'Top Gun: Maverick' Star Bashir Salahuddin Has an Impressive Comedy Resume

Bashir Salahuddin is the writer, executive producer, and co-creator of comedies 'Sherman's Showcase' and 'South Side.'

By Megan Behnke

Bashir Salahuddin may be known for his role as Bernie "Hondo" Coleman in 2022's hit film Top Gun: Maverick, but he has an impressive overall filmography. Before breaking out into Hollywood, the Chicago native actually studied pre-med at Harvard in the late '90s, where he performed in several theater productions. During his junior year, Salahuddin decided to try his hand at acting and attended the Hangar Theater's training program in New York. And that was only just the beginning.

After working as a paralegal following college, Salahuddin worked as a PA at Warner Brothers in Los Angeles. He soon got a writing job on Chocolate News in 2008 after making web videos with his friend and future writing partner, Diallo Riddle. The duo later were asked by Jimmy Fallon to join the writing staff of his talk show, and they moved to New York to work on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon for four years.

The two proved to be a force to be reckoned with, having penned a canceled half-hour comedy series, Brothers in Atalanta, for HBO in 2016 and created the Comedy Central comedy South Side in 2019, which ran for three seasons. They are also behind the IFC comedy Sherman's Showcase, which premiered in 2019 and ran for two seasons. While they haven't had anything new come out in the last couple of years since both shows ended, according to IMDb, they are working on an upcoming comedy for CBS that has yet to be titled.

Related:

Bashir Salahuddin has also served as a writer for Taraji and Terrence's White Hot Holidays, The Maya Rudolph Show, and The Last O.G. Despite starring in a drama film and appearing in a wide range of shows and films, it seems like comedy is his first love. Writing and acting is not all that he's done, as he's also served as executive producer on Sherman's Showcase, South Side, Brothers in Atlanta, and John Legend and Family: Bigger Love Father's Day. He was also the consulting producer on The Last O.G.

Salahuddin is working around the clock, and there isn't any stopping him because soon he will be adding "Showrunner" to his growing resume with the upcoming comedy Book of Marlon. Whether or not he will be returning in the potential Top Gun: Maverick sequel is unknown, but at least he is keeping plenty busy regardless.

Trending Now: