One of Canada's most prolific comedians and actors, Shaun Majumder was born in Toronto to a Canadian mother and Bengali father, but came of age in the small town of Burlington, Newfoundland. His father left the family when Majumder was very young, leaving him to be raised by his white mother in a predominantly white town — and the realization that his skin color differentiated him from the other locals provided Majumder with an early education in race relations and identity that would later form the topical foundation of his comedy routines.

Throughout his career, Majumder has playfully poked fun at both sides of his heritage, whether reenacting Newfoundlanders' penchant for turning a simple request for directions into an epic folksy yarn that goes on forever, or developing a thickly accented Indian alter ego — reporter Raj Binder — that plays up racial stereotypes as a means of defusing them. But before he became known as a comic, Majumder first entered the spotlight in the late 1990s as a fast-talking host on the kids-oriented network YTV. That early on-camera experience allowed him to cultivate a diverse acting career that's run parallel to his ascent in the stand-up ranks. In 2003, he joined the cast of the long-running news-satire program This Hour Has 22 Minutes, a gig that made him a household name across Canada. At the same time, he was planting the seeds for a fruitful stint in Hollywood, taking small parts in the comedic cult classic Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and the Kiefer Sutherland action series 24, and earning a starring role in the ABC police drama Detroit 1-8-7.

For all his success, Majumder has never forgotten about the communities that nurtured him — he has a long history of performing charity shows in Toronto to raise money for the homeless, and has been active in promoting the tourism industry in Newfoundland. Following his departure from This Hour Has 22 Minutes in 2018, Majumder is back onstage reclaiming his title as Canada's preeminent crowd-pleasing comedian.