Shelley Mathew Malil (born December 23, 1964) is an American actor who has appeared in a number of films and TV shows.
Malil, an Indian-American, was born in Kerala, India and emigrated to the United States in 1974.
Shelley began pursuing his dream of entertaining people on the high school stage, where his leading turns often earned awards in district competitions in Texas, where his family settled after emigrating to the U.S. in 1974. As a child, he had dreams of becoming a comedic actor like Bob Hope, whom he first saw on a neighbor’s TV set, the only one in the fishing village on the southern tip of India.
Shelley first came to Hollywood in 1995, after a two-year stint at New York's famed American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He had a supporting role in The 40 Year Old Virgin, Holes (2003), Collateral Damage, Getting There (2002), Boys From Madrid (2000), My Favorite Martian (1999), Columbus Day and Just Can't Get Enough: the Chippendales Story and appeared in shows like Scrubs, Reba, NYPD Blue, The West Wing and ER.
Shelley was selected as one of the ”Top 10 Overlooked Performances of 2005” by the Associated Press for his performance in The 40-Year-Old Virgin. He is the recipient of a Clio Award (for the Budweiser commercials), a Los Angeles Ovation Award as Best Featured Actor for his performance as Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and was nominated for the Los Angeles Ovation Award for his performance in subUrbia.
On August 11, 2008, Malil was arrested for attempted murder after his ex-girlfriend, Kendra Beebe, was stabbed at least 20 times in San Marcos, California. The attack on his former girlfriend, a mother of two, who resides in Carlsbad, California occurred the night of August 10. Malil, who lives in Sherman Oaks, a suburb of Los Angeles, was arrested for investigation of attempted murder, mayhem and burglary and booked into the county's Vista Detention Center, the statement said. He is currently in custody at San Diego's Central Jail. Malil, 43, was arrested at an Amtrak station in San Diego as he got off a train in Oceanside. He was originally held at $2 million bail, which has since been increased to $10 million after being deemed a flight risk. The bail has since been reduced to $3 million, as Malil is no longer considered a flight risk. On August 13, Malil pleaded not guilty to attempted murder charges. If convicted, Malil could face the maximum sentence of life in prison for the charge of attempted murder, including premeditation, causing great bodily injury, residential burglary, and using a deadly weapon.
