Tom Haverford

Grew Up... in South Carolina, where his parents immigrated from India. He was raised in America, so everything about him is American except his birth name, which is Darwish Zubair Ismael Gani. He changed it to “Tom Haverford” because of his belief that “brown guys with funny-sounding Muslim names don't make it far in politics.” If he had somehow been able to foresee Barack Hussein Obama, Tom might still be “Darwish.”

Living… in Pawnee, Ind., a town that is the opposite of hip. People in Pawnee are just now getting into Nirvana, Tom says. He didn’t have the heart to tell them what was gonna happen to Kurt Cobain in 1994.

Profession… administrator in the Pawnee City Department of Parks and Recreation. Tom’s favorite aspect of his profession is the power. Not that he abuses it; he doesn’t give into temptation. But it’s great knowing that he could.

Interests… fast cars, fast women, flashy suits, and his many entrepreneurial ventures. Here’s a quick list of the latter off the top of his head: “Make-A-Baby Tuxedo clothing line. A department store with a guest list. White fur earmuffs for men. Contact lenses that display text messages. Invent a phone that smells good. Own a nightclub, call it Eclipse, that’s only open for one hour two times a year. Cover charge? Five thousand dollars.”

Relationship Status… a perpetual (wannabe) player and occasional heartbreaker. Tom doesn’t mind getting his heart broken himself, because he’s a guy. When a guy gets dumped, he can just call the girl “crazy” and relinquish himself of all responsibility. Tom insists that’s what they always do on Entourage.

Challenge… getting one of his business ventures off the ground so he can get out of his bureaucratic job and become a serious entrepreneur. His company, Entertainment 720, is currently bankrupt, and his efforts to pitch to local investors while he’s in the office have failed miserably.

Personality… cocky and fast-talking, but with hidden depth. Tom believes he’s got it all – business and street savvy, skills with the ladies, government connections – and will gladly tell anyone who will listen. But there are deeper layers to Tom that are easy to miss. Beneath his sarcastic persona is a person struggling for definition and a place for himself.