Mindy Kaling

Mindy Kaling is the daughter of Swati Chokalingam and Avu Chokalingam. She has a brother named Vijay Jojo Chokalingam who is an educational consultant. Kaling’s mother died in the year 2012 after suffering from pancreatic cancer.

She was closely linked to B.J. Novak whom she met while working for ‘The Office’. The couple had an on-and-off relationship.

On August 15, 2017, the American comedic actress announced her pregnancy.

Mindy Kaling was born on June 24, 1979 to parents Swati, an obstetrician/gynecologist and Avu Chokalingam, an architect, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Both her parents belong to India. They met while working in a hospital in Nigeria. Kaling’s family moved to US in 1979, the same year she was born.

Kaling graduated in 1997 from Buckingham Browne & Nichols in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A year later, she was enrolled at Dartmouth College.

At Dartmouth, she became a part of the college’s comedy troupe named ‘The Dog Day Players’. There she also did writing work for the campus’ daily newspaper and humor magazine. In 2001, Kaling graduated from the college with a bachelor's degree in playwriting.

Mindy Kaling interned on the ‘Late Night with Conan O'Brien’ while she was still at Dartmouth. She then made her acting debut in an off-Broadway play ‘Matt & Ben’ in 2002. She had also co-written the play along with her friend Brenda Withers. This play was a huge hit and was named as one of the ‘Top Ten Theatrical Events of The Year’ by ‘Time’ magazine.

In 2005, Kaling landed the recurring role of Kelly Kapoor in the TV sitcom ‘The Office’. The same year, she appeared in the series ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ as well as in her first film ‘The 40 Year Old Virgin’.

From the year 2006 to 2010, she did a few movies including ‘Unaccompanied Minors’, ‘License to Wed’, ‘Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian’ and ‘Despicable Me’.

In 2011, she got featured in the flick ‘No Strings Attached’. In addition, she published a memoir titled ‘Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?’ which became a New York Times best-seller.

A year later, in 2012, she did the movie ‘The Five-Year Engagement’ and gave voice to a character in the flick ‘Wreck-It Ralph’. The same year, she also started her TV show ‘The Mindy Project’.

At the age of 24, Mindy Kaling joined the team of ‘The Office’ and debuted in the show’s 2nd episode titled ‘Diversity Day’ as Kelly Kapoor. She co-wrote the episode ‘Niagara’ for which she was nominated for an Emmy Award.

She directed a few webisodes for ‘The Office,’ including ‘The 3rd Floor.’ She made her television directorial debut with the Season 6 episode titled ‘Body Language’. On September 15, 2011, Kaling signed a new contract with the show and was promoted to a full executive producer.