birthday: 1965-05-27
    • Born Place: Mumbai, India

Zenobia Shroff

Zenobia Shroff is an Indian-born American actress, writer, and teaching artist with a career spanning over three decades in film, television, and theatre. Born on May 27, 1965, in Bombay (now Mumbai), India, she grew up in a Parsi family in South Bombay.Shroff began her professional career at the age of sixteen as a commercial print model, working for seven years before transitioning to acting. She honed her acting skills in Mumbai under the mentorship of Pearl Padamsee, which led her to further her studies at New York City's prestigious Circle in the Square Theatre School. In New York, she became a prominent presence in off-Broadway theatre, performing in diverse roles at the Castillo Theatre and other notable venues like La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club. She also created and performed a critically acclaimed one-woman show, "How to Succeed as an Ethnically Ambiguous Actor."Her film career includes roles in "Little Zizou" (2008), "When Harry Tries to Marry" (2010), and her Bollywood debut "Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu" (2012). Shroff gained significant international recognition for her breakthrough role as Sharmeen, Kumail Nanjiani's mother, in the critically acclaimed 2017 film "The Big Sick," which earned her stellar reviews and a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) nomination for Best Ensemble Cast.More recently, Zenobia Shroff has become widely known for her role as Muneeba Khan, the supportive and often humorous mother of Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel), in the Disney+ series "Ms. Marvel" (2022). She reprised this role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film "The Marvels" (2023), further cementing her presence in global pop culture. Her television credits also include recurring roles in "The Affair" and "The Resident," and an appearance in "Madam Secretary." Beyond acting, Shroff has extensively taught drama and movement in both New York City and Mumbai, focusing on empowering inner-city and low-income children through theatre.

Person History