Jason Mantzoukas is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 actor and comedian currently appearing as Rafi in the FX comedy series The League

The League

The League is an American sitcom that premiered on FX on October 29, 2009. The series, set in Chicago, is a semi-improvised comedy about a fantasy football league, its members, and their everyday lives.-Synopsis:...

.

Life and career

Mantzoukas began performing improvisational comedy in college. He attended Middlebury College

Middlebury College

Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...

 in Vermont

Vermont

Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...

. After college, Mantzoukas studied music and lived abroad for several years, traveling to North Africa

North Africa

North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...

 and the Middle East

Middle East

The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...

. In 1998, after moving to New York at age 23, he began performing comedy regularly at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater (UCBT) where he was a member of the improv team "Mother", one of the UCBT's earliest house teams. He continues to perform in the weekly show "Soundtrack", an improvised sketch show based on iPod playlists from audience members. Mantzoukas continues to perform and teach at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

. Mantzoukas has appeared in movies such as Baby Mama

Baby Mama

"Baby Mama" is an R&B/hip-hop song by Fantasia from her debut album Free Yourself. It was released as the album's third single on May 3, 2005 and was produced by Co-Stars and Harold Lilly...

and I Hate Valentine's Day

I Hate Valentine's Day

I Hate Valentine's Day is a 2009 romantic comedy film written and directed by Nia Vardalos. The film stars Vardalos and John Corbett, previously seen together in Vardalos' hit 2002 film My Big Fat Greek Wedding.-Plot:...

and has made guest appearances in comedy programs such as The Life & Times of Tim

The Life & Times of Tim

The Life & Times of Tim is an HBO comedy animated television series, which premiered on September 28, 2008. The series was created by Steve Dildarian, and is about a hapless man in his mid 20s named Tim who lives in New York City with his girlfriend Amy...

, Parks and Recreation

Parks and Recreation

Parks and Recreation is an American comedy television series on NBC that focuses on Leslie Knope , a mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, the series debuted on April 9, 2009; it has run for three seasons and...

, and Enlightened. He currently co-hosts the Earwolf

Earwolf

Earwolf is a comedy podcasting network founded by Scott Aukerman and Jeff Ullrich during the summer of 2010. It started with the preexisting show Comedy Death-Ray Radio but has since grown to include several other podcasts, with the intention of adding even more.In 2011, they announced a...

 podcast "How Did This Get Made?" along with Paul Scheer

Paul Scheer

Paul Christian Scheer is an American comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He co-created and starred in MTV's sketch comedy series Human Giant and currently co-stars as Andre on the FX comedy The League. He also currently stars as Trent Hauser on the Adult Swim show NTSF:SD:SUV:: which he created...

 and June Diane Raphael

June Diane Raphael

June Diane Raphael is an American actress, comedienne and screenwriter known for appearing in films such as Year One and Going the Distance...

.

Mantzoukas currently appears with a recurring role as Ravi on the FX comedy The League

The League

The League is an American sitcom that premiered on FX on October 29, 2009. The series, set in Chicago, is a semi-improvised comedy about a fantasy football league, its members, and their everyday lives.-Synopsis:...

. He is also currently a writer and producer on the Adult Swim

Adult Swim

Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...

 series Childrens Hospital.