# Kamal Ahmed (comedian)

Kamal Ahmed (Bengali: কামাল আহমদ; born May 7, 1966), commonly known as Kamal, is an American director, comedian, and a former member of prank phone call comedy group The Jerky Boys.

## Early life and career

Kamal was born in East New York, Brooklyn and raised in Astoria, Queens and the Lower East Side of Manhattan. His father, Manir Ahmed, a former chemical engineer, started the restaurant "Shah Bagh" in the East Village, which eventually led to him owning a string of Indian restaurants in an area that became known as "Little India". Kamal's mother, originally from Trinidad & Tobago, worked for the United Nations. His sister, a chemical engineer, has worked for major pharmaceutical companies. Kamal developed an early interest in music and has become an accomplished bass guitar player and scores many of his productions.
Kamal was a founding member of The Jerky Boys and co-starred with John G. Brennan in the 1995 Touchstone comedy film The Jerky Boys: The Movie. He played Kissel, a World War II veteran; Tarbash the Egyptian Magician; Curly G. Cradle-Rock, and other characters on the Jerky Boys albums. Kamal also appeared in "Punch", a 1994 episode of Space Ghost Coast to Coast. Tensions began to rise between Brennan and Kamal during the filming of The Jerky Boys movie and their collaboration deteriorated further during the production of Big Money Hustlas, in which Kamal appeared in a cameo appearance.
In 2000, Kamal released a solo album titled Once a Jerk, Always a Jerk. He has made multiple television and radio appearances, including on Late Night with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Howard Stern Show. Kamal has also acted in and directed several films, including Laugh Killer Laugh, which was completed in 2015. In 2022, Kamal released his first mini-series, Crash the System, which was distributed on streaming media platforms worldwide.

## Filmography

As of 2022, Kamal has directed 8 full-length films and 1 TV mini series.
Directed features :
| Year | Title | Notes |
| 2003 | God Has a Rap Sheet | Writer, director, producer |
| 2007 | Rapturious | Writer, director, producer |
| 2008 | Uncle Freddy | Writer, director, producer |
| 2010 | Circus Maximus | Executive producer, producer |
| 2012 | 1000 Times More Brutal | Writer, director, producer |
| 2012 | Brutal | Director |
| 2015 | Laugh Killer Laugh | Writer, director, producer |
| 2018 | The Martyr Maker | Writer, director, producer |
| 2022 | Crash the System | 8 Episode mini series, writer, director, producer |
Acting Roles :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1984 | ABC Afterschool Specials | (uncredited) | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1995 | The Jerky Boys: The Movie | Kamal | |
| 1995 | The Jerky Boys: Don't Hang Up, Toughguy | Kamal | Video |
| 1997 | Men in Black | Voice of cab driver (ADR, uncredited) | |
| 2000 | Big Money Hustlas | Old man Kissel, security guard (as Kamal) | |
| 2001 | The Rules (For Men) | Ashalama | |
| 2002 | I Fouska | Cuban taxi driver | |
| 2002 | Paper Soldiers | Shawn's boss | |
| 2003 | The Sweet Life | Cabdriver | |
| 2003 | Mail Order Bride | Buddah | |
| 2005 | Survive This | Kamal | |
| 2006 | Beer League | Umpire #3 | |
| 2007 | Rapturious | Cabdriver | |
| 2007 | Never Down | Cop | |
| 2015 | Laugh Killer Laugh | Detective 1 | |
| 2016 | Terrifier | Voice on phone (voice) | |