In "Parks and Recreation", which actor plays Tom Haverford?

In "Parks and Recreation," Aziz Ansari plays Tom Haverford. Tom is a sarcastic, image-conscious administrator in Pawnee's Parks and Recreation Department, where he works as Leslie Knope's subordinate and often treats public employment as a platform for his ambitions.

Ansari was the first actor hired for the series in June 2008, before the show premiered on NBC in April 2009. The character was written as an Indian American government employee whose birth name is Darwish Sabir Ishmael Gani. Tom frequently talks about fashion, celebrity culture, and business, and he repeatedly tries to turn his ideas into successful ventures.

Tom leaves city employment to pursue businesses including Entertainment 720, Rent-a-Swag, and Tom's Bistro. He is sometimes confused with other South Asian or South Asian American performers such as Kal Penn, Hasan Minhaj, or Danny Pudi, but none of those actors plays Tom. Ansari remained part of the principal cast throughout the series' seven-season run.