Nazeem Hussain

Nazeem Hussain
Nazeem Hussain
Born	21 April 1985 (age 39); Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Medium	Stand-up; television; radio; film;
Nationality	Australian
Notable works and roles	Salam Café, Legally Brown, Orange Is the New Brown, "Hy-larious Hyena"
Website	https://www.jubileest.com/nazeem-hussain

Nazeem Hussain is an Australian comedian, actor, television and radio presenter.^[1]

He is best known as creator and star of two television comedy shows, Legally Brown and Orange Is the New Brown. His Netflix special Nazeem Hussain: Public Frenemy began streaming worldwide in 2019, and his YouTube special 'Hussain in the Membrane' launched in October 2022.

Nazeem released his first children’s book series, Hy-larious Hyena, through Scholastic Australia, in 2022.

He starred as a correspondent for both seasons of the hit Netflix series ‘Bill Nye Saves the World’ with American scientist and TV personality Bill Nye (popularly known as ‘Bill Nye the Science guy’).

Early life

Hussain was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, to parents of Sri Lankan descent. He attended Ashburton Primary School, Melbourne High School, and Deakin University^[2]

Career

Nazeem's Netflix comedy special, titled "Nazeem Hussain: Public Frenemy," filmed at Montreal's Just For Laughs Festival, began streaming worldwide in 2019.^[3] This garnered him a significant number of new fans and received positive reviews from critics. Both Funny Or Die and Chortle included Nazeem's special among their top picks.^[4]

‘This was my first time seeing Hussain’s stand up, and I can tell you it absolutely will not be the last. Nazeem has incredible stage presence and really has command of the room.’ – Funny or Die (2019)^[5]

In October 2018, Nazeem's popular TV comedy series titled 'Orange Is The New Brown' aired on Channel 7 at prime time.^[6] It received rave reviews and viewer numbers. Created and starred by Nazeem, cast members included Claudia Karvan, Tim Minchin, Urzila Carlson, and Kat Stewart. Many of the sketches from the series have gone viral, with some clips receiving over 10 million views.^[7]

As a stand up comic, Nazeem was awarded the Best Newcomer Award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival^[8] in 2008. He has twice been nominated for the Helpmann Award for Best Comedy Performer.^[9] His stand up shows include 'Nazeem Hussain: Legally Brown', 'Hussain in the Membrane', 'Hussain That?', 'Nazeem Hussain: Party Animal', 'Nazeem Hussain: Public Frenemy', 'Basic Idiot'.

Nazeem has performed around the world, including sold-out tours at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and London's Soho Theatre,^[10] as well as New Zealand, Paris, Belgium, China, Singapore, Malaysia, the US, and a special homecoming show in Colombo, Sri Lanka to 2,500 people.

He opened for Dave Chappelle in New York City, and across Australia on his national tour.^[11] Nazeem also opened for Aziz Ansari in Sydney, 2019. Nazeem was invited to perform at the esteemed 'Just for Laughs Festival' in Montreal, as a part of Kevin Hart's LOL Network.

Nazeem fast became a household name on 'I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!', reaching the Grand Final after 46 days spent in the South African jungle. His campmates included Dane Swan, Steve Price, Casey Donovan and Natalie Bassingthwaighte.^[12] Nazeem chose InTouch Multicultural Centre Against Domestic Violence as his charity.

Nazeem is perhaps known best for his work as the creator and lead of the popular TV show 'Legally Brown', which aired on SBS Television for two seasons in 2013 and 2014.^[13] The show gained significant attention for its daring and provocative content, earning critical acclaim from various sources. It was nominated in the Most Outstanding Comedy category at the prestigious 2015 Logie Awards.

Nazeem was an official correspondent for both seasons of the widely popular Netflix series 'Bill Nye Saves the World,^[14]' alongside renowned American scientist and television personality Bill Nye, famously known as 'Bill Nye the Science Guy.' Nazeem's fellow correspondents included: Karlie Kloss, Derek Muller, Emily Calandrelli and Joanna Hausman.^[15]

Nazeem performed Calvin Khan - the Very Foreign Correspondent on the award-winning series 'Balls of Steel Australia' on the Comedy Channel. His character, which he created, was a fan-favorite and garnered the highest ratings of the season.^[16] He also starred and co-wrote on the cult-hit show 'Salam Café' on SBS, which received a Logie Award nomination in 2009.^[17]

Nazeem placed third on the Amazon Original comedy series 'Last One Laughing', where Rebel Wilson served as the host, alongside some of Australia's most popular comedians, in a high-stakes competition to make each other laugh while maintaining a straight face.^[18]

Nazeem created and starred in the Audible Original podcast 'Rogue Son,' a personal and humorous exploration of his relationship with his Sri Lankan heritage and the complexities of cultural identity.^[19] Rogue Son proved to be a major hit, with positive reviews from critics and listeners, ranking high on Audible's most popular podcasts.^[20]

Nazeem's first podcast 'Burn Your Passport' won iTunes Best Comedy Podcast in 2016 and is ranked in the top 20 most-listened podcast in Australia.^[21] He is also the host of the ABC's Pineapple Project.

In 2022, Nazeem released his first new children’s book series, Hy-larious Hyena, through Scholastic Australia.^[22] The second book in the series is soon to be released.